Ok! I'm gonna try to start putting out chapters real quick until the end! It'll end up with something like 20 chapters in total. I'm gonna be wrapping up the GerIta plotline at the end, but there will be two more CanAme chapters and maaaaybe another SuFin one, if you ask for it. I don't know. (Or I could do another LietPol, it just depends on what you ask for.)

The song in here is The Suburbs by Arcade Fire. Please enjoy!

Ludwig's shoulder twitched as he turned the steering wheel sharply to the right, listening to Feliciano jovially chatter. They were sitting in Ludwig's car, on the way to the restaurant for their first official date. God, it felt strange to say that; a date, with a boy. Whoever would have thought? It was a Friday night, and they were headed to the only place Ludwig think of that he could afford; Joseph's Coney Island. It was a little place, yeah, kinda like a diner, but he couldn't afford anything more high-scale, and it was just the first date. They were high schoolers. It was a Friday night in November. Who the fuck cares?

He'd told his father he was spending the night with a friend; that wasn't entirely untrue; Feliciano was his friend, but more specifically his boyfriend. Those three little letters were conveniently left out of the conversation with his father. Ludwig was a little wary around the man concerning this topic; he wasn't sure how he'd react to his son being gay. He wasn't entirely sure he wouldn't kick Ludwig out, so he just neglected to say it, hoping his father wouldn't catch on. It wasn't like it was his business in the first place.

Another person who was deemed to be kept out of the loop was Feliciano's currently bed-ridden brother, Lovino. He seemed to not have taken a liking to Ludwig (the understatement being clear here, hopefully), and frankly Ludwig liked his eyes where they sat in his head. He was a bit afraid Lovino would scratch them out if he found out the relationship between the two. He'd spoken to Feliciano about it, for a brief moment, and the two of them together had determined that Feliciano should wait for the right time to tell Lovino—To catch his twin in a good mood, or find the perfect words to make him understand—his blind hatred for the blonde made things a bit more difficult in this case.

Feliciano had come up with the idea that Antonio could possibly be the one to tell Lovino—the senior was the one closest to his dark-haired twin, and maybe the person he yelled at the least. Well, except for some girls—Lovino believed in politeness towards women. He'd taught this to Feliciano as the two of them had grown up, and they'd become some serious lady-killers in their time in middle school and freshman/sophomore years. Junior year the both of them had decided to lay back for a while, not to worry about dating in the least. There were standardized tests to study for, who the fuck has time for pursuing relationships, anyways. In the end, Ludwig brought up the fact that they probably shouldn't put Antonio in the middle of this, anyways, and Feliciano had agreed. He'd have to do it himself. He only needed some time to find the right words.

Ludwig hadn't told Feliciano about his grades, either. He'd sat alone in his room for a long time, even broken some things. He'd smashed a shelf; dented a bookcase. He became more and more stressed out each day that passed, work piling up onto his shoulders even when he hadn't finished the work from the previous day. His free periods were monopolized by math problems and headaches, and his free time was even worse. His shoulders had started to twitch sporadically, indicating just how stressed he really was. (A friend of his had told him once that twitching in the muscles of the face or shoulders indicated high levels of stress.) He hoped to god that this bout of homework would end soon. Please let it end soon?

His shoulder twitched again as he pulled his silver car into the parking lot of Joseph's, looking at the fluorescent lights reading 'Josph's Coney Isld' where the lights had gone out on some letters. He read it against the dimming sky, taking Feliciano's hand and huddling into his scarf as they walked inside.

"Ah? This place looks really cool, Ludwig! It's like a diner, an old fashioned one!" Feliciano said ecstatically, smiling so adorably up to Ludwig. Their eyes met, and to Ludwig, it wasn't any different than taking Cacie Dotsenroth out on a date in the eighth grade; he felt nervous, and happy, and excited all at the same time, rolling up into a crushing feeling in his stomach.

"I'm… I hope you like it. It's not that fancy, but it should be enough… Right?" Or at least, he hoped. Ludwig didn't want his boyfriend to feel like he was cheap, oh dear. That would be the worst case scenario.

Feliciano just smiled and said, "I do like it. It's endearing, ve~?"

This put Ludwig's mind a bit more at rest. At least he hadn't come across as cheap, or lazy. This was really the best he could afford, and besides… the food here was good enough, right?

The restaurant was mostly empty, and they looked around to see one or two more tables full. The sign that said 'please wait to be seated', had been flipped around, and a paper was taped to the back of it. Sharpie writing was scrawled across it in a curly lilt; please seat yourself. The two of them shuffled to an empty booth by the window near the road, and they shrugged off their coats into the seat next to them.

They spent a minute chatting before a waitress walked over to them; she looked tired, but happily took their drink orders on her notepad and dropped two menus on the table. Feliciano ordered a Coca-Cola, while Ludwig just asked for some water. The waitress walked away again, hips swaying. Ludwig didn't think he needed to eat a lot tonight, but as an excuse to spend time with Feliciano, he'd give anything.

They looked over the menus, and Feliciano didn't look disgusted, so maybe that was a plus? He still felt like a nervous fluttery teenage girl when it came to these things, while Feliciano had gone on countless dates, almost definitely. The shorter boy was just so sure of himself, socializing with such poise that Ludwig nearly felt bad about his own social dispositions.

A few minutes later, the waitress swiftly walked over with their drinks; she set them down on the table, expertly dropping a napkin from between her ring and pinky fingers before setting down the cup. Ludwig appreciated her speed and accuracy as a waitress, and reminded himself to tip her well. He and Feliciano ordered their food; Ludwig ordered a turkey sandwich (something plain, that wouldn't upset his stomach), while Feliciano tried some special dish they had running. Ludwig hadn't paid attention to what it was.

They were left to make small talk once again. Ludwig was at a loss of what to say, and Feliciano seemed to understand, so he filled the silence with a conversation starter. "I think Lovi will be out of the hospital within a day or two. That's what the doctors said, at least."

"Ah. I'm glad. I'm glad he's alright, Feliciano." Ludwig met the amber eyes from across the table. He found it hard to hold the eye contact, as he was nervous and jittery—and probably weak, and his shoulder wouldn't stop twitching. (But now it seemed he was just making excuses!) "He was in a coma for four days though… Are you sure they'll let him out so soon?"

"Well, they said he didn't show any signs of permanent trauma to his head, only some broken bones. They casted them up, so he should be alright now, ve?" Feliciano chimed, sounding incredibly optimistic for the subject at hand.

Ludwig nodded. "That's good. He probably doesn't want to be in the hospital any longer, and I can't say I blame him." Even if Ludwig felt a certain animosity toward the dark-haired twin, he didn't think anyone should have to spend such a long time in the hospital. (He briefly remembered seeing Alfred Jones in the hospital; he wondered why once again).

They conversed for a while longer, until the waitress came, carrying two plates for them. Ludwig got just what he expected; a plain sandwich. He nearly immediately started to eat, the hunger from that day and the previous setting into his stomach. He now regretted not eating dinner.

Feliciano, however, seemed cautious about his meal. Maybe he was picky? Ludwig remotely held his breath while Feliciano cut off the first bite from the food; it was something wrapped in pita bread. He opened his mouth and took the first bite, and then his face scrunched up a bit in distaste. Ludwig nearly collapsed, but Feliciano didn't spit it out, or complain, or even acknowledge the fact he'd just expressed his distaste for the food he'd been given.

Instead, he just smiled at Ludwig. "It's… ah, good!" It was pretty obvious he was lying, but Ludwig appreciated the effort. Really, nobody else would have done anything even remotely as polite as that, so Ludwig was grateful for his boyfriend. Feliciano smiled again, at Ludwig, reassuringly.

Ludwig didn't smile back. He exhaled through his nose, looking incredulously at Feliciano. "You know, you don't have to pretend to like it. It's okay."

Feliciano set down the pita-thing, whatever it was, chuckling lightly to himself. "I guess I'm just really picky, huh? Sorry, Ludwig."

They talked for a long time. It was at least 45 minutes before they got the bill; Ludwig's glass was sweating down onto the white napkin. The restaurant was empty now, except for them. Ludwig insisted on paying for the both of them, in politeness while on a date. Feliciano had come prepared to pay for himself, but Ludwig pressed the issue and he'd given up before even really protesting.

Ludwig gave Feli his scarf, holding a smaller hand in his before heading out the door. Behind them, he heard the waitress whistle quietly; then the door shut, and it was just them alone in the cold.

They climbed back into Ludwig's car; which, like an idiot, he'd forgotten to start the heater before they'd gotten in. He cursed himself for it, putting the vents pointing inconspicuously towards the passenger's side of the car. Feliciano smiled, catching on to him. Feliciano toyed with the radio, suddenly finding a song he liked.

"Ah! Ludwig, have you ever heard it? It's one of my favorites!" Feliciano cried, turning up the radio quite loudly as Ludwig started the car. An intro sounded, music playing through the speakers. He pulled out of the parking lot as the singer started his first words.

In the suburbs I learned to drive, and you told me we'd never survive.

Grab your mother's keys, we're leaving.

Feliciano sung along to the words; it was a casual melody, with a lilted heavy beat, but somehow it felt sad.

You've always been so sure; that one day we'd be fighting in a suburban war.

Your part of town against mine, I saw you standing on the opposite shore.

But by the time the first bombs fell we were already bored.

Ludwig was transfixed by Feliciano's voice; it cooled his ears, and mellowed his stress, if only for a second. He drove on silently, the loud radio and Feliciano the only things on his mind. He wondered what band sang the song; he could have sworn he'd heard them before. Perhaps he'd ask Feliciano later, when he wasn't listening to the fantastic sound.

The chorus came on, and Feliciano sang without restraint.

Sometimes I can't believe it, I'm moving past the feeling.

As soon as they'd moved inside the door, Feliciano had his lips on Ludwig's, kissing him like he'd had to hold himself back all night; which maybe he had. Ludwig wasn't sure as he slid his arms about the thin boy's hips; swaying into the kiss as his back was pressed against the wall. He took control, letting his hands play with the hem of Feliciano's shirt. They kissed passionately, without restraint.

When the two broke apart, gasping, staring into each other's eyes, Feliciano's laughter rang out. He buried his head into the crook of Ludwig's neck, sighing. "That was… really good!" Feliciano nearly gasped out the words, still out of breath from their kiss. "You're really good."

Ludwig was almost flattered; how many girls had Feliciano kissed? Many, many more than Ludwig had… and yet, kissing a girl probably felt different than being kissed by a girl, and being kissed by a boy was most different as well. Ludwig supposed they were even, then. Both novices.

Feliciano's grandfather was out of the house that night; he would be for two more days. Now, he was in Italy, visiting some relatives for a funeral. A family member that Feliciano didn't know had passed away; some great-great-aunt or something. Their grandfather had hopped on a plane with hardly any warning, and when Feliciano found out that there would be a night alone in the house—he'd immediately called Ludwig. This would be their chance, just to spend time together. Their first date had been tonight, and the prospect of falling asleep in Ludwig's strong arms was more than comforting.

In truth, any and all time spent with Ludwig made Feliciano feel safe and stable. Remembering just two weeks before; such a long time ago, Homecoming had been on a Friday; the same day as this day. Today was a Friday, and here he was; sitting in his own kitchen, smiling into his boyfriend's warmth, relishing in the attention he was given. Lovino wasn't home, Grandpa Roma wasn't home. He was just alone with someone who mattered, someone who cared.

Ludwig broke them apart, gently, and Feliciano didn't mind. He was sure Ludwig wouldn't move far. He ended up fiddling with the radio fixed to the bottom of one of the cabinets. It was an old AM/FM radio, only catching faint grainy stations. It was Grandpa Roma's, and he kept it only for the rare instances when soccer is broadcast on the AM; Feliciano liked it when he could pick up faint songs in Italian and sing along.

Ludwig fiddled with it, pushing the FM button and was greeted by some loud static. He rolled the knob between his fingers quickly, rolling it right onto the very channel. An Italian singer's boisterous voice filled the room.

Feliciano hopped up from his seat at the kitchen table. He sang as loud as he pleased to the song; it was one about young lovers being happy in the summer, together. He understood most of the words, only a few words he wasn't able to translate into English. Grabbing Ludwig's hands away from the radio, he pulled him into a spin; they were dancing now, to the happy music from the kitchen radio. Feliciano led the dance here, pulling Ludwig into a nearly comedic dip. They laughed, and smiled, cheerily. Feliciano didn't thing he could be happier in his life.

It was fantastically domestic, something he'd never had since his parents died years ago. It was intimate, contrasting the loneliness he'd been subjected to for so long. It was perfect, no matter how much of a fool he felt like, grinning lazily at Ludwig.

Glancing over at the clock, Feliciano turned off the radio. It was nearly 11:00. "We should probably… get to sleep soon." He said this in a faint tone of voice; moderate disappointment audible in his words.

"We… We should." Ludwig agreed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

Feliciano took his hand, and Ludwig let the red-head guide him up the stairs, veering to the left and into a room that was most definitely Feliciano's. There was a big bed in the center, covers messily clotted at the foot. There were some stray clothes laying on the floor, some trinkets and books and papers lying around. There was an easel in the corner, by the window. Some dark shapes were painted onto a white canvas; Ludwig couldn't make out what they were in the dark. The walls were painted a coral color; however, nothing else in the room matched it. It was probably to be expected, though.

Feliciano flopped down on the bed, unceremoniously tugging Ludwig with him. Suddenly Ludwig felt shy. He scooted backwards to the headboard, watching as Feliciano turned to him, a happy gleam in his eyes. Feli sprawled out, stretching. Ludwig only tensed up more. He was in a house, alone, in a bed, with his boyfriend, at night. This could hardly be considered appropriate. His shoulders raised and he crossed his arms, bending his knees so he took up less space on the bed.

"Ludwig. It's okay, you're really tense now." Feliciano's voice was smooth.

"A-am I." Ludwig stuttered, watching as the red-head pulled himself up to the pillow, clinging to it.

"Yeah. It's alright here! We're alone, and it's fine~" His voice was quiet as his eyelids drooped slightly. It was obvious he was ready for bed- falling asleep proved no challenge to someone as lazy as he.

Ludwig managed to convince himself to stretch out on the bed, pulling the blanket over his long legs. Almost immediately, he felt arms around his hips, and Feliciano had pulled himself into Ludwig's chest, resting his forehead on Ludwig's collarbone.

A deep sigh was heard; another replied. It didn't matter which sigh was which; they were both asleep almost immediately.

Screams.

Ludwig wasn't quite sure what they were for, but this was the first time he'd woken to screams in a long time. These were angry, long sounds. They were words. They were right next to him.

Ludwig opened his eyes, briefly disoriented, then jolted as he realized where he was. Feliciano was clinging to his chest, just as he was all night (now he was waking up and coming to the same realization), and there was Lovino, standing over the bed.

He was loosely supported by a single wooden crutch; one leg was in a walking cast, the other was fully bound. A hand on the crutch, the other hanging limply at his side in a heavy brace. His face was contorted in such a snarl that Ludwig wasn't sure who it was at first; however, there was no mistaking it when he barked; "Feli! WHAT THE FUCK!"

Feli jolted, hands extending in front of him defensively on reflex. "Lovi! Lovi, why are you home!?"

The sound of someone running up the stairs sort of answered the question; Antonio burst into the room. "Lovino, calm down! What's wrong!?" He turned his head, observing the scene before him. Oh. "Ludwig? Feli!?" Oh, dear. This was certainly a bad outcome.

Lovino screamed again, dropping the wooden crutch in favor of launching himself at Ludwig. "What the fuck, you bastard! What did you do to my brother!?" He screamed. Ludwig did nothing but block Lovino's blows; he didn't want to grab his injured wrist, so he couldn't do anything.

Antonio rushed over, wrapping his arms around Lovino's torso and hauling him off of Ludwig. All the while, Lovino kicked at him, screamed profanities, both at him and at his brother. Said red-head had gotten off of Ludwig, climbing out of the bed on the other side.

"Bro! Bro, calm down!" Feliciano said, worriedly. Lovino was struggling to get at Ludwig still, even as Antonio said calming things into his ear.

His voice cracked, face red, breath staggered, Lovino finally calmed down. Antonio now sat on the bed next to Ludwig, ready to jump up if Lovi did anything extreme again. Feliciano sat at the foot of the bed, looking nearly… guilty. "When were you planning on telling me about this, Feliciano!? How far were you gonna let this go!? …How far did it go?"

Feli winced at the remarks, fiddling with his hands. "I was just waiting, bro. I'm sorry, okay?"

"You'd better be! And with this asshole, no less—"

Feliciano cut him off. "Shut up! You don't even know him!" His stance had shifted to an aggressive one. The brothers stood at a deadlock for a moment, Lovino still leaning on his crutch.

Lovino turned to the other two; "You two. Leave, we need to talk."

Antonio shook his head. "You two are angry; I'm not leaving you two to come to blows!" Ludwig nodded his agreement; Lovino scoffed.

"Well, make blondie here leave! I'm not gonna talk civil until he's out of my brother's bedroom, got it!?"

Feliciano looked about to protest, but Ludwig waved a hand. "Fine. I'll leave." He stood up, turning to Antonio. His voice lowered, "Don't let him get hurt." The last thing he wanted was more bruised ribs on Feli; he knew what happened last time Lovino kicked him out.

Antonio nodded, and Ludwig shifted his eyes to Lovi, then to Feli, who looked ready to cry. Without another word, he slipped out of the room.

As he climbed into the car and quickly turned on the ignition, the radio was already on. He listened for only a few seconds before recognizing the melody;

Sometimes I can't believe it, I'm moving past the feeling.

Sometimes I can't believe it, I'm moving past the feeling and into the night…

fdsfdsfsfs i dont know anymore

im just trying to finish this