Hello everyone! Thanks for all the reviews, it makes me super happy to see how enthusiastic you all are about this story! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to review!

Vote: how many more chapters would you like? I'll do as many as you'd like, but I'd hate to bore you all with continuing the story for too long.

Age Nineteen (Part Two)

Written Confessions

The honeydew-melon-murderer had his eyes open wide in surprise, looking back and forth between Ludwig and the splattered fruit on the ground. His tan face contorted into an apologetic expression, eyebrows scrunched, lip pouting and watery puppy-dog eyes. Bowing furiously, the shorter male scrambled around for a notebook he had dropped.

"Machen Sie sich keine Sorgen deswegen," the blond muttered in surprised German, annoyance creeping into his tone. Slightly confused as to why the guy was panicking so much, and why the hell he refused to just apologize verbally. He sighed. "I can just buy a new one, it's no big deal." He said, carefully making sure he was speaking in the correct language.

Upon hearing Ludwig's voice, the shorter male bolted upright, mouth open in shock, eyes wider than dinner plates. His eyes looked like they would pop out of his skull, like an overly excited goldfish. Thoroughly surprised, the shorter male dropped his notebook, loose pages scattering about the street.

"Pardon me," Ludwig spoke, clearing his throat. "Are you all right?"

The brunet nodded his head frantically, waving his arms around in wild motions. He looked at Ludwig like he had never seen someone like him, as if Ludwig was a rare mythological creature... or as if Ludwig had suddenly grown multiple heads. Either way, the warm amber eyes were fixed solely on him, studying every one of his features.

As if a lightbulb had flashed over his head, the other male grabbed Ludwig's wrist in his paint covered hands, traces of charcoal rubbing off onto the German's pale skin. Lifting the blank wrist in front of his eyes, the man's eyes widened, and a grin spread across his face like it was Christmas morning. Ludwig had to admit that was a rather strange reaction. Over the years, he had seen many different reactions upon someone noticing that he didn't have words.

Some people laughed, some people jeered. Others looked embarrassed for him, and his mother had cried. Some looked guilty, some pitied him. Others –like Kiku– didn't care at all. But never once, in all his nineteen years, had he seen someone smile.

The shorter male continued to grin widely, holding Ludwig's wrist with one hand and pointing to himself with the other. Was this guy a nutcase? What the hell was he doing? Shrugging off the scrawny boy's grip, Ludwig moved back a step.

"Excuse me, I better be going now." The tall blond said quietly, turning away as the boy –who looked to be around the same age as him– tried to pick up the few papers on the ground, hastily grabbing at them.

Ludwig walked quickly down the street, ignoring the bustling shoppers around him with wicker baskets full of tomatoes (there was one guy he saw who had a whole basket full of the juicy red fruit) and he faintly heard the sound of shoes clacking against the old brick ground behind him hurriedly.

Ludwig pondered about the strange teen as he moved through the crowd, clutching his cherries. The stranger's charcoal fingerprints remained on his scarred wrist. Ugh, that was gonna be a pain in the ass to wash off later.

Feeling a tug on his sleeve, Ludwig moved to turn, but before Ludwig could even blink, the petite boy from a few moments ago was standing in front of him, notebook flipped open and a pencil in his hand as he silently pleaded with his eyes for Ludwig not to move.

Standing still, Ludwig watched as stained hands moved quickly about the page, clutching a stick of charcoal in his right hand as he wrote words down as quickly as he could. Turning the notebook around, he exposed the page to the blue-eyed teen.

'My name is Feliciano Vargas.'

Ludwig nodded, eyebrows scrunched in confusion. This... guy –Feliciano looked like he was waiting for a reply. Clearing his throat, Ludwig choked out his own name. "I'm Ludwig Beilschmidt."

Feliciano grinned, auburn hair shining in the gleaming sun. He flipped to a new page in his notebook, writing another sentence. 'I'm nineteen years old and I'm mute.'

Ludwig nodded, wondering how this had anything to do with him. Feliciano continued writing.

'And I'm your soulmate.'

His heart was pounding, so quickly that he thought it'd jump out of his chest, and splatter across the sidewalk like the honeydew melon. Sweat trickling down his forehead, Ludwig's blue eyes widened. Struggling for words, he floundered, mouth opening and closing like a fish on land before he finally found his reply.

"That's not possible." Years of hardship and heartbreak flashed through his mind, hands trembling. He grew up without words, he learned through years of lecturing himself that he didn't need love, that he'd never have it. "I don't have words."

He wanted to shove past Feliciano, he wanted to run back to his crappy apartment and forget that this had ever happened. The auburn hair boy paused for a moment before nodding, and lifting up his own tanned wrist.

'Machen sie sich deswegen keine sorgen' was marked on his wrist, in handwriting that Ludwig recognized as his own. Louder and louder, he could hear his own heartbeat in his ears, and he briefly wondered if Feliciano could hear it too.

Part of Ludwig wondered if this was all a dream. If he pinched himself, would he wake up in bed only to find himself more alone than he ever had been before? Could this really be happening?

He didn't deserve it, not really. He was wordless, he didn't deserve a soulmate. He didn't even want to live, so why should someone like him have a soulmate?

'How about we get some new honeydew melon?' Was written on paper that was thrust towards his eyes, and when the notebooks was lowered, Ludwig saw the wide grin on Feliciano's face, the happy blush that tinged his cheeks.

And Ludwig would've been lying if he said his heart wasn't beating faster at the sight.

They ended up going back to Ludwig's apartment, Feliciano carrying the cherries and Ludwig carrying the melon. By the time they had actually gotten home, Feliciano had shared some details on his life and had managed to drag out some details from Ludwig.

Feliciano was happily washing the cherries in the sink as Ludwig cut the melon, but the blond had to admit he didn't know what to do now that he actually... well, had a soulmate. It wasn't something he had ever thought about. What happened now? Were they supposed to fall in love instantly, get married and adopt a dog?

How did things like this even work? He was sure that at one point in his life, he had had a class on this exact subject, but hadn't listened. Of course, back then, he never would've thought that a day would come where he was casually eating fruit with his soulmate after bumping into them on the street.

Feliciano wasn't bad looking, he decided, slicing the melon into a nice plump slice. With shining auburn hair and warm eyes, he was easy on the eyes. However, Ludwig never would've thought that his soulmate would be a man. Well, he had never thought he'd have a soulmate at all, but when he was younger he had been sure that if he was to find his soulmate one day, they would most definitely be a woman.

Either way, Ludwig supposed it didn't really matter. Although he was still in shock from the new information of the fact that he wasn't going to die alone, he managed to keep up a decent conversation and answer Feliciano's sloppily written questions as they munched on fruit.

Feliciano asked simple questions like his favorite color (blue), his favorite animal (dog) and if he had siblings. But as time ticked by, the questions became more personal and deep, but somehow, Ludwig answered with ease, not fearing sharing personal information like he used to.

Talking to Feliciano was different than talking to Gilbert or that irritating guidance counselor, Mr. Atkins. With Feliciano, the truth just flowed out with ease, as the Italian boy soaked up the words and stories with a comforting gaze and a smile.

'I've waited a long time to meet you.' Feliciano wrote as Ludwig put the leftover fruit in Tupperware.

"And I never thought I'd meet you." Ludwig responded, placing the fruit in the fridge.

'Hey, Luddy?' He wrote, biting his lip.

"Hmm?"

'Wanna go on a date tomorrow?'

Although at one point in his life, Ludwig had been completely positive that he would never hear that question directed towards him. In fact, just earlier today, he had been sure of that.

And yet, somehow, even though a blush burned his cheeks, Ludwig found a smile turning the corner of his lips as he gave his answer. "I'd love to, Feliciano."

When Ludwig was nineteen years old, he took the first step towards a certain kind of happiness that he thought he'd never achieve.

To be continued

Coming next: Age 20