It was just another day at lunch. Everything, in that moment, was perfectly calm. Feliciano's birthday was barely a week away. The sky was slightly overcast that day, although it didn't suggest rain. The cool air danced on Feliciano's skin and sent goose bumps across his bare arms. When the breeze picked up, he shifted his weight so that he was pressed into Ludwig's side. Ludwig looked unbothered by the cold. If anything, he looked distracted.

Ludwig spoke, and the calm Feliciano had been feeling turned to confusion. "Feliciano, do you remember telling me about a friend you had?" He asked. "The one during your childhood?"

Feliciano was slightly stunned by the sudden question. It felt like years had passed since he'd told Ludwig. He hardly remembered anything about his childhood friend. How could he, when it all happened such a long time ago? His memories of him were scattered and fuzzy. He even had a difficult time remembering his appearance…in all honesty; his name wasn't even coming to him! All Feliciano remembered was how happy he was when they played together, and of course how devastated he was when he left. It seemed like the most painful memories were always the easiest to remember.

"Yes, of course! Why?" He said after some time.

Ludwig shrugged, an obvious attempt at being dismissive. "I was thinking about it the other day." He hesitated for a moment. "Why don't you tell me a bit about him?"

"Oh. Alright." Feliciano said slowly. He concentrated as hard as he could, willing himself to remember. In the end, he could only remember the most generic of details. "He was a nice boy! He seemed a little nervous sometimes, though…" He abruptly stopped speaking. Maybe he had been imagining it; but he did remember that when they were together, the boy seemed to be somewhat skittish. Still, he was incredibly nice to Feliciano. Nicer than anyone had ever been towards him.

"Is that all you remember?"

Feliciano wondered why Ludwig would even care. "It was a long time ago." He said slowly, carefully.

Ludwig furrowed his brow. Feliciano didn't really notice. He was too busy desperately trying to remember his childhood friend, the one that stalked his dreams and invaded his thoughts. Ludwig's interrogations prompted him to try and remember something, anything, no matter how long ago it had happened. It did not take long for him to grow frustrated with himself. This had been one of the happiest times of his life, why could he not remember it at all? What was even more aggravating is that he could remember almost every incident of people being cruel to him since childhood like it had happened yesterday. How was that fair? He got to relive all of his awful memories on a daily basis, but never any of the positive ones?

Ludwig unscrewed a bottle of water. "How about his appearance?" He sounded as if he was trying to sound casual, but his words ended up seeming almost frantic.

Feliciano closed his eyes, using every ounce of his concentration. It felt like his thoughts were stuck on a static channel on a radio. He knew that something significant was supposed to be there, so close he could nearly make it out, but it wasn't quite clear enough to be recognized. In a sudden moment of clarity, one fairly insignificant trait struck him like a bolt of lightning.

"I think he was…blonde! Yes! The boy had blonde hair!" He said triumphantly. The fact that he had managed to remember anything at all filled him with an inexplicable pride.

Ludwig stopped drinking mid-sip, but soon continued. He nodded. "I see. Anything else you remember?"

Surprised by how much Ludwig was pushing this issue, Feliciano dove back into his own thoughts, back into the static filled mess that meant so much to him at one time. If for whatever reason Ludwig really wanted to know, he would try his hardest to give him all the information he could. All of those dreams and random flashbacks had to mean something. He was sure of it.

The warm sun on his skin everyday came to mind. The weather in Italy was pleasant most of the year. The winters weren't harsh and the summers were mild. Feliciano remembered staring into the blue sky, his mind wandering into daydreams that kept him occupied for hours on end. His days were without fear, a concept he could hardly wrap his head around now.

He remembered sitting on rocks with Grandpa Roma and sketching the landscapes, getting praised for his creations. He remembered playing games with Lovino and eating wonderful Italian food. He remembered spending the days with his friend and looking forward to seeing him everyday. Then, Feliciano remembered something else. He remembered the feeling of his heart beating in his young chest; his face flushing for what seemed like no real reason, the aching loneliness when the boy went home for the day-

Oh. Oh. Feliciano' body went numb. How had he forgotten such an important detail? His chest tightened, his head spinning with this realization. After all these years, he finally had an explanation for what he felt. Had this been his preference all along? Was it just a coincidence? Did something like this even count? He was only a young child, after all.

Feliciano came back to reality. "I felt something special for him." He said quietly. Why was this making him feel so bad? It was over ten years ago. Part of his was disappointed that Ludwig wasn't in fact his first love. But could you really call it "love" at that age? He was only around five at that time. Surely that wasn't old enough, surely…

Ludwig nodded. "I see. I suppose that is normal." He said. "I think we've all experienced young love."

Did he have to use that word? Feliciano felt his chest tighten. If only he knew where the boy was now. It would even help if he just knew his name. Why couldn't he remember? Surely something as basic as that would stick in his head if his person were important to him. As if someone had flipped a switch, Feliciano began to feel silly. That chapter of his life was over, done with. Why was he getting so worked up about it?

Just when he thought he was done being distressed about the matter, another memory all but smacked Feliciano in the face. It came at him like an eagle descending from the sky, claws out and pointing towards him. It flashed into his mind clear as day, every detail perfectly in place. Why was this all happening at once? Feliciano didn't think he could handle all of this remembering. His pulse clogged his hearing, the air around him beginning to close in on him as if he was inside of a vacuum.

How did I forget this? He thought. How, how, how, how… The memory repeated itself over and over again, pounding into his thoughts like a jackhammer. Maybe he had repressed it. Maybe forgetting was his way to take away the pain when he left. Maybe he was hit too hard one day and it had impaired his memory. Feliciano reached for every possibility, weighing them against each other like his life depended on it. There had to be an explanation, something like this doesn't simply slip someone's mind. It was getting difficult to breathe. Feliciano felt like he was underwater. Everything was so clear now, the memory rushed into his mind like water out of a broken dam.

He could feel the tears that streamed down his face when the boy told him was leaving. He remembered how the wood of the push broom he had given him had felt. Giving him the broom was somewhat of a silly, childish gesture. He had always used the broom around the house to help out his grandpa; they had even met when he was in the middle of using it. Before the boy left, Feliciano had given it to him as something to remember him by.

Still, one detail stuck out over all the rest. He remembered the feeling of the boy's lips pressed against his, one last, desperate gesture before he had to go. When he was gone, Feliciano felt like there was a gaping hole where his heart had been, the worst grief he had ever felt as a young child. That had been his first kiss…all this time he thought his first had been with Ludwig.

"I just remembered something." Feliciano nearly whispered, his stomach tossing and turning like there was no tomorrow. "But I'm not sure if you really want to know."

Ludwig didn't even hesitate. "Of course I want to know."

Feliciano took a deep breath, shaking his head to disperse the mental fog that clouded his thoughts. "I…I kissed him." He wasn't sure of what he was saying; he hadn't even completely accepted it. "It was before he left; I can't believe I forgot about it!"

It was at that moment that Ludwig started to choke on the water he was drinking. He coughed and sputtered, taking short, spastic breaths. Feliciano panicked, reached behind him and hit Ludwig's back with a closed fist in an attempt to stop it. He repeated his gesture until Ludwig raised his hands in the air, waving them furiously. He began breathing normally again, took another sip of water and finally exhaled dramatically.

"Thanks." He said, regaining his composure. "I apologize. I was just a bit shocked."

Feliciano's eyes narrowed in apology. "I'm sorry. Are you mad at me?"

"Why on earth would I be mad at you?"

"Well, I thought you were my first kiss." He said, staring at the ground below them. "I just remembered this now! I promise I wasn't lying to you!"

Ludwig's lips switched into what was almost a smile, and he exhaled in a way that was almost a laugh. "It happened during your childhood, Feliciano. It would be awfully silly of me to be jealous." He said with a shrug. "There was someone I kissed as a child as well, though I didn't know that until recently. Gilbert informed me what happened not too long ago."

Feliciano eyes widened in surprise. He had never mentioned anything like that before. Even though he would never admit it, he felt a slight twinge of jealously from somewhere deep inside of him. He immediately felt silly. He was jealous over a child, for goodness sakes. "What was her name?"

"It was actually a boy." Ludwig said. "I guess some things never change."

Feliciano was taken aback. He had just assumed it was a girl, anyone would, right? This was getting a little bit too weird. He and Ludwig had lived nearly identical lives. Still, Feliciano felt like there was still so much he didn't know about him. What was the history behind him and his friend? Was it anything like Feliciano's story?

"What was he like?" He asked, twirling his unruly curl between his fingers.

Ludwig looked just a bit surprised. He paused for a moment. "Well, he was very kind and very feminine. I actually thought he was a girl at first. It wasn't until much later that I realized the truth." He sounded amused. Feliciano's heart warmed seeing him reminisce. "Seeing him always made my day a little better. Kind of like you." After the words left his mouth, he inhaled sharply as if he had shocked himself.

Feliciano tilted his head to the side. "Why did you want to know all of this?"

Ludwig's jaw clenched. "I was curious."

Feliciano didn't buy that for a second. He stuck out his bottom lip. "Come on, Ludwig! There has to be another reason!"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, the other day I had a conversation with Gilbert." He said. "He told me some… interesting things about a friend I had as a child. Afterwards, I caught myself entertaining a very silly thought. I let my curiosity get the best of me."

This statement piqued Feliciano's interest. "I bet it's not silly! You can tell me, I'll listen. I promise!" He reached out and gripped Ludwig's hand in desperation.

Ludwig shook his head vehemently. "No, Feli, it's completely impossible. I don't want to get you excited over nothing."

Feliciano ignored Ludwig's reasoning. "Please?" Curiosity filled his blood, overtook his thoughts. "I want to know."

Ludwig pursed his lips and finally sighed. "You have to promise not to jump to conclusions." He said. "This is based off my unreliable memory and silly suspicion."

"I promise!" Feliciano was about ready to promise anything. He just wanted, no, needed to know.

Ludwig looked hesitant and spoke carefully. "Well, you've been telling me about this childhood friend for awhile. I couldn't help but notice parallels."

"Parallels?" Feliciano parroted. He didn't completely understand.

"When I was very young, I lived in Italy for awhile. My father had to be there for work." Ludwig said. "He was always working and Gilbert found things to do, so I was left to wander around. Eventually, I found someone to spend time with."

Feliciano forgot how to breathe. Surely, he could not be implying…

"I saw this person everyday. My memory is shaky, but I remember having a good time. Not only that…" Ludwig turned his head away. His cheeks were light pink. "Eventually, I developed feelings for this person. Like I said, I thought they were female due to their clothing. But when I figured out the truth, it didn't change anything. That was a surprise in itself…" He trailed off and shook his head when he realized he was veering off the topic.

Feliciano felt dizzy. If all this was a coincidence, it was definitely one hell of a coincidence. Out of all the places in the world, Ludwig had lived in Italy? Still, the whole thing just seemed way too unlikely. It was like a fairytale. Could he possibly mean what Feliciano was thinking? "Ludwig, are you trying to say…"

"Remember what I said. Do not jump to conclusions yet." He said it like he was delivering an order. "Anyway, my stay in Italy didn't last forever. After a few months, I had to leave."

Words left Feliciano. All he could do was gawk at him with his mouth partially open in a way that was almost cartoonish, waiting impatiently for him to finish this story. He must have been dreaming. That was the only explanation for something as unreal, as completely impossible as this.

"Naturally, the day I told him I was leaving we were both devastated. At that point I suspected that he returned my feelings, so I expressed them." He stopped speaking, sighed, and finished the thought in a weak mumble. "We kissed."

Feliciano's stomach twisted into fluttering knots. His skin burned through his body felt numb, his blood turned hot, and his heartbeat could be felt throughout his torso. Nothing else but Ludwig's words mattered. He felt the world crashing, exploding, burning down around him, all while a new one was built in its place. This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't be.

Ludwig sighed, sending Feliciano back to his senses. "I'm going to ask you a very bizarre question, Feliciano." He said. Feliciano only nodded, his heart beating so quickly he thought it was going to explode. The air had disappeared from his lungs.

"When this boy went away, did you happen to give him…some kind of broom?"

That was it. There was no other possible explanation, and this was not something he could have made up. Feliciano inhaled sharply, his eyes filling with tears before he had time to prevent them from spilling onto his cheeks. A powerful mix of emotions exploded inside of him. Confusion, doubt, disbelief- but most of all he felt an overwhelming, all-consuming surge of joy. The surge spread throughout his entire body, from the top of his head to the tips of his toes.

In that moment, Feliciano was sure that fate existed. The stars had aligned and sent him directly to Ludwig, even if he didn't know at first. When he looked at Ludwig, he could see the boy from so many years ago. The love he felt for him wasn't new. It was put on hold. They had found each other in this giant world not once but twice. If that wasn't a miracle, Feliciano didn't know what a miracle was.

He spoke after what felt like an eternity. "Yes." Tears ran down his cheeks despite his smile. "I gave him-" Feliciano paused to correct himself, a wild happiness blooming inside of him when he came full circle. "I gave you my push broom."

Ludwig exhaled softly, his eyes softening as he looked at Feliciano. "I can't believe this." He nearly whispered the words. "It's so surreal. I thought I would never see him again, and now this…"

"That still doesn't explain how I didn't remember your name." Part of Feliciano still did not believe this was real. His mind tried frantically to put all the pieces together, trying to make sense of all of this. "I don't remember knowing a Ludwig."

"Gilbert mentioned this. We used nicknames. Our names were too foreign for the other to remember." He said, leaving Feliciano to wonder what this conversation with Gilbert had actually entailed. "You were the only Italian I knew, so being a child I called you Italy. But what did you call me?"

Then it came to him. The name hit Feliciano like a ton of bricks, the final bits of the memory falling into place. He had called him something he had overheard his grandfather say when he was helping Lovino with history. "Holy Rome." He nearly whispered. "I called you Holy Rome."

"That's right." Ludwig said it in a breath. He brought his hand to his forehead and rested his head in his hand. "Mein Gott."

Feliciano could suddenly remember every detail of the boy. He had the same blue eyes, the same gentle hands, and the same internal shyness that only came out when you truly got to know him. After all these years, he had come back to him. Ludwig was his guardian angel, flying into his life when he truly needed him and never failing to find him. Only this time, the heartache of him flying away again would kill him.

"Ludwig, are you going to leave again?"

Ludwig's face went blank. "What do you mean?"

"You already left once." Feliciano swallowed thickly, feeling almost dizzy as a nauseating possibility crossed his mind. "I don't want you to go again." His eyes refused to stay dry as he considered the possibility. This was far too much feeling for one day.

In one swift, amazing movement, Ludwig stood up while simultaneously grabbing Feliciano under his arms. Effortlessly, he lifted him off the ground like he weighed nothing more than a feather, looked him right in the eyes, and caused him to forget every being upset. "I'm not going anywhere." With that, Ludwig smiled wider than Feliciano had ever seen him smile.

To be continued...

A/N: I realize that there are likely some people reading this story that do not support/like/believe the "Germany is HRE" theory. Rest assured, this does not really play a huge part in the rest of the story. I hope those of you who don't like the theory can look past it and respect the fact that this is a headcanon of mine. Thanks for reading. :)