Happy Halloween! As I write this, I'm wearing my Prussia cosplay. Just thought you'd like to know. :)

Not long after their conversation, Feliciano heard a car being recklessly parked in the driveway and his throat closed. He looked to Ludwig with a panicked expression, his eyes wide and unblinking. No matter how comforting his silly bobsled analogy had been, the feeling of uncertainty was becoming too much to bear.

Time skidded to a halt. It felt like an eternity passed between the moment the engine cut out and the moment there was a knock at the door. The knocking was loud and rushed, as if Lovino was attempting to escape a serial killer. Feliciano stopped breathing. He knew he needed to get up from the couch and open the door for his brother, but something deep inside of him wouldn't let him. He simply stayed where he was sitting, mouth agape and limbs perfectly still, staring at the door like he didn't know what it was.

Ludwig didn't take long to notice. "He is only your brother, Feliciano. Nothing will happen. I promise." After seeing Feliciano wasn't moving, he stood up. "I will come with you. Go ahead and open the door." He motioned with his hands to coax Feliciano to do just that.

The knocking grew more insistent. Fighting the urge to hold his breath, Feliciano shot to his feet and walked to the door without allowing himself time to think about it. With Ludwig standing just a few feet behind him, he flung it open.

Lovino didn't even wait for a greeting. He burst through the door with a succession of quick, purposeful steps. "What took you so long to open the damn door?" Then, he looked at Feliciano and his irritation faded. "Oh my God, Feli! Your face!" Lovino started towards him, but he stopped in his tracks when he noticed Ludwig standing by the steps. "And who the hell are you?"

Ludwig extended his hand. "My name is Ludwig Beilschmidt. I am a friend of Feliciano's." Feliciano could have sworn he saw the slightest flicker of uncertainty in his eyes as he said the word 'friend.'

Lovino waved his hand away like it was an annoying fly. "Oh, right. You're the German he said something about. Why the fuck are you here?"

Feliciano reeled back, shocked at his brother's blatant rudeness. He was never the warmest person, but he usually wasn't flat-out unpleasant. "Lovino! Be nice!"

"Whatever, Feliciano. This is a private family matter." Lovino shook his head and quickly changed the subject. "Oh, what difference does it make? Did you do any packing?"

Feliciano took a deep breath and planted his feet squarely against the floor. "No, I didn't," he said. "I didn't pack anything because I'm not going with you."

Lovino barely reacted. He folded his arms against his chest and rolled his eyes, seeming to mentally dismiss what his brother was saying. Feliciano refused to let himself look away. He looked his brother dead in the eyes, desperate to let him know he was serious. Ludwig had taken a few steps back and was now looking at the floor. "Don't be stupid, Feliciano. I didn't drive eight hours just to let you stay here and be beaten to death!" said Lovino.

"I'm not going to be beaten to death!" Feliciano stole a quick glance at Ludwig as he spoke. "Why won't you even listen to what I have to say about it?"

"Because you're too young, Feliciano! You're sixteen, you don't understand how serious this kind of thing is!" Feliciano felt his stomach drop and his eye twitch. Did he seriously think he was still sixteen? "I'm doing what's best for you. Can't you see that? I told grandpa you were too young to live alone. If there's anyone who needs to be listened to more, it's me!"

"Did you tell grandpa about this?" Feliciano couldn't take not knowing for much longer.

He felt a weight being lifted off his shoulders when Lovino shook his head. "I was planning to do that today." His line of sight was suddenly focused on Ludwig, who was frozen in place and still looking at the floor. "What the hell is your friend doing here again? He's creeping me out."

Feliciano bit down on his lip. He had been telling himself that he would tell Lovino about him and Ludwig, that he just didn't want to do it over the phone, that it would somehow become easy if he waited long enough. Deep down, he always knew he was lying to himself. Feliciano closed his eyes briefly. Whether he was ready or not didn't matter. He looked at Ludwig, who had lifted his head was now focused on the scene unfolding in front of him. "Actually, Lovino? There was something else I wanted to talk to you about." Feliciano's pulse grew more hurried by the second, and he suddenly felt faint. This was a terrible time, possibly the worst time he could have ever picked, and he knew it. Lovino was already irritated with him. It didn't seem ideal to spring something like that on him. At the same time, it was as good of a time as ever. Best to get it over with all at once.

Lovino was obviously sick of waiting. "What is it?"

Ludwig finally spoke. "Feli, I'm not sure if this is the best time."

Feliciano began to fidget with his sleeve. Only Lovino and his grandfather had ever called him that. There was no doubt that Lovino noticed it immediately. His eyes narrowed as he stared at Ludwig suspiciously. "Someone better tell me what's going on here." His voice was slow, chilling. "And they better do it quick."

Feliciano backed against the wall to steady himself. "Well, you know Ludwig, right?" He chuckled and brought his hands together to hide their trembling. "Uh, well, you already know we're friends! That's a good start! I just wanted to tell you that…" Feliciano's voice wavered as it faded out. How would he go about saying something like this? "I wanted to tell you that we're really good friends!" The moment he said it, he wanted to kick himself. Without even looking, he could tell Ludwig had cringed.

Lovino looked at him blankly. "So?"

This was going terribly. Feliciano's mind raced for options. He had started this; he had no choice but the finish it now. "Wait, let me explain!" he said. Then, he figured out how he could start. He would start right from the beginning. "I told you people are mean to me! What I didn't tell you is that Ludwig was the one to break it up. That's how we met, actually, he bandaged me up and took me home and he's really nice to me, I…I just don't want to leave him, Lovino!"

Lovino held his hands out in front of him. "Hold on," he said. "You're telling me you want to stay here and get your ass beat because of some friend you made?"

Feliciano shook his head. Could speaking with his brother never be as simple as it used to be? "No, that's the thing, I'm not going to get hurt anymore because Ludwig is here and he won't let it happen. He cares about me, Lovino." Feliciano looked at him with pleading eyes. Please, please get it.

"Then how do you explain what happened just a couple days ago? Where was he then? Look at yourself, Feliciano. You're beat up!" Lovino gestured to Feliciano's cheek with a dramatic wave of the hand. Feliciano was grateful he was wearing as many layers of clothing as he was.

Ludwig stepped in again. "There was an incident with my father. I… had to go somewhere for awhile, and I regret it deeply." Feliciano was grateful that Ludwig had managed to summarize it so neatly. If he had tried to explain the last three months, he would speak enough to fill three novels.

"Incident?" Lovino shook his head as if to clear it. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. The point is you can't rely on him all the time. I'd think you'd know by now that he isn't always going to be around to protect you."

Feliciano could feel himself growing frustrated. He really didn't get it. Then again, he didn't know why he had expected him to. "Fine! So what if he isn't always there? There are other reasons why I don't want to leave him!" He silently begged Lovino to understand. He needed him to.

"Then what are the reasons, Feliciano? I understand he's your friend. That doesn't make it more important then your safety!"

He didn't get it. Of course he did not get it. Feliciano took a long, deep breath, balled his hands into fists and hoped not to pass out. "I don't want to leave because I'm in love with him! Okay? I'm in love with him! He's sweet and smart and nice to me when no one else will be and if I can't be with him I'm going to die!"

A deep, petrifying silence overtook the room. Feliciano didn't dare to breathe. Ludwig just stared. After what felt like forever, Lovino's eyes shot wide open. It was nearly possible to see everything falling into place as something in his brain finally clicked. He blinked, and his face finally contorted in shock. He got it. "You're telling me…you're saying this is that kind of relationship?" He shook his head in disbelief. "I can't…Feliciano, what are you talking about? You're confused, alright? You're confused." Lovino spoke as if he was trying to convince himself rather than anyone else.

Feliciano felt his chest swell with frustration. That only thing he was confused about was Lovino's reaction. "No, Lovino! I've never been more sure of anything in my life, really, I don't care if you agree with it not, all I'm telling you is I can't go anywhere with you now."

Lovino pushed his hair back. "This is too much," he said. "All this you're springing on me at once…" He trailed off and looked Feliciano in the eyes again. "How long has this been going on?"

Feliciano looked at Ludwig. He couldn't do this alone, he just couldn't. Ludwig nodded and spoke for him. "Around five months." Unlike Lovino, he was good at understanding things right away.

Lovino turned back to Feliciano, his eyes wild. "This has been happening for almost half a year and you never thought it might be a good idea to tell me?" He opened his mouth again, made a sound that sounded like a cross between a humorless laugh and a gasp, and finally threw his arms up. "This relationship, it's…it's unconventional! You're too young to know that about yourself, don't you think?" He almost sounded as if he were pleading.

Feliciano was tired of talking in circles. Having lost patience, he gripped his brother's shoulders. "Lovino, I knew the second I looked at Ludwig that I would fall in love with him." Maybe that wasn't exactly true, but all he could think about were the stories Roma had told him since his childhood. "That's what grandpa said happened with nonna! How is this any different?"

Lovino threw his hands up in defeat. "Alright, fine. Young love. Whatever. I don't get it, but…whatever." He took a step back. "I mean; it's not like you slept with him or anything."

Feliciano felt as if the blood had been drained from his body. He stood frozen in place as he thought back to his birthday and the night Ludwig came home. His knees went weak as he watched Lovino's face go from calm to what could best be described as what a robot looks like when it's malfunctioning. "Right?" said Lovino. His voice was nearly a whisper, too calm given his expression. "Feliciano? Am I right?"

There was no point in lying. "I'm sorry, I-"

In a split second, Lovino's eyes went from his own to those that would be more fitting on a wild bear. "You bastard!"

He made a beeline for Ludwig before Feliciano could say anything. In one terrible moment that seemed to go in slow motion, he punched him square in the jaw. Even though Ludwig managed to catch himself in a staggered step backwards, Feliciano felt a sudden surge of terror hit like a bolt of lightening. The night with Ludwig's dad that nearly took everything he had flashed before his eyes. The very thought nearly sent him into a fit of panic.

Though Feliciano had withdrawn into himself, he soon realized that Lovino had not stopped shouting. "My brother is sixteen years old! Who the hell do you think you are to take advantage of him like that? Dammit, he's not old enough to make the choice!" Lovino did not look to be thinking or even breathing. "He's a damn child! That's disgusting!"

You're disgusting! Feliciano's heart could have stopped. Without thinking, he stepped between Lovino and Ludwig, acting as a human shield, and held his trembling hands in front of him. This was the third time he had seen Ludwig being hit, and that was three times too many. It took everything in him not to collapse to the floor. Pushing his own feelings aside, Feliciano took a deep, shaky breath. Now it was his turn to yell.

"STOP!" He shouted the word like he wanted his vocal cords to explode. Lovino stopped speaking and gaped at him. "Don't you dare hurt Ludwig! I don't care what you do to me, but you just can't hurt him! Please!" Feliciano's throat began to ache, both from yelling and crying. "First of all, Lovino, I'm seventeen! I've been seventeen for over four months now!"

Suddenly, Lovino's face softened before switching to shocked horror. Something visibly clicked. He finally remembered. "Oh my God. Feliciano, I-"

"I'm not finished!" Feliciano's voice was strained, his mind was numb, and he was on autopilot now. "There is no way Ludwig is taking advantage of me! He's my exact same age, he might look big but he's not any older than me! Dio, why won't you stop acting like you're my parent? You're two years older than me, Lovino. Two years. That's it. Stop acting like I'm a helpless little kid that can't take care of himself or make decisions because that's not true and I hate it!"

Lovino stood perfectly still in stunned silence. Feliciano had never yelled at him like that. In fact, he never yelled at anyone, period. "Feliciano-"

Ludwig rested his hand on Feliciano's quivering shoulder. "I apologize for intruding, but I feel it would be less of a strain on Feliciano if he stayed here."

Lovino scoffed humorlessly. "You think he would be better off with you, some guy he hasn't known for a year? How arrogant can you be?"

Feliciano still wasn't finished. He cut his brother off before Ludwig could respond. "Do you know who was here to celebrate my birthday with me? Ludwig! He's the only person I've ever known that doesn't tell me that I talk too much or cry too much or I'm too weak!" Angry tears ran down his face. "He's the one who's been there for me, not you, and I need Ludwig more than I need you!" Reality hit when Feliciano's own words sunk in and hit him like rocks. That wasn't how he meant it to sound. His breath caught in his throat, he dropped his fiery gaze, and his fit of rage dissolved into nothing. "I'm sorry…"

With that, Feliciano was reduced to nothing but tears. He lost the ability to speak. He couldn't take fighting with his brother like this; that was never what their relationship had been about. Their family had always been a close-knit, caring one, not one that did nothing but scream. He pivoted on his foot and fell against Ludwig to hide his face. He didn't want to see the look on Lovino's face; he didn't want to look at anyone.

Ludwig rubbed his back in small circles like Lovino wasn't in the room. "Sit down, Feli."

Feliciano nodded reluctantly and sat down on couch. He exhaled heavily as he did so. His body was wracked with exhaustion. Lovino's eyes narrowed in silent contemplation as he watched Ludwig retreat to the kitchen and get a bottle of water. After handing it to Feliciano, he sat down next to him and wiped his tears away gently with his thumb. Feliciano felt himself calming down as soon as he touched him.

Lovino hesitated, his eyes not moving off of Ludwig once. He sighed before finally sitting down on the chair across from them. "Let's talk about this like adults, alright?" he said. "It was a long trip. I'm sick of shouting."

Feliciano wiped his eyes again before looking up. "Do you understand now, Lovino?"

Lovino's mouth twitched. "You're serious about this," he stated. "You two…you must really love each other, I guess." He stumbled over the word 'love' like he wasn't ready for it.

Feliciano felt his entire body go limp with relief. The wall that prevented them from communicating was slowly crumbling. "Yes, exactly! Can I stay in America? Is that what you're saying?" Hope rose in his chest as he spoke. Please, let that be what he meant…

Lovino leaned back further into the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "I just don't want you living alone."

The world was ending. Feliciano swore he could feel his heart physically breaking. He dropped his gaze to the floor and said nothing. There was nothing left to say. He wondered if there had even been a purpose in telling him; it hadn't changed anything. Feliciano looked at Ludwig helplessly, but he wasn't looking back at him. Ludwig was looking at Lovino. He was calm, way too calm.

The moment of silence didn't last long. "He can live with me." The daunting silence was smashed by Ludwig's words. Feliciano's head whipped around to face him as he stared at him in disbelief. Had Ludwig gone crazy?

Lovino's face twisted in confusion. "You're kidding, right?"

Ludwig shook his head. "No. If his living alone is the thing hindering you from letting him stay, I would be more than happy to move him to my house. My brother adores him." Ludwig paused and looked away. "As do I, of course."

Feliciano's heart skipped a beat. He could think of absolutely nothing better than living with Ludwig. He would get to come home to life and excitement rather than cold, empty walls. It didn't matter that Lovino was there anymore. Feliciano covered Ludwig's hand with his and allowed himself to imagine what it would be like to wake up next to him every morning.

Lovino was stone-faced. He glanced at their hands but soon looked away. His expression was a strange mix of bewilderment and shockingly… acceptance. He nodded stiffly, willing Ludwig to continue even if he looked hesitant.

"Feliciano has only one year left of high school left. Switching schools in his senior year, especially to one in another country- it seems like more hassle than it's worth. The ones responsible for hurting him have been arrested, so they won't have the opportunity to hurt him regardless. Either way, I will personally make sure he's okay." Ludwig glanced at Feliciano's stiches and quickly moved on. "Your grandfather could always rent out this house if he does not want to sell it."

Feliciano wondered why Ludwig wasn't on the school's debate team. Lovino opened his mouth as if to speak but soon closed it again. He shook his head for what must have been the billionth time before resting it in his hands. "This is difficult for me, alright? I admit it," muttered Lovino into his hands. "All this time I've been sitting in college and I had no idea about what's been happening to him. I can't keep him safe; I can't even remember his birthday." He paused. "It feels like I've failed as a brother."

Hearing Lovino speak so openly and without frustration was shocking to say the least, but his words were what shocked Feliciano the most. He felt goose bumps rise on his skin as he listened to his brother calling himself a failure. Without hesitation he shot up from his seat, rushed over to Lovino and threw his arms around him. It had been so long since he'd hugged him.

"You're not a failure, Lovino!" The word burnt his lips. "There's only so much you can do for me, I understand that. I'm happy you're in college, I really am, I didn't mean it when I said I didn't need you as much as I need Ludwig because I do need you." Feliciano was on autopilot and probably didn't make sense, but he was desperate to correct the damage he'd done with his words. "I love you, Lovino. You'll always be a great brother."

Lovino tentatively returned the embrace. "Always the sentimental one, aren't you Feli?" Then his eyes returned to Ludwig. His line of sight focused on his jaw- that was slowly turning purple. "Oh. Sorry I hit you, by the way." As expected, he was seemingly unwilling to apologize.

Ludwig waved his hand flippantly. "No, that's alright. I will live."

Lovino exhaled heavily. He looked his brother dead in the eyes. "Feliciano, I can't believe I'm saying this," he said. He ran his hand through his dark hair. Feliciano's chest tightened in anticipation as he hung onto every word. "Since I can't be with you, there's no sense in forcing you to leave someone you care about so much. I'm going to allow you to live with him."

Feliciano could have jumped for joy. Exhilaration erupted in his body like a cork flying out of a bottle of champagne. He felt like he could fly, like he was on top of the world. He threw his arms around his brother again. "Thank you thank you thank you! Oh, Lovino! I'm so happy!"

"Wait, Feliciano," he said. "There's going to be a condition."

"Yes, anything!"

"If I hear one word of something like this happening to you again, you're going to live with grandpa."

Feliciano nodded vigorously. "Okay, no problem! Right, Ludwig?"

Ludwig nodded and stood up. He walked up to Lovino and extended his hand in his second attempt at a handshake this afternoon. "Thank you," he said. "I promise your brother is in good hands."

Lovino accepted the handshake, but his grip tightened around his hand severely. "He better be. If you hurt him, in any way, there's going to be serious hell to pay. You got that?" His eyes narrowed. "Do not make me regret this."

It was slightly amusing to see Ludwig intimidated by his demand even though Lovino had to look up at him to say it. "Yes, of course. No worries."

"Good." Lovino dropped his hand. "Well, I think I'll stay in my old room tonight and head out tomorrow." He paused before glaring at Ludwig. "You can sleep in your own house."

Feliciano laughed like he hadn't all day.

.

Ludwig dropped a stack of cardboard boxes marked "paintings" on the living room floor. He stood up and stretched, exhaling from exhaustion. "Is this the last of it?"

Gilbert and Feliciano were sitting on the ground, tearing open the boxes that had been packed no longer than two days ago. If there was one thing Feliciano learned during the move, it's that you never know how much stuff you have until you have to put it all in boxes and take it someplace else. "I think so. I left most of the furniture and stuff in my old house because I don't need it. We can always go back to get stuff," he said as he rifled through a box of clothing.

Ludwig pressed his hands against the small of his back and groaned. "Remind me why I had to do all the heavy lifting?"

"Because you're the biggest, stupid!" Gilbert interjected. He ignored Ludwig's annoyed expression and turned to Feliciano. "It's so awesome that you're living here now. Finally I'll have someone around that doesn't have the conversational skills of a loaf of bread."

Feliciano laughed. He had been laughing a lot the past couple of days. It felt like he had been walking around with a dark cloud hanging over his head that had finally lifted. When Lovino went back to college, they parted on excellent terms. Feliciano felt close to him again now that there were no secrets between them. Lovino had told him that he'd do his best to explain the hospital visit to Roma, and Feliciano was free to tell him about his relationship- as well as the gritty details of the attacks- whenever he wanted to. Feliciano had promised he would tell him the second he saw his grandpa in person again.

Ludwig joined the two on the floor. He took one of the boxes he had just carried in and ripped it open with the box cutter. "There are so many paintings. Where are we going to hang them all?" he said as he looked around the room.

Feliciano felt his cheeks flush. "What? Ludwig, put them in storage or something!"

"Don't be silly. Our walls are much too bare."

"That doesn't mean you need to use those as decorations!"

Gilbert laughed. "Has he always been this modest?" He reached into the box and pulled out a painting of a yellow bird. "Oh! I want this one for my room!"

Funny, Feliciano didn't even know Gilbird existed when he painted that one. "Sure, Gilbert," he said, the corners of his mouth stretching into a smile he simply couldn't control.

"Awesome!" Gilbert tucked the painting under his arm and grabbed a box before standing up. "I'll go throw this one in your room. Not like you'll be using it much anyways." He threw a sideways glace and a smirk at Ludwig.

Feliciano knew that was probably going to be true. He looked at Ludwig, who was now blushing like there was no tomorrow. "Gilbert, please."

Gilbert laughed and headed up the stairs. Feliciano thought he could get used to hearing that bizarre chuckle everyday. He glanced up the steps to make sure Gilbert wasn't watching. Reassured that they were alone, Feliciano leaned over and planted a kiss on Ludwig's lips. This only caused Ludwig to blush even harder than he was before.

"You're awfully affectionate today," he said.

It was a true statement. Every time Gilbert had his back turned Feliciano had been all over Ludwig, smothering him with hugs and kisses. He felt like he couldn't contain himself. "I can't help it, I'm just so happy, it's like I have two families now!"

Ludwig smiled as he examined another painting. "I guess I do too then," he said. "If anything, I'm glad your brother did not murder me."

"Oh, Lovino likes you. He was just a little shocked, that's all." Well, at least half of that statement was true. "I think he likes Gilbert too!"

Lovino had met Gilbert not long before he drove back to campus. He was shocked by Gilbert's extreme personality at first, but they bonded fairly quickly after they discovered a mutual hobby- making fun of Ludwig. Feliciano had laughed along, and Ludwig had even managed to crack a smile.

"Did I hear my name?" Gilbert called from the upstairs. "Oh, you're talking about Lovino! He's a serious little shit. You and him are almost as different as me and Ludwig."

Ludwig smirked. "But not quite."

"Well, obviously! No one is as awesome as me. Especially not you."

Ludwig rolled his eyes, Feliciano laughed again. Then he remembered something. "Oh, Ludwig! Remember Alfred is coming over tomorrow. He's bringing his detective friend, the one with the accent and the funny eyebrows."

After tying up the lose ends of Ludwig's disappearance, Feliciano had finally gotten to meet the detective Alfred was always mentioning. He was an irritable Englishman who Alfred seemed to love to pester. He invited them over for coffee to thank them for all their hard work. Alfred was actually pretty enjoyable and amazingly, he was only a little over a year older than Feliciano.

"Are you sure he doesn't hate me?" asked Ludwig. "He didn't exactly hold back his anger when I first met him."

"I'm sure! He was just angry that you ran away." Feliciano immediately noticed the twinge of hurt in Ludwig's eyes. He had said too much, crossed a line. To cover it, he quickly added, "He's over it! Everyone is over it. We're friends now!"

Ludwig nodded before checking his watch. "It's nearly eleven." He glanced out the darkened window. The stars were illuminating the sky on the unusually clear night. "I suppose that's enough unpacking for this evening."

Feliciano realized the time and yawned. They had been moving and unpacking his things for nearly the entire day. "Hey, was Gilbert right?" He asked, a sly smile spreading across his face.

Ludwig seemed confused. "What are you referring to?"

"Well, he said I probably won't be using my own room much. It that true?"

Ludwig turned slightly pink but grinned regardless. "I think you know the answer to that, you crazy Italian."

Before Feliciano had time to respond, Ludwig picked him up and laid him over his shoulder like he was an old towel. Feliciano burst into a giggling fit as Ludwig walked up the steps with him in tow. Every inch of his skin was buzzing with ecstasy. He couldn't remember the last time he was this happy, felt this safe and was this excited about the future.

Minutes later, Feliciano was resting his head on Ludwig's chest as they lay in bed. "This is kind of the first day of the rest of our lives, isn't it?" Feliciano said, staring into the darkened room. "It's so weird! If someone told me that I would be in love with and living with a huge German guy and his crazy brother a year ago, I would have thought they'd lost their minds!"

Ludwig chuckled. "If someone told me I was going to become so involved with an exuberant little Italian complete with a wild curl sticking out the side of his head, I would have thought they had a screw loose myself."

Feliciano flipped onto his stomach so he was looking right at Ludwig. "Will you sing to me again? Please?"

"Gott, I regret starting that." There was a rare hint of humor in Ludwig's words. "That was humiliating enough the first two times. I believe you're becoming dependent on it."

Feliciano ignored his protests. "Please?"

Ludwig gave a short laugh into the darkened room. "Are Italians always this stubborn?"

"Yes, we are. Are Germans always so shy?"

"That may only be me."

Feliciano paused for a moment. "Please?"

"Alright, alright. Only because it's your first day living here." Ludwig sighed, embarrassed, and then finally began that same song in that same beautiful deep voice. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…"

Feliciano looked into Ludwig's eyes as he sang. He saw a lot of things when he looked at Ludwig. He saw that flustered little boy from so many years ago. He saw the shy, sweet boy that hides under the muscles and stern expression. He saw the person that pulled him out of the darkness and brought him into the light, the person that showed him that life really was beautiful. Most of all he saw his true love, the one person he would give anything to spend his life with.

Ludwig soon finished the song. "Happy?" The word was almost a sigh. "Goodnight, Feliciano."

Feliciano closed his eyes; happy tears beginning to form in their corners. "I love you, Ludwig," he whispered while making himself comfortable on the pillow that was Ludwig's chest.

Ludwig wrapped his arm around Feliciano's torso. "I love you too, Feliciano."

The words echoed in his head as Feliciano drifted off the sleep. He lied on Ludwig's chest and listened to the slow, steady beat of his heart as the stars shined through the open window. Now that he was here, no one could ever take his sunshine away. His guardian angel was here to stay, and he would never fly away again.

The end…(not quite)…