"The world was a beautiful place. I knew that. But without someone special, someone who I could share it with, I found myself unable to experience the same beauty everyone else did. Until I met you."

Feliciano Vargas watched his tree above him with a sort of hypnotized fascination. The wind rustled the branches and played with the leaves, which made sound. Shadows flickered across the grass below with a chaotic sense of order, speckled with the rays of sunlight that managed to filter through from the sky above. Did it hurt the shadows, to be pierced by such a strong force of light? Is that why they scurried madly over his face, all at once? Were they trying to escape the inevitable pain their opposite wrought?

Feliciano exhaled into the passing breeze, closing his eyes and feeling the wind upon his skin. It was another day full of wonderful weather here in Italy, with the sun beaming brightly in the sky as birds flitted from branch to branch and sang songs to the wind. The peaceful Italian people laughed and shared gelato, adding their voices to the ambiance that filled the world. It was finally tranquil here. There were no wars, no misery or dread in the hearts of the people. It was a place of joy.

But what about the shadows?

Weren't the shadows hurting?

Feliciano knew his older brother would berate him for thinking such things. "You're an idiot," he'd say. "Shadows aren't alive, you moron. They don't feel anything."

Feliciano was by no means stupid. He knew he acted ditzy and could be slow to understand things sometimes, but he knew enough. He understood that shadows were not able to think and feel like people, or like animals. But his mind would nag him just the same.

Why do they run away if the sun doesn't hurt?

"FELICIANO!" a voice called, scaring Feliciano out of his thoughts. He bolted upright and ran out from under his tree and into his house, where his older brother glared at him through forest green eyes. Feliciano would've normally jumped up and given Lovino a big hug, but the annoyed look on his face told him this was not a good time.

"Ve…what is it, fratello?" Feliciano asked, tilting his head to the side while trying not to shiver under that rough gaze.

Lovino huffed and shook his head, frustrated. "You were sitting out under that stupid tree again, weren't you? Damn it, you're twenty years old now and you still haven't grown up a bit." At Feliciano's confused look, Lovino sighed. "Work, fratellino. You're gonna be late for work."

Feliciano gasped and looked down at his watch. "Oh no! Oh no oh no oh no! Ve, sorry, I've gotta run now! I'll see you when I get back, Lovi!" With that, he turned and dashed out the door, leaving an exasperated older brother standing in the doorway, watching him leave.

Feliciano was an aspiring artist. He was an excellent painter, and loved to sketch and color and overall create beautiful works that people could enjoy. Lovino had pushed him to fulfill his dream, and with his and their neighbor Antonio's help, Feliciano had become enrolled in an arts school. However, since he was not an expert and his artworks weren't guaranteed to sell, the Italian had taken up his second greatest passion as a job- cooking.

Feliciano's cooking skills had been greedily accepted by a modest restaurant, which was once known as Il cibo del sole. However, after numerous jokes about the customers having to resort to photosynthesis in order to eat, the name had been cut down to merely Il sole. It was here that Feliciano spent much of his day, and really, the job made him happy. He loved seeing the look on people's faces when they ate his food; the way they would close their eyes and smile in bliss as they savored his creamy, delicious pasta. It made Feliciano happy to please other people, even if it was only for a short while. That was part of the reason he didn't mind having a second career.

The other being the scenery he walked through on his way there and back.

The road he traveled led him through town, across a bridge by the river, and finally, through the woods. It wasn't like he was going hiking or anything extreme like that, of course. The path was worn and visible by the many feet that had set stepped there previously. Trees rose from the ground on either side of the dirt road, their roots hidden by bushes and elegant flora. There was always birdsong in the air and wind whistling through the trees, and often, the sun would shine dreamily overhead, illuminating what was below with a soft glow. It was truly a breathtaking, gorgeous walk.

Feliciano was one of the few people who used this road nowadays. He walked to and from Il sole every day, and this trek gave him time to think.

That was not the case tonight.

His boss had kept him late in response to the Valentine's Day dinner crowds, and now he was left traveling alone late into the night, bracing himself against the cool night air. Under normal circumstances this temperature wouldn't have bothered him, but what he was wearing was light, and the breeze bit right through him. The moon was low, glowing with a mysteriously eerie aura, as if mocking him. Are you afraid of the dark, little Feli?

Feliciano knew it wasn't safe for him to being walking around at night, alone, in the middle of the woods where no one could save him if something went wrong. But the only other option would be calling Lovino, and if he did that, he'd have to face an entirely different kind of danger. So he walked.

It was about halfway down the dirt road when Feliciano heard a noise. He stopped, raised his head, and listened in absolute silence for the sound to repeat itself. It didn't. Figuring it was simply a figment of his imagination, he shrugged and moved on. He had taken not five steps before he heard the noise again. Feliciano once again fell silent, but this time, he was rewarded with another sound. At first, Feliciano thought it was a wild animal - like a wolf or a bear or a hippo or something – and promptly grew nervous and considered climbing up a tree. However, as he heard it again, something in his brain registered this sound as human. He felt anxiety prick at his skin, but he stepped towards the woods anyway, and began to creep his way through the foliage. Each step he took tentatively, cautious, ready to run at a moment's notice. As he neared, the voice became clearer, louder, though the words were unfamiliar to Feliciano's ears. The voice sounded angry, which on its own was making the Italian want to flee, but something continued to draw him closer. Some part of his brain was screaming that this was a bad idea, that he should run, run far, far away into town and never think about this night again, that this would only end badly, but his feet kept moving forward.

And finally, he had found it. The owner of the voice was in a little forest clearing, if it could be called that. The trees were dense and there were prickly bushes of some sort scattered at their feet. Feliciano peered from out behind a tall tree, making sure he was absolutely silent. The man he had heard looked to be in his twenties – young, blonde, and powerful, with toned muscles and a lean body structure. But Feliciano's brain only noticed these things for but a moment before he noticed what was wrong with this picture. The most obvious thing was that the man was tangled in a net. Not some flimsy little thing, but a real, heavy, weighted net, which was wrapped around him like a snake constricting a mouse. The man fought it, trying in vain to free himself, muttering in that strange language all the while. Feliciano's eyes widened as his brain connected that holy crap there was a human being trapped in a hunting net right in front of him! He took a step back, heart panicking, as he wracked his brain for some hint of what to do. However, that step backwards made his foot crunch rather loudly on some fallen leaves, and instantly the trapped man stilled. For a few agonizing, dead-silent moments, Feliciano prayed this man could not hear his rapid heartbeat or feel his fear as it came off him in waves.

His hopes were dashed, however, when the rough voice barked, "Die es gibt? Zeig dich!"

While Feliciano had no idea what that meant, he knew his cover was blown. Timidly, he peeked his head out from behind the tree, watching the blonde man like a frightened animal come out of hiding. The man's expression was fierce, and he yelled again. "Was machst du hier?"

Feliciano shrunk back at the harsh sound of the man's voice, whimpering slightly. Cautiously, he poked his head out again, watching the other man's every move. "Ve…non capisco quello che stai dicendo. Parli italiano?" At the confused look on the man's face, Feliciano tried again. "U-Um…I don't understand what you're saying. Do you speak English?"

The man's eyes widened almost imperceptively in realization, but he nodded. "Yes," he answered, though his voice was thick with this strange accent.

Having gotten the man to reply in a language he could understand wiped some of the fear from Feliciano's mind. He stepped out from behind the tree, fiddling nervously with his hands, but managed to come a little closer. Feliciano was close enough now that he could see the other man's eyes clearly, and when he did, his heart nearly stopped. They were so…blue. Feliciano had never seen eyes so blue, so pretty. For a moment he saw into the soul of this strange man. He was cold, and confused, and hurt, and so many other things Feliciano could not name. That glimpse was gone in an instant, replaced with a calculating darkness and dangerous glare. Feliciano jumped, hurriedly apologizing until that gaze softened just a little. He was scared, but Feliciano managed to stutter out, "D-Do you n-n-need any h-help?"

The blue-eyed man shifted away slightly, watching Feliciano with eyes that dared him to take a step closer. It was then that Feliciano noticed something else was wrong. This man's clothes were torn. Not casually, like he was trekking through the woods all day. They were intentionally ripped. Like he had been in a fight or something. Feliciano's eyes then travelled over the dark splotches of something that painted his body. It was too dark to notice at first, but now Feliciano was certain.

"Y-Y-You're bleeding!"

The stranger regarded him with a look that said well duh, isn't that obvious? But Feliciano didn't have time to feel insulted. He ran over to the man's side and, without thinking, reached out to touch his arm where a painfully long gash covered the length of the biceps. The man snarled and backed away as far as he could, like a cornered beast, watching Feliciano's every move.

Feliciano froze, then lowered his hand. "Aren't you hurt?" he asked, lowering his eyes to the ground. For a moment, all was silent, save for the two men's quiet breathing. When the other didn't respond, Feliciano continued. "I don't want to hurt you or anything; you don't need to be afraid. I just want to help." Feliciano looked up again and stared straight into a pair of otherworldly blue eyes. "Please, let me help you."

It was evident the man was fighting with himself by the look in his face. After a moment's hesitation, he relaxed his stance, indicating it was okay for Feliciano to assist. Feliciano's eyes wandered down to where the other was rubbing his wrist absentmindedly, and wondered if it was injured, too. Deciding he couldn't help with that at the moment, Feliciano began trying to untangle the net. He worked at it stubbornly under the perceptive gaze of the blonde, but to no avail. He sat back on his haunches and studied the scene before him for a moment before reaching into his boot and pulling out a pocket knife. At the sight of glinting metal, the man was instantly on the defensive again, practically growling at the little Italian.

"V-Ve…I'm just going to use it to cut the ropes for you, okay?" Feliciano slowly reached forward and placed the metal to the net's threads, feeling the other's glare boring into his very being. He tried to ignore it the best he could, and instead focused solely on the movements of the knife. "My big brother Lovino gave this to me," Feliciano stated for no particular reason. "He said I should have something to defend myself with if I was ever attacked or something. I don't like it though. I don't want to hurt people. So I'm glad I can use this to help you instead." The smallest of smiles graced the Italian's face as he looked up again. "Thank you for letting me help you."

The man watched Feliciano with a guarded expression, obviously thinking about something. Finally, he asked, "Why?"

"'Why' what?"

"Why are you helping me?" Those blue eyes flitted across the Italian's face, searching for something. "Why are you out in the woods, in the middle of the night, helping some random stranger who might attack you the moment he's free?"

Feliciano pondered this, allowing his smile to drop. Eventually, he hummed, "Well, what would you have done? Would you have left them?" Not receiving an answer, Feliciano cut the rope he was on, moving to the next one. "Besides, you're hurt. And even if you weren't, I don't think you'd attack me."

The man raised an eyebrow, thoroughly curious. "And why do you believe that?"

"Because of your eyes."

Feliciano began to grow nervous as he felt the stranger watch him, looking over him with a blend of incomprehensive emotions. With one last satisfying snap, the rope he was working on tore. The Italian was about to breathe a sigh of relief but was cut off when the other man suddenly moved, pushing him aside and dashing forward. Feliciano gasped in surprise and stood up, spun around, and ran after the stranger. "Wait, you're hurt! You shouldn't be running! Hold up!"

The man in front of him stumbled suddenly, then fell, faceplanting straight into the dirt below with a surprised cry. When Feliciano caught up to him, the stranger was breathing heavily with his eyes closed, face contorted in pain. Feliciano fell to his knees and touched the man's shoulder lightly, not wanting to scare him but trying to help him at the same time. He was panicking – once again he didn't know what to do, so he just cried, "Are you okay? Wake up! Don't die, don't die, oh Mio Dio don't die please!"

The man's eyes fluttered open for a mere second before he drifted to sleep, away from the pain and the confusing man above him.

fratello (Italian): Brother

fratellino (Italian): Little brother

Il cibo del sole (Italian): The Food of the Sun

Il sole (Italian): The Sun

Die es gibt? Zeig dich! (German): Who is there? Show yourself!

Was machst du hier? (German): What are you doing here?

non capisco quello che stai dicendo. Parli italiano? (Italian): I don't understand what you're saying. Do you speak Italian?

Mio Dio (Italian): My God

Here's this little AU thing that popped into my head! I'm hoping for it to be a longer story, as I'm scripting it out right now. I really hope you guys enjoy it, and thanks to everyone who reads it!

Also, please, if I said anything wrong, feel free to correct me! My foreign language is completely dependent on Google Translate, so if there's something wrong, please feel free to fix it!

This is rated T for mild swearing (thanks to Lovino haha). There will also be mild violence. But that's all, I think.

Also, the story mainly focuses on GerIta. However, there will also be some established Spamano, and a little UsUk. Maybe PruCan, I'm not sure yet. If you don't like those pairings, don't worry, because they will by no means be the main focus of the story. Thanks for those who choose to read Without Wings I Cannot Fly!

Hetalia doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Himaruya, but this story belongs to me.