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Sadly, no scones after all... I wish I could have put them in though. haha ((maybe later... muahahha))

Also, this chapter is a bit different than the others so far, hopefully you'll still like it... basically I see Ludwig as being kind of klutzy when it comes to Feliciano, if only because he can't understand him very well. story so far Earlier, they went shopping together and he realized Feli had a cold so he took him straight home. Soon after, while cooking pasta Feliciano hurt himself in the kitchen, and then later still they were confronted by Romano. In the end, Ludwig was very bent on having Feliciano stay the night, mostly because he felt partly responsible for his worsened condition and wanted to make sure he was okay- naturally, Romano was angry but eventually realized couldn't do anything and went home (not like he'd want to camp out at the potato palace! though that's food for another story i guess haha). I took advantage of this chapter's theme to use more symbolism than direct actions... you can't see so clearly in the dark, right? haha dumb I know. xD

...

Funny how just one day can totally change your life. Or one event, one hour, even one moment... at this point, the story isn't following the Hetalia storyline at all of course, but think of it I guess as an alternate approach to the relationship between Luddy ;D and Feliciano. And pasta! Which is somehow missing in this chapter. *gasp*

Also, I should have put this in more often, but of course Hetalia and all its characters belong to the one and only Himamura Hidekazu. Yup.

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05. Black

When Feliciano woke up he was alone, and he felt the deep darkness pressing in on his eyeballs. It was terrifying. He sat up straight and tried to focus on something, anything, that would break the black void which surrounded him. He felt that he was sitting on something soft; there were blankets… he realized he was on a bed. He crawled forward to try and find the edge of the bed, but met it before he was ready and accidentally tumbled headfirst onto the floor.

Laying there in the dark, sprawled in a tangle of sheets and cold sweat, he tried to think through this just a little. Why was he here? This was Ludwig's room, it had to be— it smelled like him and had the same inky blackness… but Ludwig wasn't here. Trying to think back, he kept drawing a blank. Why was Ludwig gone?

Moments later there were footsteps, and the door burst open. Someone turned on the light and Feliciano was blinded, clutching his hands to his face and making weird sounds. Like a turtle on its back, the Italian waved his feet in slow-motion agony, trying to free himself from the tangle of bed covers and remove himself from the painful brightness, with his hands over his eyes all the while.

"What the- hey. Italia, are you okay?" Ludwig's voice came closer, and Italy smiled. He felt the German's shadow block some of the light, and he managed to squint up at him. "I'm fine. Ve~ where were you? It was scary waking up alone."

"Er… I've been downstairs. Don't worry about anything right now, just… here, let's get you up." Ludwig quickly freed Feliciano from the tangle of blankets and helped him stand up. The Italian rubbed sleep from his eyes and the German felt himself blushing again for no apparent reason. Well, there was a possible reason actually, it had come up in the several hours Feliciano had been sleeping, but he didn't want to think about that right now.

"Thanks." The brunette smiled brightly, his curly hair bobbing and his cheeks tinged slightly pink.

"What were you doing, anyway?" Ludwig ruffled his messy hair and tried to appear nonchalant, but really he was kind of curious how it happened.

"I was sleeping, but then I fell off." Feliciano shrugged.

"You fell off the foot of the bed?"

"I… I er… ve…" Feliciano searched for some excuse, but in the end he just settled for faking a yawn because he was too tired to think of anything else. He hoped it wouldn't matter.

"Well, anyway, you should go back to sleep now. Try not to fall off again." Germany turned to leave, but only made it as far as the door frame. "Doitsu? Where are you going?" It was hard to listen to that voice, and not feel anything. It was a terrible gut-clenching feeling, but somehow almost light and enjoyable. It was confusing; it was an intolerable chaos. "I'm going back downstairs." He answered simply as possible. He tried to sound like nothing was wrong, but after arguing with Gilbert and hanging up on Kiku, he had to admit that maybe they were onto something.

"Why downstairs? Isn't it late?" Feliciano looked for a clock, and Ludwig's eyes followed suit… it was four in the morning according to the one over the dresser. Ludwig knew he was a workaholic at times, that much was obvious, but today nothing had gotten done at all, and now he was behind… and besides, it was too strange. Italy needed the rest, and so Ludwig gladly gave up his bed. He wasn't going to be able to fall asleep anytime soon, anyway. Not anymore.

Feliciano stepped forward, his eyes overflowing with concern. "Don't we always sleep together though?" It was a statement, not a question. And sadly, Feliciano had a point. Except Ludwig was the one who invariably went to bed alone, and sometimes woke up with company. Not the other way around.

"You have a fever, Italia. Get some sleep."

Ludwig turned off the light switch quickly without looking back, and without answering any of those questions. But suddenly a pair of arms were wrapped around his middle; Ludwig breathed in sharply, surprised. Then he sighed heavily and just stood there, chest pounding softly, neither throwing him off nor accepting it. It was a nervous feeling, unlike all the other times he'd been hugged— it should have been like any other day but this time, tainted by knowledge, he didn't really know what to do.

Feliciano broke the silence, with a timid question. "Can I come with you instead?"

"Downstairs?" Ludwig raised an eyebrow, but of course Feliciano saw nothing. "…Why?"

"I don't want to be alone…"

"You need your rest, Italia."

"I can't sleep."

"Well, try."

.

Perhaps nothing has changed, for you. But for me…

.

.

.

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A/N: "Where do I file these weird emotions? I've never seen them before!" - Hetalia valentines day comic. *love*

Also. Just wanted to announce, I am now apparently sucked into a war with my sister over this one question: which is better, potatoes or tomatoes? We decided to settle our dispute with a battle in writing, and so this is the real question... which is better, Germany Italy or Spain Romano? You can guess which side I'm on. xD

I love my potatoes haha. Personally irl I think potatoes are the most delicious food out there, and they can be eaten with just about anything... they fill you up, and are very versatile because you can cook them in different ways too. Tomatoes are just squishy and ew. And whoa... I may never think of french fries and ketchup the same ever again. Germano? D=

...

Anyway, I think her story's really cute so far, so if you want to read some spamano or diss some tomatoes, look no further! fanfiction .net/s/6070834/1/My_Hidden_Thoughts

But don't forget to show your potato love! Ludwig and Feliciano are soooo much cuter than silly tomato-lovers right?

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