Locked Away (GerIta)

Chapter 22

Ludwig had to move quickly and quietly. He didn't know how exactly he was supposed to succeed in this mission when he wasn't even supposed to be here. The Reich ran a tight ship and a Obergefreiter showing up at a work camp without written orders was practically a red flag flying right in front of their fucking noses. He wasn't high-ranking, his name wasn't known around town, he just had a uniform. Apparently that was enough for these guys.

It wouldn't be enough for long; others would take notice of Ludwig's unannounced leave and they'd want to know where he was, when he was coming back to ensure the cleansing of the streets and the purity of the human race. He didn't know how he would get out of this. He knew he could help Feliciano and Romano be safe but he knew he would never be part of the equation.

He was stuck. 

Stuck behind barbed-wire fences with faint traces of hydrogen cyanide leaking into the air as others choked on the poison filling their lungs. And sometimes, Ludwig felt like he was the victim. He punished himself for thinking it but how was he supposed to just disappear from this war, this life, this torture? 

They'd find him. He knew that. They'd kill him too. 

So all Ludwig could do was get them out, his sweet Feliciano and his pain of a brother. Get them out with tickets to somewhere untouched by this harsh reality and hope that he himself would die a quick, painless death.

~

Feliciano thought he might be losing is mind. The bunker was too small, too dark, too lonely, and too quiet. The longer he waited in there, the more he wanted to believe that Ludwig had gotten caught and Romano was now stuck there forever. He needed air. 

Without a second thought, the Italian opened the door of the heavy bunker and shut his eyes as the sunlight stung at his unadjusted eyes. Slowly, he opened them again and stepped out onto the grass with bare feet. The earth beneath his toes was cool and grey shadows from the trees above danced across his face as they swished gently with the breeze. 

Feliciano took a deep, much needed breath and held it in as long as he could, savouring the clean air. It was peaceful and warm just outside that bunker door. He wished he could stand there for as long as he'd like but he knew he couldn't afford such a luxury, not at this time. 

He had too much of a price over his head.

~

It was too much of a blur to try and get the details straight but all Romano knew now was that he was in a stolen truck with Ludwig who had a gun in his lap and adrenaline was practically radiating off of him. The German was racing down the dark streets, cursing under his breath and wiping beads of sweat off of his brow. 

Romano hadn't even realized that'd Ludwig was talking to him until he felt a slap on his cheek. 

"Wake up, hey!" Ludwig growled.

"You gonna treat me like dirt too?" Romano hissed back. "Take me back if that's how it's going to be, you Nazi bastard."

Ludwig breathed unsteadily and his eyes were wide and scared. "I'm getting you out of here. Listen up, I said listen up." He warned, watching Romano turn his head. "You and.. You and Feliciano, I'm getting you both out."

The Italian's eyes widened at that. It was the most energy he'd shown this whole time. He was weak, underfed, and underweight. But there was a spark in his eye. 

"How?" He asked, almost spitting the words.

"Tickets. I have tickets for out of here, for Switzerland." He spoke lowly and quickly, hoping Romano could keep up. "You and your brother will get on the train, take only essentials with you and leave. You'll be met at the train station by a man, he can be trusted. He has a place for you two to stay. You'll have to find work and make your own money but you will be safe. He will help you out."

Romano looked at him, his jaw gone slightly slack. "You.." He paused and laughed bitterly. "You're letting us go? No tricks, this isn't a hoax?" He waited for a reply but there came none. "This is crazy. We'll never make it there. They know our faces, they're still looking for us. And now I've just escaped that camp and I'm just.. safe."

"I can't promise you absolute safety--"

"And you want to put my brother on that fucking train!" Romano spat. "My brother, who wanted nothing to do with this bloody war. My brother who deserves none of this. My brother, who you are fucking every chance you--"

"ENOUGH!" Ludwig shouted, slamming a hand onto the steering wheel. His chest heaved and his jaw was clenched. "I'm not.. I'm not fucking him. And if I am, what do you have to with any of it?" He jerked the car over onto the dirt, just into the forest where it would be hidden. He got out of the car and pulled Romano out with him. "I'll fuck him if I want to."

The Italian punched him with a surprising amount of force and shoved him away. "Shut up."

Ludwig dragged him through the forest and growled under his breath before turning and shoving Romano up against a large tree. "Just get him out of this hellhole for me, alright? That's all I'm asking you. I'll never bother you again, I won't come for him when this is over. Just.. Just keep him safe!" He shouted. 

The Italian watched as tears glistened in Ludwig's eyes and snarled because he couldn't help it. "I'll always keep my brother safe."

Ludwig let go of his shirt and lead him to the bunker, gritting his teeth and willing the tears away. 

He'll be okay. He'll be okay. He will be okay.

~

Feliciano instinctively held his pistol in front of him when the door opened and shook slightly. He squinted in the dark and yelled, "Who's there?"

"Feli, don't shoot."

The Italian felt his heart thundering in his chest and he sobbed as he recognized his brother's familiar voice. He ran to him and collected him in his arms, crying harder when he felt the sharp jut of his ribs through the thin shirt he wore. 

"Roma.." He whispered. "You.. You're alive. Oh god, thank god." 

Ludwig stormed in then and picked up the bags they had packed before. "We don't have time for this. Come on. Now."

"Wait-- where are we..?" Feliciano looked up at him and laid a hand on his arm. "What's going on?"

"We're leaving."

~

A/N: This is probably really shitty and thrown together but I really wanted to put out a chapter. I know this looks like it was rushed and it really was. I have better ideas for chapters after this one but I needed some kind of filler to get it going in the direction I want. I'm sorry this is terrible but I promise I'm trying my best. 

~

To be continued...