Shades of Innocence (A GerIta FanFic)

Chapter 19: Epilogue

Feliciano blinked slowly, lifting a hand to rub at the sleep accumulating in the corners of his eyes. He yawned, allowing his tired body to shift himself into a slight upright position. Still rubbing open his eyes; the Italian stretched a hand across to the other side of the bed and felt the soft, empty space where there should have been another sleeping body. Feliciano's eyes sprang open and he stared at where his hand was sat, splayed out against the white sheets with no person beneath it. He slowly sat up further and took a moment to examine the room; the Italian held his breath, listening out for the sounds of shuffling feet, water running from a tap or the sound of a toilet flush. There came none. Only silence greeted him back, that, along with the peaceful chirps and tweets of wildlife from outside the confines of the cosy cabin. But this seemingly relaxing, serene atmosphere only seemed to heighten the intense rush of fear that engulfed Feliciano in an instant when he realised he was completely alone.

"Ludwig?" Feliciano's voice croaked with morning tiredness as he whipped the sheets right off his body. Not bothering to put any proper clothes on the young man clambered out of the double bed and stumbled over to the bathroom in his night clothes. He poked his head inside but the room was empty, the showerhead dripped silently into the bottom of the tub.

Panic increasing, Feliciano dived back into the bedroom and threw himself out of the doorway into the main living area of their tiny home. The kitchen area was deserted, as was the sitting area and, through the window, Feliciano could see their balcony was void of any people, and the sandy beach that stretched beyond had only one or two dots in the distance wandering around, but neither were the German.

"Ludwig!?" Feliciano bleated, his eyes had already sprung a leek, tears starting to trickle slowly down his face. The Italian whimpered softly, pacing back and forth through the cabin like he was in fast forward mode. His heart was going a mile a minute, could they really have taken him so silently? But why wasn't everything out of place? Didn't he struggle? Wait, was the sofa always in that position or had it moved? Feliciano clutched the top of his head, shaking it rapidly from side to side. "Ludwig..." he moaned, his voice catching in the back of his throat.

"Feli what are you doing?"

Feliciano gasped out loud and almost recoiled in shock from the sudden intrusion. Ludwig was standing in the front door, having just arrived back, fully dressed and carrying a basket filled to the brim, he was staring at the Italian with an utterly bewildered look upon his face.

"Ludwig!" Feliciano cried, flinging himself into the man, he clutched at the man's shirt -which was one of the Italian's own- and sobbed, his shoulders trembling with the force of his tears.

Ludwig looked incredibly taken aback, he gently placed the basket on the floor beside them and wound his arms around the sobbing man, soothing him quietly. "Shhh it's okay...what's wrong Feli?" he murmured, his eyes creasing with concern.

Feliciano sniffed heavily, slowly raising his head and scrubbing his eyes on the back of his hand. "I-I woke up and you weren't here..." he stammered, biting his lip. "...and I thought, I thought..."

"You thought someone had taken me?" Ludwig finished gently, smiling warmly, with just the tiniest hint of amusement. Feliciano nodded into the man's shoulder, his breath shuddering in his chest. Ludwig gently kissed the top of his head, manoeuvring them carefully into the cabin so he could shut the door behind them. "I'm sorry Feli, you poor thing..."

Feliciano pulled away from the German, his eyes narrowing slightly with irritation. "Ludwig where did you go? I thought we agreed we were going to stay here for the first couple of months before leaving so we don't seem suspicious!"

Ludwig sighed. "I know I know, I'm sorry, I just couldn't stand another day eating mangos that we pick from the tree outside." he muttered, bending over to retrieve his basket. "So I went down to the main town and had a look around, I got fish." he presented his gatherings to the Italian, it was full to the brim with fish, various fruits and bottled drinks.