Locked Away (GerIta)

Chapter 38

Gilbert hummed, cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth as he dealt cards between himself and Feliciano.

"We're not supposed to be smoking in the kitchen." The Italian looked at his unlit cigarette guiltily. "Vash will be mad."

"Vash is too busy screwing his girlfriend." Gilbert snorted a laugh and lit the end of Feliciano's with his. "Speaking of screwing,"

Feliciano rolled his eyes and took a drag, sorting through his cards.

"Who's that girl you've been messing around with, anyway?"

The Italian shrugged with a smug smile and sighed a little. "No one."

"Don't tell me no one!" Gilbert flicked his cards. "You screwed her on my couch. I have the right to know!"

"Oh, do you now?" Feliciano threw down his first card and waited for Gilbert to play. "Her name's Marilyn."

The German chuckled a little. "You like her?"

"No, well, that's not what I mean." He exhaled and quickly took another drag, the nicotine seeping into his lungs. "Yeah, I like her. She's good."

"In more ways than one." Gilbert smirked.

"I just don't-" he played a card. "Nothing serious."

"Why not?"

"You know the answer to that question." Feliciano mumbled quietly, embers burning bright as he inhaled.
"Play your hand so I can kick your ass already."

Gilbert paused and crushed his cigarette out in the ashtray next to him, playing his round. "You know he's gonna come back one day, right?"

Feliciano sighed and put his cards down, rubbing his temple as he closed his eyes. He crushed out his own smoke. "Yeah, sure."

"Just because he's missing doesn't mean he's dead."

"I know."

~

Elizabeth sat on the porch across from Feliciano and placed a coffee in front of him.

"Feliciano, what if she's wanting more."  Elizabeth sighed, concerned for her friend. "I mean, it's not gonna be pretty when Ludwig comes back."

"He's not going to come back!" The Italian exclaimed. "He told me to live my life, that is what I'm doing. What am I supposed to do? Wait every waking hour for him to appear on my doorstep?"

The Hungarian looked away and shrugged. "That's not what I meant. I just- I don't want you to get hurt."

"Look, she's just," Feliciano took Elizabeth's hand. "She's what I want right now. I need someone."

Elizabeth looked at him at the last sentence, noticing his expression fall. Something painful flashing across his eyes.

"I need to be wanted by someone. Someone who can be here with me." He shook his head and looked away. "Look, I get it if you don't like what I'm doing. I just can't put myself through anymore misery."

"I can't wait forever for something that isn't going to come."

~

Feliciano leaned on both elbows on his window sill, watching the people mill about below in the street as he smoked. He sighed as Marilyn came up behind him, gently wrapping her arms around him.

"What are you thinking about?" She whispered, kissing his shoulder.

"Mm.." He relaxed a little more, watching the smoke he blew out. "Nothing."

"Come back to bed, it's early." She gripped his hip.

Feliciano smirked and turned around, pulling her against himself as he crushed his cigarette out. She leaned in and kissed him slowly, slowly unknotting her robe.

Feliciano let his hands wander down her backside and gripped, feeling her arch against him. He felt her breath heavy against his ear and shivered.

"No strings attached..." She whispered, reminding him.

~

Marilyn tiredly stroked Feliciano's hair, his head resting on her shoulder with his arm sprawled across her chest. The afternoon sun filtered through the blinds and cast a soft glow on the both of them.

Feliciano turned onto his back and sighed, sleeping deeply; cool sheets rustling against his bare skin. Marilyn sat up and stretched, rolling her shoulders.

She noticed the open drawer where Feliciano kept the skins and leaned over to close it, startled when small pieces of metal clanged against the hardwood floors. She looked over to Feliciano to see if she'd woken him and reached down to pick them up when she realized she hadn't.

She furrowed her brows and looked at the metal tags for a minute before shrugging and putting them back in the drawer, wondered why he had German tags but didn't think too much of it.

~

To be continued...