Philophobia: A GerIta story

Chapter 8: Ludwig

The laugher and chatter is loud out in the dining area, and it turns out Feliciano and Noodle are leading me to the loudest bunch in the bakery.

There's over twenty people I'm sure, they take up half the dining space in the building, laughing and telling jokes as if there is nothing wrong in the world.

I recognize people from group, but nearly everyone else is a mystery to me.

"Feli!" Just about half the people call out, every single one smiling. One of them, a girl with hair in two long ponytails, stands and runs at him. "Michelle incoming!" She yells before tackling him in a hug.

Feliciano laughs, hugging her back. "Ciao Michelle!" He lets go of the hug, "everyone! I have someone I want to introduce, this is Ludwig Beilschmidt." They go silent, staring at me with wide, shock filled eyes.

I scratch my arm in nervousness, knowing exactly why they reacted in such a way.

No one has seen me in years.

Feli frowns, glaring. "No. We are not going to do that, Ludwig here is very brave and decided to meet each of you, so start introducing yourself without the shock please." Lovino, who had joined us, snorted, sitting in the chair next to Matthew, pushing Gilbert over.

"Who's going to start?" He asks sweetly, feeling around for a chair and sitting when he finds one. I continue to stand, not knowing if I'm allowed to sit.

The same girl that hugged Feli re-stands, smiling at me. "I'm Michelle! And this," she jesters to the smaller girl next to her, "is Camille, she can't introduce herself you see because she's mute." Camille waves, taking a small bite from her muffin.

Memories of two girls hit me, a few years younger. One always reading the other laughing and smiling.

It's Francis that stands next, "bonjour again Ludwig! As you know I'm Francis Bonnefoy, an old friend of Gilbert's."

My memories of him always include my brother, the two pranking teachers and students.

Arthur stands, "hello Ludwig, I'm Arthur as you may know, it's a pleasure to see you once again."

A boy that Francis always bothered and insulted, even back then I knew they belonged together.

Someone I don't recognize speaks up from a different table, he's blond and expressionless. "My name is Lukas," he introduces.

Lukas, he was in the magic club with Arthur, always had another boy hanging off of him.

Speaking of him, said boy stands, now years older but still recognizable. "I'm Mathias!" His voice is happy as he waves.

Memories of a boy always smiling, yet scary when mad. Always around Lukas and sending him letters with love confessions.

Next is a boy in a wheelchair, a dog at his feet. He introduces himself as Emil in the same tone as Lukas, emotionless.

He went to every football game to watch Mathias play with Lukas and a few others, he got his service dog two months before I left.

The next boy introduces himself as Leon, he's feeding Emil fruit, much to the others dislike.

A boy who watched Emil from a far until he finally asked to be his friend, he once set a firework off as a prank.