Stargazing -- GerIta

It had taken all day (or rather all evening, since they had not begun their trek until well into the afternoon) to work their way through the forest trail. The way the warm sun dappled the greenery around them with spots of light as it slowly set over the horizon was stunning—

—that is, would have been stunning, if there wasn't an exhausted and fidgety Italian latched onto Ludwig's arm (and one that was very vocal about his condition, no less).

"Ludwig, are we there yet? I'm tired and my feet hurt!" It was safe to say that such statements had become a mantra for the Italian, considering he wouldn't go more than three minutes—and Ludwig had timed such occurrences at this point—without saying something to that effect.

"Not yet. Just a bit more, I promise." And the German had replied the same way each time—not that it had done much to halt the complaints. Ludwig knew that Feliciano had never been one for hiking. Actually, he was sure most outdoor activities were out of Feliciano's realm of interest. It had only taken twenty-two minutes (again, timed) for the Italian to become bored and restless of all the walking, but Ludwig was sure that in the end that somehow, somehow, the hike and complaints would be worth it.

The Italian, however, was not so sure that what Ludwig had in mind (whatever it was) would be worth all the walking. His feet dragged and his body drooped with every step, throat humming with complaints. "Will you carry me?"

"No."

"…can we take a break then?"

"No. It's just a bit farther, Feliciano."

Feliciano huffed, tugging at the arm in his grip. "But where is farther? Couldn't we have drove?"

The German steeled his nerves—he knew full well that Feliciano would behave like this. He began a mental mantra of his own (it'll be worth it, it'll all be worth it) and pulled the Italian on. "You can't drive there, I've told you this before." More than once in fact, but Feliciano insisted on bringing it up again whenever he could.

The answer still didn't satisfy Feliciano of course, who huffed and whined and squirmed all over again, his impatience and exhaustion mixing to form a very unagreeable cocktail. He tried to look at the scenery (as Ludwig had suggested during an earlier bought of complaints), but the forest had lost its allure—it had been much easier to appreciate the vibrant colors and pleasant atmosphere when their trek had begun…and his legs didn't ache.

After a minute of trying, Feliciano gave up. "Ludwig, how much longer?"

It would be worth it, Ludwig was sure it would be worth it. "I've said before, not much farther. Just hang on a bit longer." He had prepared himself for the slew of complaints before he even mentioned the outing to Feliciano, so it was much easier to take the grumbles in stride. And it wasn't much farther. Despite Feliciano's lagging, they were making good time—right on time, in fact.

And knowing his plan was playing out nicely made the blond pick up his pace, something akin to excitement—if he would allow himself to feel such an emotion—bubbling prideful in his chest. It was probably best to contain such feelings until all the loose ends were tied, but he was certain (possibly due to the constant reassuring) that Feliciano would enjoy the trip in the end.

Feliciano was not as certain as Ludwig, however. He was tired and his feet hurt; Ludwig still hadn't told him where they were going (which was strange in itself since Ludwig always meticulously clarified his plans from the very beginning); and most importantly, it was beginning to get dark. The latter, he supposed, shouldn't be a worry with Ludwig around to protect them from whatever lurked in the forest at night.

But the approaching dusk still made Feliciano uneasy, and his hold on Ludwig's arm slowly turned into a death grip. "Ludwig…" The voice was little more than a whine now, dripping with his classic apprehension.

"Five more minutes, I promise." Five minutes Ludwig was certain of; he had made the trek before—and had allotted extra time for Feliciano's shuffling. Even in the growing darkness the surroundings were familiar.

A muffled protest was all Feliciano allowed himself. Five minutes wasn't that bad, wasn't bad at all! Compared to all the walking they had done (which was really only about an hour's worth, but felt like an eternity to him), five minutes was nothing.

…right?

One minute later the brunet had piped up again. "How much farther now—"

"—Feliciano."

Ludwig had stopped and Feliciano had not, and the Italian bumped right into the man's shoulder. Feliciano rubbed his bruised nose, shooting a confused glance up at the German's (nearly smug) face. "What?"

"Close your eyes."

The Italian blinked. "Ve?" Feliciano was now sure that ghost of a smile on Ludwig's was smug, and his curiosity sparked. "Why?" Despite the question he did as he was bid, going as far as to cover his eyes with his hands.

Ludwig couldn't help but feel a little proud. He wrapped his arm around Feliciano's shoulder, slowly guiding the Italian up the path. "You'll see."

"See what?" Ludwig was never this cryptic, and Feliciano couldn't help but wonder what was at the end of the trail. He tried his hardest not to trip and leaned against Ludwig for support, senses on high alert for some kind of surprise. He didn't really know what kind of surprise could be waiting in the forest though—and the only things that he could think of were scary, but Ludwig wouldn't take him someplace scary would he? Or at least he hoped not. He was already tired and he didn't want to run all the way back to the car if something—

"Okay, you can open them now."

Time had been moving so slowly that their destination was reached more quickly than Feliciano believed to be possible that night. He uncovered his eyes—

—and the world was sprawled out before him.

Or at least it seemed like it. Twinkling in the fading twilight was the town they had just ventured from, stretched out endlessly below them.

"…ooh!" There was nothing else Feliciano could think to say. Ludwig had taken them to a small outcropping in the hills of the forest, from which Feliciano could see everything. The Italian ran up to fence (tired legs completely forgotten) and looked out at the sight, brimming with excitement.

Of course the town was beautiful—the lights really did seem to twinkle into existence at the approach of night, the lingering warmth of the sun casting a soft glow over everything it touched. There was not only the town but the forest as well, which stretched on endlessly around them. He could even spot a lake in the distance, nestled between the trees—everything about the view was just so breathtaking.

And he was sure to let the German know he thought so.

"Ludwig, Ludwig, how did you find this place? Everything is just gorgeous—I would've never imagined the forest to be so big!" Feliciano's eyes were glued to the view below, chancing a quick glance back to the other man when he could drag his eyes away for a moment. "It must look beautiful during the day too—oh, I wonder how it would look in fall, or spring! The colors must be wonderful, but it's so nice and warm now! Do you think we can see the house from here?"

Ludwig stood back and let the Italian soak up the view, feeling nothing but pride.

Mostly pride that his plan had gone smoothly; but also pride that Feliciano would enjoy his forests so much (as proof by the near constant stream of observations pouring from the Italian's lips), and pride that he knew Feliciano well enough to find something he would truly enjoy.

The blond found the basket he had left earlier that day—tied securely to one of the trees—and retrieved a blanket, laying it out on the grass as the Italian continued to gawk.

But a voice broke him from his thoughts: "Ludwig, Ludwig! Look!"

He looked up, seeing Feliciano pointing at the sky excitedly (and leaning over the fence in a way that made his gut wrench). Ludwig walked over to the Italian (and snaked an arm around his hips, if only to prevent him from falling), following his gaze. "What am I looking for?"

The hand had dropped, but Feliciano continued to bounce, excitement uncontainable. "Oh, you missed it already, but it was so cool, so cool!"

Ludwig cocked an eyebrow, bemused smile on his lips. "Missed what?"

"A shooting star, Ludwig! I saw one, I swear I did!" The stars had begun to peak through the clear evening sky, sun all but a glimmer on the horizon. Feliciano scoured the skies again, as if the star was merely hiding from him. "I guess I forgot to make a wish, though! But it was there, and it was so cool!"

The German chuckled a bit, unable to hide his amusement at the brunet's excitement. "I'm not surprised. There's a meteor shower tonight."

Feliciano's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "Really? Tonight?" Eyes drew back up to the sky, scanning furiously for any more activity. "Oh wow, a meteor shower! It's been forever since I saw one—there's really one tonight?"

"Yes, tonight." Ludwig pulled the Italian away from the fence and led him to the blanket, letting him plop down.

"You planned this didn't you, Ludwig! I didn't even know there was a meteor shower!" The Italian patted the spot next to him and the German obliged, sitting down.

Of course Ludwig had planned the outing for this night in particular. It had just worked out too perfectly—the skies were to be clear all week, the weather warm, and he was able to work ahead in his paperwork to allow himself the day off. But there was no reason to gloat about good planning, even with the pride in his chest. So he kept his mouth shut and looked up at the sky, unable to keep the trace of a smile off his lips.

However, Feliciano took the silence as an answer enough, tossing his arms around the German's shoulders in a tight hug. "Grazie, grazie, Ludwig! It's so nice, too nice in fact! So pretty, I don't even know where to start!" Pleased heat had traveled over his cheeks, and he knew without seeing that the same could be said of Ludwig.

"Bitte." Ludwig cleared his throat, trying not to let his voice betray his flush. "So, you are enjoying yourself?"

"I love it! It's really too wonderful, Ludwig! Thanks so much!"

There was nothing restrained about the smile Ludwig allowed himself. "I'm glad."

Their eyes were cast skyward again as the two waited on the next shooting star to appear. Feliciano leaned against Ludwig, continuing his bubbling conversation from before—jumping from how beautiful the forest and the surroundings was, how the walk was worth the view (even though his legs still hurt), how he couldn't wait for the next star to fall and what his potential wishes could be (many which involved food or art in some way), and asking what Ludwig would wish for—all without losing any momentum.

Ludwig did his best to keep up with the Italian's constant chatter, no matter how nonsensical and long-winded it had become. It actually didn't bother him much, though—the flood of words only proved Feliciano's happiness, and he felt nothing but contentment at the fact.

The darkness grew and the waiting dragged on, which neither of them noticed. But a dazzling streak of light, gone in a matter of seconds, easily grabbed both of their attentions.

"Oh! Oh! Ludwig! Ludwig, did you see—you saw it, right?" The Italian gripped Ludwig's arm tightly, pointing excitedly at the sky. The uttermost awe had stretched across his face, the second occurrence as astounding as the first.

"Yes, I saw." A look of quiet amazement faintly mirrored the Italian's, Ludwig's eyes drawn to the sky as well. Even such a brief moment of life had fully captured Ludwig's attention, and he now understood where Feliciano's enthusiasm had stemmed from before. He glanced at Feliciano's wonderfully (beautiful) mesmerized face—and something twisted inside.

"It's incredible…" Feliciano grip never loosened, eyes still cast to the sky. How could something so short-lived be so amazing? It was one of those things that Feliciano longed to capture on canvas, but he was sure he could never portray the emotions that went along with really seeing it.

"Did you make your wish?"

The German's words caused him to jolt, finally tearing his eyes away. "Oh, my wish! I almost forgot again!" Feliciano's head was so full of wishes that it was hard for him to pick just one. He scrambled through his thoughts, trying to decide. "What is Ludwig going to—hmm?"

A hand had reached up to gently caress his check, and Feliciano smiled brightly at the German.

"There's not much I would wish for, actually…" Ludwig fingers brushed over Feliciano's cheekbones, greeting the smile with a thoughtful expression. "I found that I have most of the things I want already."

Rich laughter broke from the Italian, yet his cheeks were hot with a blush. "Ludwig, you're being awfully romantic and silly tonight!"

Ludwig's soft expression was broken by the smallest of scowls, eyes narrowing. "I could wish for you to stop skimping out on training. Or for you to not take a siesta during work. Or for you to actually do your paperwork. Or for you to stop eating so much and getting stomachaches all the time. Or for you to stop doodling and actually pay attention during meetings. Or to for  you to not leave your clothes all over the house. Or—"

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it, I'm sorry!" Each word poked roughly at the Italian's conscious, wilting under all the accusations.  

But Ludwig tilted the brunet's face up, cupping Feliciano's chin in his hand. "…but, those things don't bother me. Not as much. I have to admit, they are…" The German stopped, unable to think of the words he wanted. Endearingly frustrating? Adorably quirky?

…but such words did make him feel romantically silly. So instead he spoke with actions, leaning in to brush a soft kiss against the Italian's lips.

A kiss which the Italian took for all it was worth. Feliciano tossed his arms around the German's neck with such force that it knocked the German onto his back, caught off guard by the Italian's strong reaction. They bumped heads painfully, but Feliciano was quick to laugh it off.

"Ludwig, you're too much sometimes, you know?" A kiss was pressed to the tip of the German's nose, and Ludwig had to chuckle.

"You're too much all the time."

Feliciano smiled brightly, settling himself comfortably on the German's chest. "But you love it, right?"

The answer was yes—but there was no time to reply before Feliciano's lips found Ludwig's.

Ludwig's arms wrapped themselves around Feliciano's slim waist, craning his neck and pulling the Italian closer to kiss back—slowly at first, with every brush of lips urging soft sighs from lungs.

Ludwig's hands drifted up Feliciano's spine, making the Italian purr with delight. Their hands tangled in each other's hair (Feliciano taking intense pleasure at messing up those orderly blond locks) and they grew comfortable in the embrace, the kisses lingering and growing longer. It had become a familiar action between the two of course, but that didn't stop shivers of excitement or tingles of pleasure from either of them.

Besides, it still tasted—felt—smelled—as wonderful as the first time.

Ludwig paused in their kissing, catching a glance of another burst of light by chance "Feliciano, a star—"

But stars were the farthest thing from Feliciano's mind. He pressed his hands against the German's cheeks, pulling him back into their kiss.

And Ludwig could think of no reason to protest.