Locked Away (GerIta)

Chapter 24

Shaky legs carried Ludwig to his front door and he stumbled inside. It'd been a long walk, a long day, and he felt nauseous. The German felt his dogs nudge against his legs but he just moved past them, pushing through his large office doors.

Ludwig picked up the telephone on the oak desk and dialed the camp office. He felt the cool metal shake against his cheek as his hands trembled. Gritting his teeth, he listened to the voice pick up on the other end.

"Ja?"

"It's Beilschmidt. My apologies for my absence these past few days. I have not been feeling well." He swallowed hard. "I will be back tomorrow."

"We understand. We'll be glad to have you back, Ludwig." The man's tone was laced with a devious sneer.

Ludwig shakily slammed the phone back down onto the reciever and collapsed onto the floor. This wasn't going to be good. He could feel it. The German let out a sob as tears welled in his stinging eyes.

"Nein.." He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes and let his chest heave with pent up emotion. "Feliciano.. Mein liebe.."

Ludwig opened a drawer on his desk and fumbled for his lighter and a cigarette. He lit the end of it as tears dried on his cheeks, inhaling shortly before coughing loudly.

It'd been months. Since the day he'd stopped, the day he'd met Feliciano. Another drag was taken and Ludwig let the smoke in this time, holding it until it hurt and then exhaled, slumping against the desk behind him.

~

Feliciano tugged his sweater tighter around him as he entered the kitchen. He felt small, lost, and vulnerable here; it was all so new. The Italian spotted Gilbert sitting at the table reading a newspaper and he quietly pulled out a chair to sit across from him.

"So, you're Ludwig's brother?" He spoke softly, swallowing past the lump in his throat.

Gilbert raised an eyebrow and lowered the newspaper. "Ludwig." He smiled. "You know Ludwig?"

Feliciano nodded. "He's-"

"God, I haven't heard from that son of a bitch in a long time. I didn't even know he was alive! What is he doing, anyway?" Gilbert folded the newspaper and put it down.

"He's an Obergefreiter." The Italian paused, rubbing one of his eyes. "At Auchwitz."

Gilbert leaned back in his seat and let out a huff. "I see. He's the big guy around camp."

"Wait.." Feliciano leaned forward. "He didn't send you to pick us up? He didn't know?"

"Vash was supposed to get you two. He had a couple errands to run," Gilbert smirked. "So I said I'd get you guys. He didn't tell me West was sending you guys up here, that bastard, always keeping secrets."

"Ludwig, he'd.. He worries about you. He wonders where you are. You never wrote him?"

Gilbert fell silent and he looked down at his newspaper once more, smile twitching slightly. The door opened and in came a man with blonde hair and green eyes.

"Ah," Gilbert cleared his throat, pushing away from the table and the awkward tension that was in the air. "There's Vash."

Feliciano frowned a little and barely listened to the mumbling at the front door. He looked out a nearby window and watched a bird perch on the tree outside. Vash slid a small box in front of him and the Italian looked up, snapping out of his daze to shake his hand.