A young man was sitting on the ground as he looked up at the dark sky. It was snowing, which was something he wasn't used to all that much. It would snow sometimes in Venice, but not as much as it was in Stuttgart. Feliciano Vargas was worried about the war he was taking part of. Volunteering to be in the military would have been the last thing he'd do, but he loved his country, and would do anything to protect it, even if it meant becoming a soldier. Plus, he had nothing else to do. Funds were getting low and the boy couldn't take care of himself anymore. Feliciano lowered his head and removed the helmet he was forced to wear. He hated that headgear. The longer he could spend not wearing it, the better.

Europe was at war after what seemed like decades of peace. The German and Italian nations were once again at an alliance, much to the world's surprise, considering Italy's betrayal back in World War II. The two militaries were planning a second attempt in an invasion on France, and the group Feliciano was placed in was stationed in Stuttgart, waiting for the plan to be approved. Nobody knew when that would be. In the meantime, the young man spent his free time wandering the city. He would try his best to socialize with locals, but he'd find himself to be either intimidated, or given the cold shoulder. Feliciano hated the feeling of being alone. He missed his family, especially his brother, Lovino, who had fled to America before Italy joined the war. Lovino might have been rude at some occasions, but at least Feliciano would have someone to talk to. Sure he had fellow soldiers, who he chatted with often, but he never felt like they really saw him as a friend.

One morning, Feliciano was granted permission to walk around the city. It seemed like a normal day at first. Citizens of the city were going on with their daily routines, while chatting about the war. At least that's what Feliciano assumed. He knew little to nothing about the German language. He did know, however, that Krieg meant "war". A few people would stare at Feliciano from time-to-time, which was a common thing, considering it was a soldier who was obviously not from the area. However, Feliciano would have never expected a man to come running after him in rage because of it..

"Kruzitürken!" he heard the man shout. He hollered at Feliciano, but all he could make out of it was "Bruder fehlt", and "Krieg". In a panic, Feliciano ran from the area as fast as he could. From the corner of his eye, he could spot somebody holding the man off, preventing him from coming after him. "Feiger Hund!" was the last thing he heard the man shout. He didn't know what was being said, but he knew it had to be something bad. He quickly assumed this man was not fond of the war, and was blaming Feliciano for whatever reason. Feliciano may not have been the best fighter, but he was rather quick when it came to escaping tough situations. He thought it would be best to stay away from the city for a while. Once he knew he was safe, he sluggishly walked back to his base, his day quickly ruined.

Feliciano stayed at the base for the rest of the week. It wasn't his preference on what to do with his free time, but he wanted to avoid running into that man again, thinking he had the capability of injuring or even killing him. Fellow soldiers noticed there was something different about Feliciano. Not only did he not explore the town, but he was timid and quiet, which was unlike him. A few of them approached Feliciano one afternoon to try and get him out of the base again.

"Signore Vargas," one of them called out. "We're all going to see the town. Maybe spend some extra time with the local ladies. You've been cooped up here for so long. Why don't you come with us?"

Feliciano looked over, bit his lip and shook his head. "No thank you," he said cheerfully.

"You used to always go and see the town," someone else stated. "What changed this?"

"Nothing," Feliciano lied. "I think I just had my fill of Stuttgart, that's all."

"We're not idiots," the first man replied. "Now come with us."

"But I really-" Feliciano couldn't finish his sentence before he was grabbed by the arm and dragged outside the base and back into town.

His eyes scanned the area, looking for the man who tried to attack him earlier in the week. He wasn't hard to spot. Despite being rather young, he had white hair, and eyes the color of a violet-red. Feliciano was lucky to not see him anywhere. His fellow soldiers stopped when they came across a group of young women chatting at a produce stand.

"Why don't we chat with them a little?" one of the soldiers suggested. "I don't know how to speak German, but maybe we'll get lucky and they know English."

Feliciano looked away. "Feel free to. I'd rather not."

"What's the matter?" the soldier joked. "Do German women intimidate you as much as the men do?" Feliciano didn't reply. "It's unlike you to pass by cute girls. Back in Venice, you were always around women. Maybe this war's getting to you."

Feliciano chuckled nervously. "Perhaps it is. I'll be glad when it's all over."

Feeling positive that the man wasn't there today, Feliciano was confident enough to stay behind while his fellow soldiers mingled with the local women. He admitted to himself that the girls were cute, and he wouldn't mind flirting just a little. He decided he'd step up and talk to one of the girls himself, only to be stopped by someone before he had the chance to take the first step. He looked over to see that it was, much to his surprise, a woman. She was about his height and had short blonde hair with her bangs almost covering her blue eyes, which were looking away from him. Her posture was straight, and her facial expression was stern. Her clothing wasn't too special, as she only wore a grey turtleneck, a black jacket and blue jeans. Feliciano couldn't help but find her attractive, though her motives for approaching him were unknown.

"Es…" she grumbled after what seemed like five minutes of silence, "es tut mir Leid. Mein Bruder ist," she paused when she noticed Feliciano looking at her with a confused look. She decided to try something different. "Erm, do you speak English?" she asked.

Feliciano's eyes widened and he smiled from ear-to-ear. "Oh! Yes. Yes, I speak English!" he cheered. "Thank goodness you know English too, because I had no idea what you were trying to say! I knew I should have learned some German before coming up here!"

The woman looked at him in slight shock. No more than five minutes ago, this man was quiet and didn't really say anything, and now he's loud and talking rather fast. His accent didn't help in understanding him either. "Yes, well, I just wanted to say that I recognized you from earlier in the week as the man my brother was yelling at and even tried to harm. I wanted to apologize for his behavior. If it weren't for me holding him off, he would have attacked you mercilessly. He's been lashing out more often since our brother disappeared."

Feliciano's smile faded. "I'm so sorry," he mumbled. "What happened?"

The woman shook her head. "It's nothing that should be discussed," she stated. "I only came to apologize and nothing more."

"Well, wait," Feliciano said. "It seems like a waste if you approached me just for that. How about we go get coffee?" His smile returned.

The woman shook her head. "I think it wouldn't be right."

"Why not?" he whined. "It's just coffee. It's completely harmless."

"Don't you have to go back to your base or something?"

"Not until later!" he exclaimed. "And it won't take all day. Please? It'll be my way of saying thank you for saving my life! I really thought your brother was going to kill me!"

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. Just this once."

Feliciano's smiled widened. "Thank you! Oh, I'll be right back. I have to tell a couple people where I'm going." He ran off to where his fellow soldiers were, who were still flirting with the girls at the market stand. He mentioned that he'd be going somewhere, which caused the soldiers to look over at the woman Feliciano was talking to. They cheered Feliciano on and patted him on the back before he ran back to her.