City Park

This park lays in the center of the city. It's pretty big, full of trees and bushes, and with some wide grass zones where to sit, sunbathe and pic-nic. There is a rather wide pond in the middle, and a pretty high hill from which you can enjoy a nice sight of the city skyline.

The park is usually full of families and young people in the evenings and in the weekend, while normally there are only a few people jogging around or walking their dogs.


***


Feliciano simply smiled at the other's compliment, looking at the two women while they run away along the path. Pretty girls, he couldn't help thinking, but he immediately brought his attention back to the man he was walking with.

"Ahah, did you hear that... oh, you're a bit red." Feliciano noticed, and smiled delighted at the discovery. "So so, we're cute, eh?" He squeezed Ludwig's hand and after a few second he led his friend along a narrower path, and they soon arrived on the top of a small hill. Small, but pretty high.

"Pretty view from here, mh?" he pointed at the skyline of the city center that surrounded them, looking up at the blonde to see if he appreciated the view. Feliciano loved it, but right now he found himself looking rather to Ludwig and his fair skin, and his blue eyes, even bluer beneath the clear sky.

Ludwig cursed his fair skin as they headed for the small hill. "I suppose we are a bit cute." He wasn't typically called that on his own, but he assumed that Feliciano was making him a bit more approachable, cute even.

He watched as the other man led them up the hill and followed willingly. "This is a very nice area," he said as he looked around. His arm wrapped around Feliciano as they finally reached the top and could look around. "This is a very pretty city. The view is great from here."

He looked down at the man's auburn hair, lit up, glistening red through the brown. He looked into the grown eyes, noting flecks of green, specks of gold and brown. Then he moved down to the soft, pink lips. He really was attracted to Feliciano.

"Yeah, the city is rather nice." Feliciano looked away from Ludwig, thinking that he would have liked it to be also quieter. But it was partly their fault, if it wasn't the safest place on earth, so he didn't have right to complain.

He smiled at the arm around him, and leant closer on the other's side. "And yes, I know. People also don't come here often, so it's rather quiet."

He breathed in deeply, savoring the scent of the trees around and the light breeze that made his hair dance around his face.

Ludwig nodded. "In Germany, it is much the same. So busy and big. Sometimes it feels as though a person can get lost." He smiled and pressed his lips to the other man's head. "You just hope you will be found by the right person."

He watched as the sun played off of Feliciano's gently blowing hair and then down at his olive-toned face. "You are a very attractive man," he said. He might have said beautiful, but he didn't know Feliciano well enough to know if he would be insulted by it.

Feliciano sighed softly, the arm around him was warm and the kiss the other had left on his hair gentle. Instinctively, he buried his face in his chest, wrapping his own arms around the other's waist. "I know. This world just scares me, most of the times... so much that I'd gladly run away somewhere else." He nuzzled in Ludwig's skirt, the man's scent now sticking in his head. "But I'm not that brave to run away alone."

Feliciano chuckled delighted at Ludwig's compliment. "I didn't know that Germans were such flatterers~" he replied, looking up at him with a playful smile. "And you are..." Feliciano squeezed gently his waist "You are so huggable~"

Ludwig smiled and hugged him back. It warmed his heart to feel the other was so comfortable with him. "If you keep saying things like that, you will make me tempted to take you to Germany with me." It made him worried, though, that the smaller man was so frightened. He wondered just how much Feliciano knew of the crime in this area.

"Is there something here that scares you, Feliciano? In the city?" He was torn between trying to pump the man for information and being genuinely concerned for his well-being.

Feliciano smiled. "I wouldn't mind, but I can't just leave my brothers behind, you know." If he ever had to run away somewhere, it would involve both Chibi and Lovi. "The scariest thing for me would be to end up alone." he admitted candidly.

"And then, yes, there are lots of things in this city that scare me here... like the traffic police!" he revealed chuckling. Well, that and the fact that his father had just disappeared somewhere, most probably kidnapped by a rival family, maybe killed. But surely he couldn't simply tell that to Ludwig - he really wished he could have someone to tell the whole story to, maybe someone who could help them, but even Feliciano understood that it wasn't possible. Revealing to be the member of a mafia family wasn't exactly the first thing one would say at the first date, however.

Ludwig held him closer. "Feliciano, if there is anything you are worried about, you can tell me. I know we don't know one another well, but I could be here for a while. I also... I will be honest with you that my last name isn't Hoffman. It is Weber. When I go on business trips, they prefer I go by a different name, and Weber was my mother's name... I never really liked it much, so I've never minded the idea of using another one."

He didn't like it because his mother had been poor, had been known for being an alcoholic, for losing countless jobs. It also hadn't helped that he'd been raised in a more religious area without a father or knowing who it was.

He looked at the other man. "I promise I'm not here for anything illegal." Quite the opposite in fact. "But I want to be honest with you about my name."

Feliciano blinked at the sudden revelation. It didn't matter to him how the other was called - sadly enough, he thought, he would probably never have the time to know the other so well to be able to tell when he was lying or hiding things, so to a certain extent he didn't care that much about his true last name, also because Ludwig wasn't supposed as well to discover some truths about him. But the fact that the man had decided to tell him the truth touched Feliciano, knowing that the other had just revealed something to him made things unfair, since Feliciano was still hiding so much.

He sighed, smiling at him.
"I believe there are certain things that don't necessarily have to be known at a first date... a first date should be cheerful and full of funny stuff, no?" he rubbed the back of his head, as if he was embarrassed - he was actually thinking how much he could reveal about his situation to the other, since his honesty really required something back from him.

"My father left us time ago. Family stuff, you know, he left a message and disappeared with someone else." He surely couldn't say that he had been kidnapped, and he hoped that the mention of 'family troubles', possibly involving a lover or anyway some kind of situation he wasn't comfortable to speak of, would discourage the other to investigate any further.
"We never heard of him anymore. That's why I hate the idea of losing my siblings." At least, these last sentences were completely true.

Ludwig nodded and rubbed Feliciano's back. "I understand. And I wasn't telling you that to force you to tell me something in return. And I'm sorry about your father. I don't know mine, and my mutter and I were never very close. But you have a close family. I can see why you are so attached to your brothers. Chibitalia, in particular, is a very endearing little boy."

He looked out over the city, hoping he could stay long enough to really get to know the little chef (and maybe even let the other know this had become a bit of a pet name in Ludwig's mind for him). He still wanted to catch the criminals, but he had another reason to stay for a while at least.

"Is there a time tonight I should stop by the restaurant that will be better for you?"

He shacked his head. "It's alright" God knew how much he wanted to tell everything to someone. "I just didn't want you to hear any sad story as first thing about me." He squeezed him lightly again as he heard of his parents. Seemed like Ludwig hadn't had a simple life as well - he only hoped his didn't involve organized crime.

He brightened at the mention of Chibi. "I know. He's such an adorable little brother. I'm so proud of him." Feliciano's secret aim was to pull Chibi out from the mafia's world, somehow.

"And well, we open at 7 in the evening. Usually it gets more crowded around 8, 8.30..." he shrugged. "You can come when you want, I'll reserve a table for you." he smiled sweetly at him, happy to see how eager he seemed to come to dinner at his restaurant.

"I'll come in a bit later," he said. "That way, maybe I can hope to have company once again." He held Feliciano to himself. "And as for sad stories, Feliciano, I hear them a lot at work. I learn to see more than the stories."

He glanced around the park. "Is that a carousel?" It certainly looked like one not far from where they were standing. He remembered one that he'd seen as a child. He'd only gotten to ride it once through some hard-earned money. Funds had been tight at the time at home, partly due to his mother's issues, so it had been his own money that paid for that one ride.

He did his best to keep himself in check, to prevent that little childhood memory from making him seem childish.

"I'll make sure that you have all the company you need!" Feliciano answered with a bright smile. "And since you're here for work, I'll try to make you avoid sad stories at least while you're having dinner." he said, his chin resting on the blonde's chest.

He glanced down where Ludwig was looking, to see the bright colors of the small carousel he often brought Chibi to.
"Indeed it is! It's really pretty, with all the horses you can ride on and everything. Me and Chibi go there a lot!" he said.

When his brother was younger, he had the excuse of staying with him to make sure he didn't fall off one of the horses, now Chibi was old enough to go alone, but Feliciano loved carousels, and he surely wasn't the type to worry about what others could think about a grown up riding toy-horses that were too little for him.

"Wanna have a ride there?" he smiled to him encouragingly.

"I..." Ludwig looked down at Feliciano. "I shouldn't. We're adults. I'm probably bigger than half of the horses anyway." He shook his head and tried to dismiss the idea.

"I'm sure there is something else we can do," he said, looking around the park, trying to ignore the ride that evoked some of his happier childhood memories. Some parks had zoos, others had ponds. Surely there was something that wouldn't have Ludwig making a fool of himself.

Mind you, a part of his brain was telling him that it couldn't hurt to at least look. Some carousels had larger horses, even benches. He could ride those. Maybe.

"There aren't only horses in that carousel, there are a few cute chariots as well. But I'm sure the horses are strong enough to bear you - they can bear me bouncing on them, if you sit there quietly they won't unsaddle you!" he disentangled himself from the hug and took Ludwig's hand again, pulling it.

Wasn't a ride on a carousel just the sweetest idea ever for a date? True, it looked more of something two teenagers would do, in a poetic frame of roses and hearts and candies, like a scene of some old romantic movie. Still, doing it as grown ups had the taste of a melancholic and still happy revival of the past.

"And besides, there isn't much we can do here. We could have brought a blanket to have a picnic, or bread to feed the ducks... but we didn't." he jumped from one foot to another.

Ludwig allowed himself to be pulled and smiled as he saw Feliciano's enthusiasm. "I suppose it will be okay," he said as he followed him through the park toward the carousel. It was getting later an he had a feeling this would be one of the last things he would be able to do before their date would have to come to an end.

He didn't like the idea of having to part with Feliciano, but duty called. And when it did, he always stepped up.

It only took a few moments before they were at the quaint carousel. The horses did look sturdy, but he didn't think it was the wisest thing for him to get on one of them. He looked at Feliciano. "Do you see any that you want to get on?"

He could always stand nearby, using the horse's movement as an excuse to kiss the smaller man. For now, he simply released the hand holding him so that he could wrap his arm around Feliciano instead.

"My favorite is the blue horse over there." he pointed at it, feeling the weight of Ludwig's arm around himself. He couldn't help noticing that he was just the right height for the blonde to wrap his arm around him. And the man was just the right height to make him rest his head on his chest, just next to the shoulder.

As they reached the carousel, it was still - there were no children around at that time of the day. Still, in the small white stand just next to it there was someone, a girl sitting, face hidden behind a magazine. Feliciano let his arm wrap around Ludwig's waist and dragged him to the stand.

"Ciao!" he approached the girl, who popped out her head from behind the magazine. She was a cute young woman with black curly hair, and she had been working there since Feliciano could remember. He had sort of courted her, in the past, until he had discovered that her interests were directed elsewhere. At least, she surely wouldn't mind two gay men enjoying a ride on the carousel, just as he always reserved a nice table for all the times she and her girlfriend came to eat at his restaurant.

She greeted him with a nod of her head and with a nice smile. "Feliciano! How are you? And hi!" she gave Ludwig a long glance.

"Mind turning the thing on for us?" Feliciano asked politely.

"Sure. Jump on." She replied.

They climbed the couple of steps and stood on the platform, while the sweet and cheerful melody of the carousel started filling the air.
"Ah, too bad! My favorite horse is stuck too high." Feliciano stared sadly at the blue horse. Actually, his legs were long enough for him to climb on it, and the horse would have lowered anyway as soon as the carousel started moving.

Ludwig smiled as he realized Feliciano already knew the woman operating the carousel. She seemed nice enough, and there were no judgmental looks in her eyes, so he assumed she was okay with the fact that Ludwig and Feliciano were on a date together.

He climbed onto the base of the carousel, a smile spreading slowly across his face at the sound of the music playing. He could remember the way it had sounded as a child, that happy music.

He looked at the blue horse. "Let me help you up to it," he offered.

"Ve, grazie~" whistling softly the notes of the melody he already knew by heart, he stretched out his arms for the other, waiting for Ludwig to lift him up like he was a small child.

He loved that small carousels hidden in middle of the park; you could spend the time staring at the green trees turning around you, sweetly cradled by the movements of the horse and the mechanical song of the music, and pretend that the world began and finished in that circle of colorful horse and chariots and children. It didn't last lone, but it was delightful until the very last note.

The carousel started moving with a sudden spring, and Feliciano lost his balance for a second.

Ludwig braced Feliciano and helped him to get up onto his blue horse. It required a little lifting, a little guiding, but eventually, he had the auburn-haired man seated atop the horse. As for himself, he was simply standing next to him, smiling.

This would be fine. He had to be a mature adult, rather than trying to relive his youth by actually getting on one of the horses himself.

He simply held onto one of the nearby poles and watched his date as the horse slowly began its up and down movements.

Feliciano looked at Ludwig, who was standing some steps away from him. A bit too far, actually.

"You don't look like you're having fun. Carousels are not made to make people stand up on them! You should sit somewhere." Feliciano however thought that probably the man wouldn't follow his suggestion. He patted the back of the horse he was sitting on. "Or you can just come here, to make sure I don't fall from the horse!"

Holding the pole of his blue horse, he stretched out towards Ludwig. "You should choose a white horse, then wear a blue costume with a long blue mantel, and you will make the perfect prince charming~"

Ludwig blushed at the idea of himself as prince charming. Though he might be a police officer and some saw him as the calvary rushing in to save the day, he never thought of himself that way. "I... will ride this one," he said, taking the black horse as it moved up and down beside Feliciano. He wasn't entirely sure this toy creature could hold his weight, let alone the blue one hold both his and Feliciano's combined.

"There. Is this better?" he asked as he bobbed up and down opposite Feliciano's movements.

"Ah, the black horse suits you well too!" he approved of Ludwig's choice. But still he would have preferred to ride the same horse as the blonde. Oh well, "if the mountain won't come to Muhammad, Muhammad must go to the mountain" was the saying.

He jumped off his blue horse and climbed the pole of the black one, so that he was now at Ludwig's same height.

The curly hair girl peered at them from behind her magazine, was on the point to tell Feliciano something about being careful, then thought better of it.

"Won't you bring me with you on your magic horse, prince charming?" Feliciano asked Ludwig with a bright smile, stretching out his hand so he could hold him and make him sit in front of him on the animal.

Ludwig couldn't really hide his surprise at Feliciano's sudden move, and being face to face with him for once. So the other man wanted to ride with him? While Ludwig wouldn't be opposed to the closeness, he had to take a good long glance at the horse and the workings that moved it before he finally offered his hand to Feliciano.

He said a whispered prayer in German that the horse please not fall down beneath them or that he and Feliciano get in trouble on his first full day in the country.

He shifted back on the horse to make room for Feliciano, but the curve of the seat left no room between them once the other man was fully seated. Ludwig wrapped one arm around Feliciano, while the other rested idly on the man's hip as they rode. Though he had no idea the effect this was having on the brunet, for the blond, it was becoming increasingly uncomfortable as their close bodies moved with each up and down motion of the ride.

Somehow, something that had so symbolized childhood for the German was slowly taking on a slightly more adult tone. And he blamed it all on Feliciano--if he really wanted to call it blame at all, which he didn't.

Feliciano leant his back against Ludwig's chest, relaxing while they rode up and down in the carousel. Each ride there didn't last very long, and he knew they didn't have much time before their date came to and end, so he wanted to use each moment at its best.

"Look, these animals are strong enough!" he said cheerfully, patting the back of the horse.

Although they were sitting so close, Feliciano didn't feel uncomfortable at all. Actually, he liked the position a lot, even though all of it, feeling the blonde's stomach against his back and something else against his behind was, admittedly, a bit distracting. Not to say that it gave it a good new start for the thoughts that he had decided to refrain from in the hotel room.

Feliciano let the carousel turn once, then twice, following the rhythm of the melody. After a while, he turned to look Ludwig in the eyes, a hand on his leg to keep his balance.

"You know what happens usually after the prince has rescued the princess?"