Shades of Innocence (A GerIta FanFic)

Chapter 11

Johan...Feliciano couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about that name sounded strangely familiar. As if they'd perhaps met previously or his name had been mentioned in conversation. The Italian took a hesitant step back from this man, looking at him with a mixture of suspicion and intrigue. Johan merely continued to smile at him, his hand held out between them for an expectant handshake.

Whether he knew him or not; Feliciano hadn't noticed anyone giving this man any kind of girth as they passed him in the courtyard, or shooting him any fearful, anxious looks. He clearly wasn't feared in any shape or form, and despite the way his dark eyes seemed to bore into Italian, and the way the sharp features of his face made him look somewhat like a vulture, he didn't seem all that scary on the surface.

Feliciano therefore attempted a smile back, even though it came out something more of a grimace, as he lifted a trembling hand to shake the man's in front of him. "Hi, I'm Feliciano..." he was startled by how his voice shook along with the tremors of his hand, a reaction no doubt from the unsettling scenes that had taken place just before.

Johan looked just as curious, carefully lifting the Italian's hand he was still grasping to lie on his open palm. "...wow, I'm not that scary am I?" he asked jokingly, holding up the shaking hand for Feliciano to see himself.

The young man smiled weakly as he pulled his hand away, a little more at ease from the jape. "...no, not you, I just...I guess I'm a little shaken from what just happened..." he muttered quietly, casting a wary glance at the gravely tarmac behind them where specs of Blake's blood were spotted at their feet.

Johan followed the Italian's gaze, his eyebrows creasing as if attempting to soften his eyes. "I bet, I saw what happened...the guards in here can be a bunch of pricks can't they?" he said in his soft, deep voice.

Feliciano shrugged slightly, tucking his hands up inside his sleeves. "Not...always..." he shifted his gaze from the ground to the towering prison blocks where Arthur and Alfred had disappeared to with Ludwig; it was hard to deny the man's words.

"They're not shy to show favouritism." Johan said with a shake of the head. "They hate Ludwig."

Feliciano's head snapped back round to stare at the man who stood merely two inches taller than himself. "You know Ludwig?" he asked softly.

Johan's thin mouth stretched into a grin. "...everyone knows Ludwig." he answered slowly.

"...they know of him, not who he is." Feliciano said defensively, feeling a strange surge of courage.

The skinny brunette just continued to smile at him, the Italian couldn't decide whether it was reassuringly or disturbing. "I know who he is." Johan emphasised quietly, his dark eyes flitting about the courtyard as he quickly moved on. "Hey do you mind if we sit down?" he asked suddenly in a friendly manner, and rather than waiting for a response he placed a firm yet gentle hand on Feliciano's shoulder and steered him towards the leafless, lone tree he and Ludwig would often sit at.

Feliciano seemed a little hesitant at first but this man didn't seem particularly harmful; Johan let go of his shoulder so he could sit himself down beneath the skinny branches, stretching his legs out in front of him in a calm, relaxed way. The Italian spent another few awkward moments dithering before he relented, and took a tentative seat beside him, yet not in too close proximity of him. Feliciano wasn't entirely sure what he was doing with this stranger, he was certain he'd seen him somewhere in the prison before...although he couldn't recall if they'd had any previous encounters. However he was still in rather a state of shock from Ludwig's violent lashing out, and when Alfred had tasered him...Feliciano shuddered, it made him feel sick to think about it; the German just lying there, sprawled out on the ground with his limbs twitching from the intense electrical current that was shot through his body.