Windows to the Soul (Italy X Reader One-shot)

Italy x Reader

Windows to the Soul
(One-shot)

_{(A/N: Grab all the things you love and squeeze them tightly to your chest. Oh, and grab a box or two of tissues. You may need it.)}

~They say that eyes are the windows to one’s soul…
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Feliciano seemed to be quite the happy, carefree person.  He was the personification of the Northern half of Italy, and one of your closest friends.

Whenever you saw him, his eyes were closed and he always had a smile on his face.

A beautiful, happy, blissful smile.

There weren’t many times you saw him without it.

And his eyes.

Even though you had spent lots of time with Feli, you had never seen them open, not even once.

His family and other close friends told you that they were beautiful. ‘A shining, golden-honey brown.’ ‘Eyes that could make anyone melt.’ ‘A glimpse of heaven itself.’

With eyes that beautiful, why does he keep them closed?

Why?

This thought was one that wouldn’t leave you alone. You would try to push it to the back of your mind, but it would soon be at the center of your thoughts again. This question would often leave you sleepless at night, tossing and turning under your covers.

You had asked this question to everyone close to him. They told you they didn’t know. They never knew why he did what he did. They all thought that it was just the typical Feli. They all assumed that it was just normal for him to wander about with his eyes closed. And, in a way, it was.

And yet, you had this feeling…

…This feeling that it was much deeper than that…

…So much deeper.
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It was a peaceful Saturday evening, and you were just finishing the last few sentences of a book you were reading when your phone began to ring. With a small sigh you closed your book, setting it down as you got up from your couch to answer the phone.

“Hello?” You asked as you walked back to the couch and sat down.

“Hey, (Name)! It’s Feliciano!”

A small smile graced your lips at the sound of the Italian’s voice. “Hi Feli! What’s up?”

He answered excitedly, “Well, I am going to make pasta and I was wondering if you wanted to have some. So (Name), would you like to come over and have some pasta with me?”

You giggled at how cute he sounded. “Of course Feli! I would love to have pasta with you. When would you like me to come over?”

“You can come over now if you want to. I’ve already started cooking the pasta, so it’ll be done pretty soon.” Feliciano replied happily.

“Okay then. I’ll be over there in a few. See you soon Feli!” You said, hanging up the phone and preparing yourself to go over to Feli’s house.

----~(TIME SKIP)~----

You knocked on the door of Feliciano’s house. As soon as you moved your hand away from the door, it swung wide open and you were tackled into a hug by Feli.

“Ve~ (Name), you’re here! I was so worried you weren’t going to come! But now that you’re here, I’m so happy!” The cute Italian babbled.

You laughed a little at Feli. He was being so adorable. “I’m glad to see you too, Feli. And of course I was coming over. I told you I was.” A thoughtful look came across your face. “Why would you think I wouldn’t?”

Feliciano released you from his hug, his smile noticeably smaller, yet still there. “Oh… Well, sometimes when I ask Ludwig or my fratello if they want to come over for pasta, they say that they are busy or aren’t really hungry. It makes me really sad when they say that can’t visit.” He looked upset for just a moment, and then he was happy and bubbly again. “But you are visiting now, and that makes me happy.” His smile grew, and he pulled you into another warm hug.

“I’m glad I can make you happy Feli.” You said as you returned the hug. ‘Why would he be worried about me not coming over, even though I told him I was going to visit?’, you thought to yourself. You quickly shoved the thought to the back of your mind with the rest of the ‘Questions About Feli’. “So, how about that pasta you said you were making?” You asked, pulling out of the hug.

Grabbing your hand, Feliciano pulled you into his house and to his dining room. “Here, sit down while I finish preparing the pasta. I’ll be back in just a moment.” He left you to seat yourself as he fetched the food.

You pulled out a chair and sat at the table. You could hear Feli moving around in the kitchen and getting the pasta. The questions came back to your mind. You mused over them, trying to understand even a little bit how Feliciano worked. A large crashing sound emanating from the kitchen pulled you from your thoughts.

You stood up from your seat and walked over to the kitchen door. “Feli? Is everything okay?” You called as you walked into the room. You let out a small gasp of surprise.

Feliciano was sprawled out on the floor, propping himself up with one hand and holding his head with the other. Pasta noodles and tomato sauce were scattered all about the floor, and Feli was covered in the stuff. A fairly large, upturned pot was on the floor near him, while a small cat toy was near his feet.

Rushing over to him, you ask, “Are you okay? What happened Feli?”

He smiled up at you sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “Heheh, I just tripped (Name). I’m fine.”

You sigh in relief. “Okay.” Looking at his pasta covered form, you let out a small giggle.

Feli looked at you, confusion crossing his features. Then he looked down at himself, and his cheeks flushed a light pink color. “I’m covered in pasta…” He said, embarrassed.

“It’s alright Feli,” You said, offering him a hand up. “How about you go get cleaned up, okay?”

He took your hand and let you help him up. “Alright.” He nodded. “(Name)?”

“Yes, Feli?”

“You’ll still be here when I get done, right? You won’t leave?”

You blinked at him, then answered, “Of course I’ll still be here. Why would I leave? We still have to have pasta together.” Your questions about Feli came back to your mind. Why does he think I would leave? What makes him worry about me leaving or not coming to visit? The questions bounced around your skull. Why doesn’t he ever open his eyes?

You were pulled out of your sudden onslaught of thought by Feli, who was poking your cheek repetitively. “Uh, (Name). You in there?”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry, I was distracted.” Smiling kindly, you gently moved Feliciano towards the kitchen door. “Now, go get changed. I’ll still be here when you get back.”

“You sure?”

You rolled your eyes and replied, laughing, “I’m positive.”

Finally, Feli went to get changed.

“Now,” You said to yourself, “time to clean this kitchen.”

----~(TIME SKIP)~----

“There, it’s all clean now.”

You beamed at how clean the kitchen looked now. Sure you knew that it would take Feli only a couple of minutes to completely mess up the place, but you didn’t mind. It was actually kind of fun to clean up after the silly Italian.

Done in the kitchen, you wandered out and ended up beside a window in Feli’s living room. The sun was just starting to set, and you were entranced by the colors of the sky. It was quite lovely.

“(Name)!” Feli called from another part of the house.

“In here Feli!” You answered, not looking away from the sunset.

You heard Feliciano walk into the room. He came and stood quietly beside you, looking out the window as well. He was all cleaned and changed, his hair slightly damp.

Smiling to yourself, you let your eyes close as you hum to yourself. It was nice standing here with Feli, it made you happy. You opened your eyes, looking again at the colors of the sky. Thinking to yourself, you thought, ’I have never experienced a more beautiful sunset.’ Glancing over at Feli, your brain stops working for a second.

He looked deep in thought, closed eyes focused on the colorful sunset. But what threw you off was his frown. He was frowning. You had rarely seen this man lose his smile. ‘Where did his smile go?’ You asked yourself.

“Feli, what’s wrong?” You asked him quietly, looking at his face.

“What?” Startled by your question, he began babbling. “Wrong? Nothing is wrong (Name). See?” He smiled, but you noticed how unsure and sad it seemed. “I’m perfectly fine. No need to worry about m-.”

Feliciano was cut off by you grabbing his face between your hands. You looked at Feli, speaking in a calm, serious tone. “Please, Feli, stop lying to me. Just tell me what’s wrong.”

He reached his hands up to rest on top of yours. You could feel him shaking. “(N-Name)… I-I’m just… I’m-I’m…I’m…” He couldn’t find the words.

You felt your heart throb in your chest. You had never seen Feli like this before. You watched him, concern and kindness in your gaze.

Feliciano stopped trying to speak. He drew in a shaky breath. Then slowly opened his tear filled eyes, staring back into your (e/c) eyes.

His eyes were beautiful. So, so beautiful. They were captivating. Shining brown and gold melting together in the dying rays of the sun. You had never seen more beautiful, enchanting eyes.

Yet, there was something else…

… A fear…

… A pain…

… A loss.

The look, the emotion, in his eyes was heartbreaking. There was so much sadness. So much pain. Pain that he had been carrying for many, many years. This pain scarred his soul. It scarred his heart. Now you knew why Feliciano never opened his eyes. He didn’t want anyone to see how much he was suffering. How much he was hurting.

You moved your hands from Feli’s face and quickly pulled him into a hug. He stood there frozen a moment, then he broke down. Sinking to the floor, he clung to you, tears running down his face and sobs violently shaking his body. You held Feliciano in your arms, gently rubbing and patting his back, whispering words of comfort to him. He calmed down slowly. Even though his crying had stopped, he still held onto you tightly.

Slowly pulling back a bit, you looked into his eyes once more. Quietly, so very quietly, you ask softly, “Feli, I want to help you. I want to make you happy. So please, will you tell me?”

Feliciano nodded his head ever-so-slightly. In an almost inaudible voice, he whispered, “I-I’m scared of-of ev-everyone leaving…I’m sca-scared of you l-l-leaving, and never c-coming back. I’m scared of y-you leaving m-me alone. Just…just like G-Grandpa Rome… a-and…_{and…Hol…Holy Rome…}” He started sniffling, tears welling up in his eyes once more.

“Shhh… It’s okay Feli. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.” You said gently, pulling him closer to you once more. “I promise I won’t leave you alone Feli. I promise.”

“G-grazie, (Name).”

You both sat there, holding to one another. The room was getting very dark, the sun now completely set behind the horizon. After a few moments, you noticed Feliciano’s breathing had slowed and deepened. His grip on you had slackened as well. A small smile crossed your lips as you realized he was sleeping.

Slowly and carefully, you dragged the sleeping Italian over to the couch and pulled him up onto it. You arranged him in a comfortable position and placed a blanket over his sleeping form. You looked at Feliciano’s peaceful, sleeping face. You swept some of his auburn hair away from his face. Leaning towards him, you placed a small kiss on his forehead. You turned to go, but were stopped by a hand on your wrist.

“Don’t leave. Please (Name).” Feliciano whispered.

You smiled kindly at him. “Okay Feli, I’ll stay.”

He pulled you onto the couch with him, wrapping his arms around you and cuddled you under the blanket. Soon, you both fell asleep in each other’s arms.

After that day…

…You kept your promise to Feliciano…

…You stayed with him…











…And never left.

the end