Pre-note: Orignally I meant this to be more of a one-shot but it worked out better as a drabble/ficlet sort of thing. I hope you enjoy it and sorry it's so late. I'm very good at procrastinating. ^^;

Of Edelweiss and Tulips

By Stonefang

"A dozen tulips, please."

The man behind the counter picked a dozen violet-colored tulips and wrapped them in soft, periwinkle paper and wrapped a silk ribbon around them to prevent the paper from falling away.

Austria took them and smiled stiffly at the man. "Thank you,"

As Austria headed out the door, the man said "Umm, sir, that's the bathroom. The exit is over there." He pointed at a glass door on the wall opposite him.

He headed home, although it did take him a about half an hour before he realized he was headed the wrong way. As soon as he entered the door he was greeted by a fantastic sight.

The whole place had been decorated in honor of Valentine's day. Beuatiful white and crimson silk curtains had replaced the usual beige ones. The massive dinner table in the dining room wore a deep red cloth and was covered with very flattering silver dishes. A pair of silver goblets were filled with dark red wine and the platters and bowls in the middle of the table were piled high with dishes such as Pörkölt or Debreziner.

What is going on?

Austria stepped into the main room where his grand piano sat. On the stool sat a young woman attempting to play it. She had long, wavy brown hair and her green eyes were focused intensely on the piano keys. She wore a long, beige dress. Although she lacked true skills, he found her attempt at trying to play the instrument he loved so much somewhat…endearing.

"Hungary?" He asked, not meaning to surprise her or anything.

"Ahh! Oh, Austria," The shock on her face subsided and was replaced with a subtle smile.

"Sorry, I should not have surprised you like that. I was just wondering what is going on? I leave for a few minutes and my house is…is..transformed!" He began to feel frustrated. The answer was so obvious but he couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly and that irked him.

Instead of replying, Hungary stood up and walked over to her former husband. Behind her back, she clutched a boquet. She fingered the star-shaped petals of one of the flowers.

"It's Valentine's Day, Austria." He flushed.

I knew that. Austria bemoaned himself.

At the same time the two nations revealed the bouquets they held. Hungary had purchased a beautiful bouquet of Edelwiess. Each flower was star-shaped and snow white in color. The Edelweiss were wrapped in violet-blue paper, the same color as Austria's eyes.

Hungary's eyes widened when she saw the flowers Austria held. Tulips, her national flower.

"They're beautiful, Austria. Thank you," Tears of happiness welled in the corners of her eyes.

"I sort of…got lost on the way back. That's why I took so long."

A smile lit up Hungary's face. Her green eyes were glowing with delight.

"That's fine. Before you go, Austria, I want to tell you something." Her face was turning red.

"Yes?"

"No matter what happens..I-"

A smile spread slowly across Austria's face. He bent down and wrapped his arms around her ,tight. His hands lingered on her back and in her long, brown hair. Even though she couldn't see his face, Hungary was sure he was blushing at that moment. Austria didn't usually display such emotions so openly. He was a distant person, or nation, sometimes.

The fact that he was embracing her like this, well, it made her so happy inside. Her heart was warming up. Valentine's Day was an amazing holiday.

"I love you." She whispered.

Hungary swore she could feel his smile when he relaxed a little. She gripped his dark brown locks with her hands and pushed out of his arms, just a little.

Austria's face was tinged a blissful reddish-pink, but he was smiling.

And that meant the world to her. She leaned upwards and kissed him, gently.

He whispered against her lips those threed words she had been wanting and dreading to hear:

"I love you, Hungary."

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed reading this. It was pretty fun to write and I really do love this pairing. Please review.

Information:

[1] Edelweiss and Tulips: The first one is the national flower of Austria and the latter is of Hungary.

[2] Pörkölt: A Hungarian stew with boneless meat, paprika, some vegetables and no potato.

[3] Debreziner: a pork sausage named after the Hungarian city of Debrecen. It's Debrecener in Hungarian. Debreziner is the Austrian name.

I belive that's all

~Stonefang