His steps grew faint under the gentle crunch of grass and dirt beneath his military boots, and a small smile began to grow on his slightly rough and stern face as he stared down at his boyfriend laying in the grass with their young puppy asleep in his arms.

Aster was just a cute little golden retriever pup raised and treated like the two men's child whenever Ludwig was not at war or camp to prepare others for war.

"Alfred." He called gently as he lightly laid a hand down on Alfred's shoulder in a slight attempt to awaken the young and energetic blond that made Ludwig happier than perhaps anything ever did.

Alfred's eyes fluttered for a bit though it took much longer for the energetic blond to wake up.

"Ludwig! You're home!" Alfred screamed in excited, making the puppy whine and wiggle in his arms until the pup saw his other 'parent.'

Alfred stood up awkwardly as he and the pup in his arms changed their positions.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Alfred pouted though it quickly wore off as he leaned forward to kiss the German eagerly on the lips.

"I didn't get the chance." Ludwig answered him.

"Bullshit, you could have wrote me a letter, saying that you were coming home soon, or called me once the plane landed." Alfred really wasn't angry as he was practically floating on air with his excitement.

"But then, I wouldn't have had the chance to see you and our puppy so close or the chance to surprise you." Ludwig argued back softly though neither adult was really mad.

Alfred beamed, "I know."

With this sudden joy, all worry vanished all of a sudden and all of the endless waiting and the pain that went with it vanished; Alfred could only presently focus on how happily filled his heart felt as he stared at his boyfriend that had finally returned home.

"Nothing could ever keep me from returning." Ludwig smiled though they were hugging the border of tears.

"It better not." Alfred smiled a slightly teary eyed smile at his boyfriend.

"It won't. I'd always return somehow." Ludwig stared at him, absolutely in love with the man that had waited all of the time that he was away for him to return regardless of the circumstances.

"Good. You know Aster missed you too, right?" Alfred told his lover.

"He did?" Ludwig asked him.
"Yeah, we both waited for you to come home." Alfred stared up into his boyfriend's eyes as they stood at the doorway, and Ludwig couldn't resist as he felt those eyes on him and saw such love and adoration in them that nothing could hold him back or this moment.

The German veteran dropped down to one knew and stared up at his boyfriend from this new angle with a hand extended and a little jewelry box nestled in the palm of that hand and opened.

Alfred's tears began to fall as he stared at his boyfriend with stunned disbelief and shook with the weight of those tears and the anticipation of what could come next and how everything was going.

"Will you marry me, Alfred?" The words were spoken and while the scene was not the flamboyantly romantic scene told in romance novels, it fit for Ludwig and for Alfred more.

"Yes, yes! You better be here on our wedding." Alfred cried out as his tears fell, and his arms wrapped around Ludwig tightly, containing all of the force required to bring the German to his feet.

Their lips smashed together and neither ever wanted the kiss to end and for them to part even as Aster whined about all of the jostling movements.

"I love you so much." Alfred told his German as he pulled back from the kiss and set Aster down.

"Ich liebe dich, Alfred." Ludwig murmured as their foreheads touched and as the sterner man went to reconnect their lips and stay enveloped in this kiss and every feeling shared between them.

Alfred's happy tears did not cease as they continued to kiss; Aster though could be stubborn in getting their attention as he was still a pup.

The American laughed as he stared down at their dog after their kiss had ended, and their lips had parted.

Ludwig smiled at them.