For my darling little sister, Italy. Happy belated birthday, darling!
"Ludi!" At her shout, heavy footsteps quickly pounded up the stars and down the hall.
"Yes, Feli?" A breathless blond asked, having thrown open the bedroom door.
"Ludwig, I'm hungry..."
"What would you like, Liebling?" The brunette lowered her head, fiddling with the end of her braid.
"You won't like it..."
"Just tell me what it is. I'll go get it for you when I go grocery shopping later."
"Well... I want ice cream."
"So, your usual? Amaretto?"
"No..."
"Stratella?"
"No... I want ice cream. Not gelato. Like, real American ice cream with all its preservatives and ridiculous amount of sugar." Ludwig was taken aback.
"Feli... Are you sure that's good for the baby?" She looked down at her bulging stomach and back to her lover.
"I don't know, but it's what the bambino wants." Seeing the still doubtful expression on his face, Feliciana used her ultimate weapon. She let her lips come together and begin to tremble, opening her eyes wide to get them to water ever so slightly. "Please, Ludwig? I really want ice cream..."
Ludwig groaned and nodded in assent, unable to deny his wife her wishes.
"And can you make it look fancy like you do?"
"Ja, schatz. I will. I'll do something extra special for you this time." Her eyes lit up at the notion of it.
"Go, go! I will be fine by myself for now! You should go work on it!" She began to push him out of the room. Chuckling, he stooped to give her a quick kiss goodbye before going back downstairs.
On his way out, Ludwig stopped by the phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Lovino? I need a favor..."
"Idiota, making me drive all the way up here for this. I can't believe you think I'll just drop whatever I'm doing because my sister wants something."
"Lovino, you do it every time, especially when she's the one who calls."
"W-what?! No! Bastard, I would never. I have my own life too, you know!"
"Of course. Well, could you please help me with this? I promised her something extra special, but she'd kill me if she found me using her kitchen tools without supervision."
"Fine. Just for Feli though, not you. What did you want it to look like again?"
"Like -. I have all the ingredients here- vanilla ice cream, strawberry preserves, and white chocolate."
"Do you have the crushed mint too?"
"Mint?"
"Yes, mint. It's her favorite."
"Er..."
"Idiota. Go to the store and go get some mint leaves so we can mix it with the preserves." Germany sighed and picked up his hat from the counter.
The Italian man rolled his eyes and pushed the other out of the way. "Alright then. Let's get to work.
Nervously, the large blond adjusted a sprig of mint on top for the twenty-third time. He took a deep breath and opened the door to his bedroom.
"Feli, I have your ice cream!" He called out, half expecting her to have been asleep.
"Ludwig?" Well, there went that theory. She came out of the bathroom, drying her long, brown hair. Her face brightened at the sight of her husband and she went to hug him, but stopped as she noticed something odd.
"Why are your arms behind your back?" Feliciana asked, tilting her head up at him.
"Close your eyes and hold out your hands. No peeking!" He said sternly. Gently, the bowl behind him was placed into her expectant hands. "Open them..." She opened her eyes and gasped.
"Ludwig! Non ci posso credere! L'hai fatta! Grazie! Ti amo un sacco!" She grinned from ear to ear and kissed both of his cheeks.
"I'm glad you like it, Liebling. Quickly, eat it before it melts!" Taking the spoon from his hand, Feliciana moved to sit at the desk in their room. Ludwig watched on in quiet amusement as his and Lovino's creation was demolished. Putting the ice cream through a press, mixing the mint with the strawberry, and grating the chocolate really completed the image. It looked just like spaghetti. Except...
"Wait, Feli!" He yelled, turning to rush downstairs. Of course Lovino would forget the chocolate truffles. Picking up the bag from the kitchen counter, he ran back up the stairs.
"Er, Ludwig?" She asked, still slightly shocked. He came over and placed the three of the truffles in her bowl and sat on the floor, leaning against her leg. She giggled and pet his hair as she continued to eat. "I get it, little meatballs!" He smiled tiredly at her exclamation.
"Ja, Feli. Do you like it?"
"I love it! It's perfect. But..." She trailed off. Ludwig pulled away to look up at her nervously. She leaned down and whispered in his ear.
"I know you had help from Lovino."
EPILOGUE
Ludwig had picked up the phone to spare Feli from getting up, but was now wishing he hadn't.
"Alright you stupid German engineer, you owe me one and I'm cashing in on it."
"For what, Lovino? From the ice cream?" Ludwig pinched the bridge of his nose. It was too early for this. Any time was too early for this.
"Yes! Now I need a tomato launcher."
"A what?"
"You heard me! A tomato launcher!"
"Why?"
"Antonio invited me to some stupid tomato fest. La Tomatina or something. I want to make sure he's got tomato in places there should never be tomato."
"Ah, ok Lovino. I'll see what I can do." He hung up and heaved a sigh. He should have called Mario instead...
STUFF
Mario- Sicily, Italy's cousin
Non ci posso credere! L'hai fatta! Grazie! Ti amo un sacco! - I can't believe it! You made it! Thank you! I love you a lot!
Liebling - Love
Schatz - Treasure
La Tomatina - Spanish tomato festival. You just slug people with tomatoes all over town just because.
ALL NEW CHAPTERS AND SEQUELS AND OTHER STUFF ARE ON THEIR WAY, I SWEAR.