Hi this is a really short one shot, but if requested, I'll make it a two shot!

Liesel sighed.

Her best friend, Rudy, had run off without her after school again.

He had been doing this quite often this month.

To be perfectly honest, she wondered sometimes whether he deliberately did it to make her angry or if he had just forgotten.

Kicking up the snow as she rounded the bend, Liesel switched subject. She thought of the new book that her Papa had brought her for Christmas. It had a colorful cover, which as much as she hated to admit, did draw her in much more than the regular matt colored ones that she had.

It was a bright green, decorated with swirls of blue and red, with large lemon-coloured words printed on too of them.

Unfortunately, the very thought of lemons brought her back to Rudy. Him with his bright yellow hair and German-approved blue eyes. After the two years they had spent racing, thieving and playing soccer, it had become a daily occurrence to spot the odd flash of yellow and blue darting towards her.

It felt strange whenever he wasn't around, with his ridiculous smile, and pathetic attempts to get Liesel to kiss him. The more she thought about it, the more she missed the colour yellow.

At the moment, Himmel Street was covered by layers and layers of pure white snow. Nothing but that black frames of houses were visible beyond the strong white masking.

At that point, it did seem that she was the only thing yellow in her street. And even that was fading as the snow began to set itself into her hair.

The cold was beginning to get to her. Liesel's cheeks had turned pink and the tip of her nose was a bright red.

She would be home soon though, and her Papa would play the accordion for her and laugh at her glowing nose. Mama would scold her for tracking snow inside and chuck her a bowl of soup with lumpy bits in it that would make Liesel resist the urge to gag. And then, the best part, she would visit Max.

He was still sick, and Liesel had adopted the habit of reading to him as he slept.

It seemed to calm the both of them.

"What are you doing, saumnesch?" A familiar boyish voice called out from behind her.

Rudy stood patiently, still in his uniform, waiting for her reply, a soccer ball tucked neatly under his arm. Windswept hair framed his pale face and the usual lopsided grin of self-satisfaction was plastered across his face.

Liesel composed herself. Of course he was playing football. He was always playing football.

I'm just going inside, she was going to say, but instead, she blurted out "You left without me."

Embarrassed, Liesel felt herself flush, and for once she was thankful for the biting cold for already colouring her cheeks.

The question, though, caught Rudy off guard. He had not forgotten about Liesel. Not at all. On the contrary, he had been running home early, almost every day to mill about the shops, looking for something to steal for his saumensch's birthday. He figured a book, but he wasn't stupid enough to go steal from the mayor's wife by himself.

He had returned when he had spotted her crossing the bend, huffing in annoyance. Rudy figured that he would get a scolding from her, but he honestly didn't mind.

"I was just- busy. Very busy." He tried it out, playing the confident liar not very convincingly.

"So it seems." Liesel murmured eyeing him up and down. "Goodbye, saukerl." She called as she turned towards her stairway.

It was a quick desicion, extremely hairbrained, and he knew he would regret it later, but still, he ran up to her and shoved his football into her arms.

She let out a small gasp as the ball collided with her stomach, and stared down at it questioningly.

"Happy birthday, saumensch." He said with a boyish smirk.

With a small wave, he pounded down her stairs and headed up his own.

He would probably get in trouble for tracking so much snow in, but he didn't care- He had gotten her a present.

Liesel watched as Rudy Steiner's front door shut, still holding the ball tightly to her stomach. And into the empty whiteness of Himmel Street, she whispered "Thank you, Rudy."

So I hope you enjoyed :)

xx Hestia