Marianne Bonnefoy hummed softly to herself as she prepared dinner in her tidy little apartment, towering high above the city. The setting sun cast a dim purplish light throughout the kitchen. Marianne switched on a light as it grew darker and smiled, for the end of the day meant that Ludwig, her boyfriend, would be home soon.

Sure enough, she heard the door click open, and he walked in. She turned down the heat of the stove and went out to greet him after a long day of work.

"Bon soir, mon amour," she said as she draped her arms over his muscular shoulders. He was much taller than the petite French woman, so she had to crane her neck to reach his lips. He softly returned the kiss and smiled.

"Fun day at work?" Ludwig asked as he pulled off his coat and hung it in the closet.

Marianne nodded. "And you?"

"Eh, not so much..."

It was then that Marianne noticed the pained expression on the German's face, how he winced as he bent down to remove his boots. Marianne bent down to help him up off the floor.

"Mon Dieu, what happened?" she asked, her voice filled with worry.

Ludwig forced a smile, despite the waves of pain shooting through his spine. "It's just my back... Quite a funny story,really."

"Is it now? I'd like to hear it."

Ludwig collapsed onto the couch with a sigh, recalling the events from earlier that day. "Well, one of my coworkers-"

"Feliciano, I presume?"

He laughed weakly. "Ja...anyways, Feliciano was being a pain in the arse again. His only pen rolled under a desk... I offered him mine, but he insisted that he use the pen under the desk. I still don't know why...

Anyways, I ended up having to lift the desk so he could get his pen." He grimaced as he spoke. "That probably wasn't the best idea... my back has been hurting ever since."

Marianne, who had emptied the dinner into a container, hurried back to the living room, sitting next to Ludwig.

"Oh, mon pouvre bébé..." she cooed. "Here, I know what to do."

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you?"

"Indeed. Go take a nice, hot shower, and I'll provide you with something to help with your back." She smiled reassuringly when he gave her a blank stare. "Trust me on this one, Ludwig."

"...If you say so, Marianne..."

He wasn't sure what she was going to do, but she seemed so enthusiastic about it, he deemed it rude to turn her down.

But then again, he thought, Marianne is always full of surprises.

After showering, Ludwig came out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel. He had another towel secured around his waist. He did not expect to see Marianne sitting on their bed, changed out of her work clothes and into a tank top and shorts, lathering her hands with lotion. She looked up at Ludwig as if she had been expecting him.

"Oh, lovely. You're here," she said in her musical voice.

"Well? What are you going to do?" Ludwig asked as he stood near the edge of the bed.

"Shh... just lie down on your stomach." she whispered.

Ludwig sighed and did as he was told, resting his chin on a pillow.

"Bien." She pumped out some more lotion from the bottle, spreading it over her hands. Her eyes sparkled in the glow of the lamp.

"I am going to give you a back massage."

"Wait, what-" Ludwig tried to look up, but his head was pushed down with a single, slender hand.

"You can give back massages?" he asked incredulously, not realizing she was ever capable of something like that.

The French woman smirked. "Are you doubting me, Ludwig? I thought we were past that..." she giggled softly, before suddenly leaning in close to his ear.

"I can make all of your pain go away. All you have to do is trust me, and relax," she murmured, her hot breath sending multiple chills down the German's body. He eventually gave in, and nodded once, letting her know she could begin.

She lowered herself just below his lower back, taking care not to put too mch pressure on him. She placed her soft, delicate hands firmly on his lower back, right above his hips, delighting in how smooth and firm his skin was.

Ludwig gasped when she touched him- compared to his hot shower, her hands were surprisingly cold. But they were skilled nonetheless; and soon, his short airy gasps turned into sighs of relief.

Marianne gave smooth, rhythmic strokes up his spine to his shoulder blades. By then, the initial coldness of her hands had subsided. His sore, weary muscles seemed to loosen in the wake of her hands.

Though it was unintentional, he let out a barely audible groan when Marianne began to work large, circular motions down his back. He blushed a bit when Marianne giggled softly, signifying that she indeed heard him. She continued to rub his back, alternating between long stokes and circular patterns, making sure every part of his back was touched.

Ludwig's breaths, short and hitched at first, grew deeper and longer as she lightened the pressure, finishing his back rub the same way she started it.

All of the crippling pain in Ludwig's back had miraculously disappeared by the time she was done. Marianne flopped down her back next to Ludwig with a content sigh. She smiled adoringly at him, delighted at his now calm expression.

Ludwig kissed her forehead. "You were right. I feel so much better."

"See? I told you so, mon cher," she said with a small laugh.

"Hmm... how long have we been together?"

"About five months, Ludwig."

Ludwig grinned before pulling the other into a deep kiss. "Well, why didn't you tell me you could give amazing back massages, hmm?" he asked once they broke apart.

Marianne giggled. "Why tell you, when I could just show you?"

He suddenly turned serious, gazing at Marianne. "There must be some way I can pay you back."

"Pay me back?" Marianne took his face into her hands, giving him a light nuzzle. "You have no need to pay me back. It was my pleasure, really."

"But- there must be something I can do," Ludwig said softly. "Anything."

Marianne's violet eyes widened as she thought of something. A faint blush crept across her pale cheeks, and the corners of her lips curled into a sly grin.

"Well..." Her hand grazed over Ludwig's lower back, playing at the hem of the towel. "There is one thing."

Ludwig got the message and chuckled. Typical Marianne. He got off his lower back and hovered over the woman, before passionately kissing her.

Marianne let out a gasp, but she returned his kiss, her hands grazing over his bare, sculpted frame. Ludwig let his own powerful hands wander under the hem of her tank top and caress her skin, earning a shudder from the other.

Ludwig broke the kiss, gazing down at the girl below him; her eyes wide, her cheeks flushed and her beautiful brown hair spread out across the mattress. She was perfect in every way, and seeing her like this only made him love her even more.

Marianne let out an airy gasp, her heart pounding away in her chest.

"Maman always told me the quickest way to a man's heart was through a back rub..." she said softly, smiling with satisfaction.

"Well, your mother was right." Ludwig whispered as he placed tiny kisses along her jawline, down to her neck.

Dinner was forgotten as the two made love in the young night.