A requested one shot for snakeyeslover2. Thank you for sending it in! This is a ReaderXCanon story, and I hope you enjoy it, snakeyeslover2! ^^ If it seems a bit rushed, I do apologize.
You were doodling on a napkin set out on the table, pen tracing random, swirly patterns on the cleaning tool. You were so content with the design of yours you didn't notice a German looming over your shoulder.
He hadn't particularly known you, but... he did admire your artistic style, one of which he lacked. He spoke not and continued to watch, watching your pen gracefully etching an ongoing work of art.
"Hello, stranger," you say after a few minutes, finally noticing the German's presence. The man jumped, his face flushing, "A-Ah... pardon me..."
You smile, "No, no, it's fine. Having some company is nice...," you reply, only to make the German flush brighter.
The German averted his rich blue eyes, "Still, I apologize for... intruding like this."
You give the man a sincere, forgiving smile," Don't worry about it~ Like I said it's fine~"
You then leaned over a bit so that you were now in the German's line of vision instead of the clean, maroon floor. Your dazzling eyes were gazing up into his.
"...Would you like to sit down?"
Germany looked slightly appalled, "Ah, well... I wasn't meaning to bother-"
"You're not bothering me," you interjected, "Come on, I insist~"
After hesitating, the German is left to oblige and sits down at the small table you were at. There's no need to be rude. Besides, it wasn't very often that he had gotten a friendly invitation such as this.
The murmur of other people and the dim glow of lights surrounded the both of you within the quaint little restaurant. You smile at the German man and continue to doodle, so in turn, the man watches you. When you finish, the both of you exchange a handful of words, but nothing to special. He says he likes your style, and you thank him. You even offer to teach him to draw, but he refuses, claiming that he is a horrible artist.
You shrug your shoulders, thinking that no person was truly that bad. But, you appeal to the man's request, remaining silent all the while. Then, after an almost unpleasant wait, you break the unbearable silence.
"...So, come here often?" you ask suddenly.
The German shrugs softly, "I suppose you can say that... usually when I'm on the go I like coming here for a cup of coffee...," he replied, though he was surprised by the sudden question.
You smile, "Hm, weird I haven't noticed you before," she replies, "I like coming here on the weekends and doing just this. Drinking and drawing... sometimes reading, if there's a good enough book out."
The German looks to you with interest, "I see. That sounds fairly relaxing, actually... if only I had the time to do so myself..."
"That's why I make time~," you say with a giggle, and in turn, the German sighs.
"In my line of work, it isn't easy to just call the day off...," he replied.
"Oh~? And just what line of work are you in that's so life-consuming~?" you question, curiosity winning you over. The German sighed internally. You were just full of questions, weren't you?
He wasn't sure what to say at first, but he decided soon enough on an excuse, "That's a bit confidential, don't you think?"
You blink. Oh, that's right... you two were only strangers, after all.
"Ah, yes, yes... s-sorry... Just a bit curious~ But you know... it wouldn't hurt to try, whatever you do. Just ask your boss or something and try to pull a few strings. I'm sure it can all work out..."
Ah, if only you knew, Germany thought. He nodded, "Ja, ja... I suppose. Perhaps I'll try. Then just maybe I can catch up on my own reading."
And, from his briefcase (which you just now noticed he had been in possession of) he pulled out a not-so popular book, but still a very good book at that. Your eyes widen. You haven't known someone else so close by would be into the same things you were.
"A-Ah! Wow! I love that book! I've read several times over! One of the best reads ever!"
The German once again was shocked. His facial expression softened a bit, coming closer to matching you're comfortable, welcoming gaze. "As have I... I'm surprised I'm not the only one."
You roll your eyes, "As good of a book as that is, I can't believe you haven't found someone who hasn't by now!" you reply, and then together you share a laugh. Germany's was a bit harsh, and sounded as though he was uncomfortable, but you thought if you poked at the right buttons, you'd make him loosen up. And then that little plan of yours went into action. In the end, it went flawlessly.
Turns out, the two of you sat at the same little table for who knows how long, talking, laughing, and drinking. You and Ludwig himself found that the two of you shared a lot of common interests, to your own surprise.
"...Oh, and don't even get me started on how he jumped! I mean, honestly, I think I would've died right then and there if I didn't read on, because my friend was trying to pull me away!," you say, throwing out a gesture or two to help prove your passion for the topic you were on now.
Germany smiled and nodded, "Ja, I would probably be the same. I'm not keen on being interrupted. I once threw a lamp at mein bruder for disturbing me."
You laughed a bit too loudly, "Oh wow, really? Gee, poor guy... but he sort of deserved it~" You both laugh again, before the two of you lock eyes.
Strange... so strange was this feeling building up in your stomachs. As you kept looking each other down, a waitress walked to your table.
"Your order, ma'am... sir," she said, having brought more drinks for the two of you. This was enough to make the Germany pull out of your intoxicating stare. He blushed softly when reality hit him, "Oh, ja... D-Danke."
The waitress set down the drinks and sent a wink to the two of you, "Have fun, love birds~," she cooed, making Germany flush just as brightly as you did.
"Ahaha... what a scandal! Love birds, y-yeah right...!" you say, laughing nervously as you felt your stomach clinch. Either way you looked at it, you still got butterflies from this man. You felt so weird… having just met him but feeling like you've known him forever… and then there's that swooning feeling that keeps bugging you.
And then did you begin to ponder that for a moment…. You wondered… had you fallen for a complete stranger in a matter of hours? Had that feeling inside you been… love?
You shook your head. Of course not! It's just… your stomach was upset from all the drinking. Surely! You shook your head a bit and faced the Germany again, clearing your thoughts.
Germany was a bit hurt by the statement you had laid out. He hadn't known your true feelings, so of course he assumed you weren't really interested, "Um, ja... quite an assumption...," he said, pulling off a smile as he himself laughed in an uncomfortable manner.
At first the two of you avoided the other, but soon enough, you locked gazes with the German country once again.
God, those eyes...His hair, his laugh, his everything... You felt like you were getting dizzy just thinking about him, his image burrowing into your brain. The same he felt for you. He never had a woman treat him like this... So adaptable, accepting... He wondered just how much of him you would accept and if you actually knew who he was…
A man working undercover… that sort of thing would just throw you off, wouldn't it…?
For a while, you stared at each other, the thoughts the two of you had zipping around like angry bees. Was it love? Was it the drinks? Was this all some big coincidence? Would he accept you? Would you really love a man like him? Suddenly, a phone went off and stopped your trains of thought.
You jumped slightly, but relaxed when you saw Germany pulling out his device. His eyes shot open, "A-Ah... the time! I'm sorry...! I had forgot I had to be somewhere!" he said in a hurry, almost jumping out of his seat.
Your heart sank. He was leaving you? Just when you thought things would become interesting, he was leaving you? But you held yourself back. You wondered why you cared so much. He was still a perfect stranger... somewhat.
It wasn't like you were some desperate house wife that craved her husband's attention. You were just a girl who happened to cross a man who was in a place like this...
A man who you thought, despite his flaws... was absolutely perfect.
"...W...Wait!" you exclaim, clutching the German's arm, even after he had already bid you goodbye. He looked back to you, caught off guard.
"...Ja...?" he asked, looking to you with those enticing eyes again. Your knees buckled, " A-Ah... well... I was thinking... before you headed off, maybe we should make a plan to meet up next weekend?"
Ludwig's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed. He... heard that right, didn't he? So you were interested...!
He shook his blush away quickly, "Oh ja, of course... I'd... like that a lot."
Your heart thumped. Yes! It was still on! Maybe… just maybe this could turn out the way you were thinking…!
You smile widely, "G-Great! Here, I'll give you my number and we can um... talk whenever!" you say a bit too eagerly, writing down your number in a hurried manner on the napkin you drew on earlier.
Germany accepts it and nods his head to you, "Danke," he managed without stammering, his face heated slightly. He grasped his own napkin and wrote down his number.
"Und here you are. Just in case I can't get a hold of you, at the very least you can contact me..." Ludwig handed you a number, which was his personal phone. You smile, your cheeks turning red.
"T-Thanks... I'll be s-sure to add you i-in ASAP~" Germany smiled softly," I'm glad to hear that."
For a few moments, you stand in silence, before Germany clears his throat, "Well... I must be off now... but in the meantime, if you need anything, I'll be here to answer your call."
You held the napkin tightly in your hands, "Y-Yeah...! Same here...!" You look at each other again before Germany turns away, his face brightly lit.
"Fair well,_," he says, making you smile. He said your name... wow, you loved how he freakin' said it! You squirm a bit, resisting the urge to squeal because of his accent.
"You too, Ludwig... hope all goes well with your job!"
Germany nods as he walks away, "Ja. I wish you the same..." He paused at the door, turning to face you again. He felt weird... saying goodbye like this. He felt like... he couldn't really leave you. At least… not until he could know more about you first…
He quickly shook his head. He wasn't that desperate... he could wait for a little while. He walked out of the restaurant, face now slightly flushed from the cold air that Jack Frost sent his way.
You waved to Ludwig's back until he disappeared, before looking away from the door and seeing that the bills were paid for. You see a small bit of writing on one of the bills.
"Thank you for your company today. I felt this was the least I could do in order to show my gratitude." He had paid yours and his bill all in one. He even signed off on the little slip of paper, his somewhat elegant signature fascinating you.
You smile a bit. Oh, you'd get him next time. That next bill was definitely going to be on you! You pick up your things, which were only a pen and purse, and walk out into the chilly winter air.
You felt yourself tilting your head back and looking up to the sky just as snow began to fall. You weren't sure if these feeling bottled inside you, from the talks or even over the German's generosity, would turn out to be love at all... But one thing was for sure: you had plans for next weekend.
WOW. Second story already! XDDD I'm surprised with myself! I'd like to thank the requester and for those who even took the time to read this or my other work. I hope to make something a bit more original involving CanonXCanon, but I will still do ReaderXCanon if I get more requests~ But yeah, thanks for reading! Hope you liked it!