AN: Well, finally started working on this, and decided I'd work really hard on it to make it a decent series.

Introducing: Background details, scene setting, and tons of foreshadowing to future events! It's like I'm a real writer or something! Le gasp!

ACHTUNG! CONTAINS HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONS, MENTIONS OF HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONS, AND PRUSSIA. Hidekaz owns Hetaria, not me!

Pairings include GerIta, Spamano, and mentions of RusPrus.

When Feliciano woke up in the cramped flat above his restaurant, it was because there was a little bird singing at his window.

Yawning and stretching his arms, he dragged himself out of bed over to the window, pushing it open and smiling. "Buongiorno!~ How are you, little bird?" Outstretching a hand, the small yellow bird chirped and hopped onto his finger. Feliciano laughed. "Perhaps you're hungry? I'll get some of the feed we have for the pigeons and-"

"Guten Morgen, Feliciano!" Said Italian blinked and looked down, seeing the albino figure waving up to him. Gilbert was there below, adorned in a military uniform, grinning from ear to ear. "Entschuldigung, I know it's early, but do you have a minute~?"

"A-Ah...sure, just a moment!" Feliciano let the bird go and closed the windows, quickly scurrying to put on something decent. A quick glance to the clock told him it was only 7 am; he usually didn't open until 10 or so. He didn't really mind, he could always just take a siesta later. He hopped down the stairs, nearly hurting himself on the decent.

When the door opened for him, Gilbert casually strolled in as if he owned the place, the sound of combat boots striking the ground and echoing in the modest cafe. Feli couldn't help but feel a bit lame; here he was in loose pants and a plain t-shirt while the intimidating albino lurked over him in his adorned, crisp uniform. "U-Um...Mr. Beilschmidt?"

However intimidating he might have seemed, the German simply smiled fondly at Feliciano. "You can just call me Gilbert, Feli.~"

Feliciano chuckled in embarrassment. "Sorry, you just seem so...um..."

"Ah, this?" Gilbert shrugged. "I'm just on my way to work." Feliciano wasn't sure what to say, but Gilbert picked up the slack for him. "Anyways, I wanted to pay for the bill from last night."

"Oh, right...! Grazie!~" the smaller replied, smiling before shying away and scratching his cheek. "I-I mean, I don't want to seem like a scrooge or anything, it was a pleasure to serve your brother...but I have to pay the bills, and..."

The albino patted him on the back reassuringly. "It's no problem, Feli. It was my silly brother's fault anyways~!" (Well, no, not really, it was pretty much Gilbert's fault, but Feliciano was far too nice to point that out to him.) "He can really by an airhead sometimes for someone so smart. He realized his mistake when he woke up this morning, but he had his classes to get to, so he asked me to take the money to you." Casually, Gilbert handed the young man a hefty wad of cash.

"G-Gilbert...!" Feliciano gasped, the money wrinkling and folding in his shaking hands. "I can't accept this...! This is way too much!"

The German laughed. "That's the cash Luddie told me to give you. Including a tip~," he said with a wink. He was hoping to make the cute young man blush, but instead, Feliciano stared at the pay dumbly.

Oh Ludwig...you're never going to get far with this one, Gilbert thought sadly to himself.

In the middle of a college lecture, a tall German man suddenly wanted to slap his elder brother. Not that the feeling was that new though.

Gilbert turned on his heel to the door. "I suppose I'd better get going. Can't keep my squad waiting, now can I?"

"W-Wait!" Feliciano frowned. "Can I at least make you a quick breakfast? Grab you some donuts or something?"

"Nah, it's all good," the albino responded cooly, grinning to the chef. "You can make me and my friends dinner tonight though. We'll be swinging by."

"Alright then." The young man beamed, holding the money to his chest. "I'll see you then!"

Gilbert waved and walked out, a small bird landing on his shoulder as he walked away. Feliciano stared in curiosity before closing the door and proceeding upstairs to prepare himself for the day.

For some reason, while showering, Feliciano found his thoughts clouded with Ludwig. It had originally been an idle thought about how nice he was for returning the money, but his mind soon wandered to other things about the man. His face, his muscles, his kind nature hidden underneath the almost threatening exterior...Feli just waved it off as being eager to make a new friend. When he found himself trying to pick out clothes that he thought Ludwig might like, that was a bit more suspicious, but he waved it off again, figuring it was just in his nature to fuss over clothes either way. He entirely disregarded how he spent so much time adjusting his hair, not even associating it with Ludwig in the slightest.

After his morning encounter and odd thoughts getting ready, everything seemed to be running normally in the little cafe. Around noon his brother strolled in, yawning and scratching his back, still slightly disheveled as if he had just woken up.

"My boyfriend and his friends are coming in for dinner tonight, so I'll be staying late," Lovino announced bluntly, not even bothering with a proper 'hello.'

Feliciano blinked. "Oh, really? Gilbert and his friends were coming by again today for dinner too..." Feliciano shrugged casually, but Lovino's jaw dropped, soon after locking in a scowl.

"Ugh, that annoying guy you told me about from last night? Why?"

"...To eat?" Lovino just barely resisted the urge to smack his brother; Feli only smiled at him.

"Just keep him out of my way! I don't need any more nuisances than Antonio and his cronies!"

Feli shook his head. "He seems like a really nice guy, Lovi! He stopped by this morning and paid the bill from last night and apologized and-"

Lovino just scoffed and turned away, reaching for his uniform off to the side. "Whatever you say, fratello. Just make sure he stays out of the way of Antonio. I don't need that man bothered."

It was true enough; Lovino had been living with his Spaniard of a boyfriend for so long, he wouldn't be able to function properly without him. Lovino would probably kill himself before admitting that though. Feli had really only met Antonio in person a few times, but from what he could tell, he was a super nice guy, and constantly kept his brother happy. Occasionally, Feliciano would think about their relationship and sigh, pining for a relationship like that deep in his heart. Feli would never admit it though and instead went on with his quiet little cafe life.

It had been quiet up to that point, and the Italian was convinced that it would stay that way.

That night, the cafe was only mildly busy. There were maybe one or two couples in having a romantic date, but that was about it. Lovino leaned against the counter, dipping his finger into some of the sauces, ignoring his younger brother's quiet objections. All was relatively peaceful.

Without warning, the cafe doors slammed open. "GUTEN TAG~!" The obnoxious German shouting tipped the two off that their expected party had arrived.

Lovino slipped out of the kitchen, forcing a smile onto his face. However, when he saw the German's friends, he frowned. "Antonio, you bastard! This is who you were talking about?"

Feliciano poked his head out to see the tanned man laughing and apologizing to his brother, part of the party of four the albino had brought it with him. The familiar Spanish accent and kind voice filled his ears, and Feli smiled with approval.

"Forgive me, Lovino, I hadn't introduced you to my friends properly!" Antonio leaned forward, wrapping an arm around Lovino and swinging them around to face his friends. "I believe you briefly met Francis once-"

"Bonjour," the wavy haired man purred, giving him a small wink. Antonio might have been put off if Lovino hadn't given a scowl and a death threat in return.

"That over there is Gilbert, ignore him, he can be kind of loud, and that's his little brother, Ludwig~!" Gilbert waved cheerfully, Ludwig looked away, flushed in embarrassment.

Before Lovino could scoff and go off on Ludwig in front of his brother and his friends, Feliciano came bounding out of the kitchen. "Salute, Antonio! Gilbert~!" He politely introduced himself to Francis, then turned and bowed to Ludwig. "It's a pleasure to see you again, signore~!"

Ludwig cleared his throat. "Ah, erm, it's nice to see you again as well..."

"Feliciano didn't tell me you would be here, balordo," the elder Italian seethed, pulling away from his lover's hold. "What are you dressed up for?"

Feliciano had been too distracted by the German's unexpected visit to notice that Ludwig was in a rather nice suit. This wouldn't have been too odd, knowing the German's character, except Gilbert was still in his uniform, Antonio was wearing casual clothes, and Francis was wearing something fashionable that had likely been bought just that morning. The college student looked rather out of place in comparison. Ludwig tugged on his tie nervously. "Well, I just...I was..."

"Our hulking friend was on a date just a mere hour ago~" the Frenchman announced with a mischievous grin.

Ludwig's face lit up all over again. His brother and his friends howled with laughter, while Feliciano just gave him the usual kind smile. "How was it, Ludwig?"

Before he could answer, Gilbert piped in, wrapping an arm around his younger-yet-bigger brother. "She ran away when he went to the bathroom!" The obnoxious trio burst out into renewed laughter, making Ludwig feel like he was being hassled by hyenas. Feliciano opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't seem to find an appropriate place to break in from the laughter. By the time it started to die down, Gilbert interrupted once more. "Ah well, doesn't matter, right? He's got us to hang out with~! Got some seats for us?"

Lovino interjected. "There's a spot waiting for you in the corner. You know how to walk, go seat yourselves." His eyes were narrowed and the usual frown graced his features.

Smiling, Antonio leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss. Lovino briefly forgot he was supposed to be bitter. "Thank you, mi Lovino." The Spaniard flashed his charming smile, earning a slap from his lover. Antonio laughed it off and proceeded to his table with the others.

"I hate that man," Lovino mumbled as he stomped back into the kitchen, cheeks dusted with a bashful shade of red. The younger Italian only smiled and followed him in.

The little corner of the cafe quickly crescendo'd into a loud symphony of cackling, swearing, perverted jokes, and sighs of lament. A few times, Lovino stuck his head out and told them to shove it, but each time Antonio would only blow a kiss in return and smile, causing the Italian to sputter and turn red and retreat into the kitchen.

Ludwig sighed, resting his head on his hand, staring idly out the window and occasionally glancing to the kitchen. By this point in his life, he had learned to drone out the incessant antics of his brother's trio. Instead he entangled himself in thoughts of his failure of a date, of the lecture that morning, of the charming chef just next door in the other room...wait, what?

Lovino reemerged with a notepad, one hand on his hip defiantly. "What the hell do you guys want?" Gilbert and Francis had collaborated to order a large platter of pasta and share. Antonio settled on a pizza and offered to share a few slices with Lovino, which was ignored. The Italian then turned to the tall blond.

"Ah...just tell Feliciano to make me what he made me yesterday."

"Don't act so familiar with my brother," Lovino growled as a warning, but made his way back into the kitchen to report back.

Francis grinned, leaning towards Ludwig. "Are you familiar with the little cutie in the kitchen~?"

Ludwig flushed, but Gilbert responded for him. "Oh yeah, man! They practically had a date last night!"

The other two gasped. The taller German facepalmed, wishing to sink into the floor and disappear.

"You're joking, Gilbert!"

"No way!"

"True story, bro! Just ask Feli when he comes out! They had a nice dinner together here last night, when it was all dark and dimly lit...there were no other customers, it was just the two of them, and Feli had made him a special dinner just for him to cheer him up, and..." The albino continued reciting the story on behalf of Ludwig, with a bit more detail than Ludwig would have liked. "Man, I always knew Ludwig would end up playing for the other team."

At this, the aforementioned German had to cough and sputter. "E-Entschuldigung? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come off it, Ludwig," Francis said with a chuckle. "Every single time we set you up with a girl, you were never interested, and you never pursued any on your own. We all saw it coming. ...Not that there's anything wrong with that~!"

Gilbert chirped in, wrapping an arm around his brother. "It doesn't matter if you have no interest in girls like me and Francis~!"

Ludwig scoffed. "Pardon, last I checked, you were swapping spit with that Braginski man-"

Francis and Antonio erupted into a fit of hysterics while Gilbert tried to cover up the red spreading across his cheeks. "T-That's gross, Ludwig! Like I would ever...! He...He totally forced himself onto me! There's no way...!"

"Gilbert," the Spaniard purred with a coy grin. "Are you really trying to say that a high ranked, specially trained soldier like you couldn't at least try to push off another man?"

"You don't understand! He's a soldier too, you know! And that guy, he's huge! Completely massive! I don't know if it's muscle or just gross Russian fat!"

"Oh man, I'm going to tell him you said that~!"

"Shut up, Francis! This has nothing to do with you!"

The trio continued to bicker and giggle as the two Italians pushed their way out of the kitchen, carefully carrying their meals. The elder set down the pasta platter and the pizza for his lover, ignoring the flirts and sultry talk aimed his way. The younger served Ludwig a familiar plate of schnitzel and potatoes, smiling warmly to him. The German returned the kind gesture, finding a smile inside of him and showing it to the Italian. "Thank you." At that, Feliciano seemed to light up a bit, but quickly retreated into the kitchen once more, Lovino dispersing to serve other customers who had arrived.

When Ludwig realized the trio was staring at him and snickering, he reached for the steak knife, and the trio quickly went back to their meal.

By the time they had finished their meals entirely, everyone else in the cafe had left, and it was rather late. Lovino stomped in, looking rather sleepy and annoyed. "Come on, you bastard! I want to go home! I've been working all day, and you've just been goofing off with these losers...!"

Antonio only chuckled. "Why not sit with us, Lovi? Come on, sit next to me. I'll let you rest on my shoulder. We'll leave soon, just a bit longer to chat."

Lovino opened his mouth, immediately wanting to spit acid and leave without him, but he decided the prospect of cuddling with his boyfriend and maybe sleep a little sounded nice, and proceeded to do so, cramming into the small round booth to lean against Antonio. Out of respect, the other two of the trio lowered their obnoxiousness to a whisper.

Feeling uncomfortable, Ludwig stood up. Gilbert looked at him questioningly, but Ludwig mumbled, "I just want some fresh air," and quickly left. They let him be.

Ludwig sat down on the curb outside the little cafe, looking up into the sky idly. It was a bit cold; his suit was thin, old, a bit worn out. As he shivered, a small coat was draped over his shoulders. He turned to look. There stood Feliciano, the usual tender smile on his face. "You look cold."

"You look cold too," the German responded as Feli sat down next to him, noting how the Italian's odd curl seemed to tremble in the night air.

Feliciano shook his head. "I don't mind, as long as you're warm." Ludwig could feel the familiar twinge of pink return to his cheeks and was grateful it was too dark outside for the Italian to see.

Together, they sat in the dark, a comfortable silence overtaking the two. Occasionally Feliciano would shift a little closer to his companion, as if wanting to say something, but each time decided not to. On the fifth time, Ludwig finally turned to him. "Something wrong, Feliciano...?"

"Um...I just, I wanted to say, I'm sorry," the Italian confessed, looking to the man with concerned eyes.

Ludwig cocked an eyebrow. "Sorry for what?"

"Sorry about your date."

"...Oh." The tall man looked away, shrugging a little. "It doesn't really matter. I didn't like her much anyways. My brother just set it up as a blind date for...for laughs, I guess."

The younger man blinked. "For laughs?"

"I think he just wanted to laugh at me," Ludwig confessed with a sigh. "He does stuff like this a lot. I just try to ignore it."

Feliciano frowned. "You should tell him how it makes you feel."

"If I told him that, he would just laugh more." Even the prospect of talking about his feelings with his brother sounded a bit silly, he could imagine himself pouring his heart out only for Gilbert to cackle and laugh it off and buy him a drink in response.

"It doesn't matter," Feli said, shaking his head. "He's your brother, I'm sure he cares about what you think, even if he pushes your buttons sometimes!"

Ludwig looked to the smaller man, appearing almost confused for a moment, but the look quickly melted into a smile. "...Maybe you're right, Feliciano."

The Italian smiled, instinctively scooting closer to his German friend for warmth. Hesitantly, a strong arm wrapped around the smaller man's shoulders, pulling him against him. Feliciano tensed for a moment, but quickly relaxed, decided that the motion was not an unwanted one. Ludwig smiled again, mentally noting how nice it was to have the Italian with him in his arms.

"By the way, I was meaning to say...thanks for last night, Feliciano." Said man furrowed his brows for a moment, trying to figure out what Ludwig was talking about. "Taking the time to sit down with me, I mean. Most people wouldn't for someone they didn't know, and especially for a guy like me...it helped me a lot."

Feliciano simply smiled. "I just thought it was the right thing to do. Besides, I'm glad I did. I got to meet you, didn't I?" The muscular man blinked. Feeling himself blushing for the umpteenth time that night, he opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the sound of cafe doors opening.

"Come on, Bruderchen~! You've got classes tomorrow, I've got work, it's time to go-"

Gilbert suddenly paused, eyes following Ludwig's arm and realizing it was wrapped snugly around the small chef. Ludwig pulled away as soon as he noticed his brother was staring, but it was too late. Lovino had noticed as well and was suddenly in full attack mode, Italian slurs and swears spilling from his throat, being restrained only by the Spaniard, who was laughing it all off. The Frenchman was already planning on how to congratulate the German and help him get together with the Italian.

Ludwig stood up and began walking away, waving goodbye to Feliciano. Gilbert followed in tow, military boots echoing throughout the quiet night. Lovino walked off another path with Antonio, waving to his brother and glaring daggers at the Germans. The Frenchman followed Gilbert a short distance before leaving on another route to his own home.

Feliciano stayed at his little cafe, waving goodbye to them all.