A/N Sorry this was so late. I had major writer's block.

Anyway, this story is supposed to be fairly short, only ten chapters, but it takes place over a few years. Starting with this chapter, there will be large time skips between chapters and possibly in the middle of chapters. Most of the chapters now take place a few months apart from each other. There is a point to that. You'll see.

Please enjoy and thank you for all the reviews. :)


Feliciano hummed as he brought his pencil to the canvas sitting on his easel. It had been quite some time since he'd been able to paint a personal project. The fresco for the Weillschmidt's new office building had taken him longer than he'd previously estimated, but he'd finished the job two months ago. Much of his time since then had been spent trying to find a new part-time job now that he was no longer receiving the generous pay from the Weillschmidt's company. After weeks of searching, he'd found another job, as well as a few more painting commissions, which had kept him very busy.

Not to mention there was also Ludwig. True to his promise, they'd worked out a system so that they would be able to see each other without rousing suspicion from either of their families. This often involved Ludwig shifting his schedule around to clear days he could spend with his lover, and Feliciano sacrificing most of his leisure time. But he didn't mind. Being able to see Ludwig was worth it.

Feliciano returned to sketching out his new painting, quickly becoming absorbed in the project. He was only jolted from drawing when he heard a key twist in the lock. His heart leaped in excitement as the door swung open, revealing Ludwig, struggling to close the door and juggle a box on one arm. Feliciano hurried over to the door and relieved Ludwig of the package so that he could get his keys back and shut it. Feliciano had made him a copy soon after their affair had begun.

Now that his hands were free, Ludwig drew Feliciano into a kiss. He sighed against Ludwig's mouth and he took advantage of Feliciano's now-parted lips to deepen the kiss. Feliciano had to admit he had been surprised by how out of character Ludwig acted and how much affection he showed when they were together in private. He'd eventually come to the conclusion that Ludwig had been so repressed all of his life, once the dam had burst, his emotions flowed easily. The arm around his waist tightened and the edges of the box he had forgotten he was still holding dug into his rib cage.

Apparently, it had pressed uncomfortably against Ludwig too, for he pulled away, a dull red flush crawling up into his face. Feliciano fought back the urge to giggle. It was cute how flustered Ludwig could get sometimes.

"What's in the box?" he asked to relieve Ludwig of his embarrassment.

"Open it," he said in response. Feliciano did, to reveal a beautifully baked tiramisú, with the words "Happy Birthday" standing out from the cocoa powder sprinkled on the top layer of the Italian cake.

"Tiramisú!" Feliciano exclaimed, delighted. He pecked Ludwig on the cheek happily before taking the cake into the kitchen. "Thanks, Ludwig!"

"You're welcome. I brought candles, too," Ludwig added as he followed Feliciano, taking a small package out of his coat pocket. Feliciano set the cake down, but couldn't resist getting a fork and taking a taste bite of the tiramisú. His eyes flew open in surprise.

"I bought it at an Italian bakery," Ludwig informed him. "Is it good?" Feliciano nodded fervently, still savoring the taste. He licked the fork to get the last bits of the coffee and rum flavor, grinning when he saw the look on Ludwig's face. He licked the fork again, more sensuously this time, enjoying the shudder that came from Ludwig. He quickly pulled something else from his pocket and shoved it at Feliciano.

"Before I forget, I wanted to give you this." Feliciano accepted the item. It was an envelope, addressed to him. "The company is throwing a party since our new building is finished and ready for business. You're invited, of course. It's next month."

"Sounds fun," Feliciano commented, setting the envelope on the counter, where he trusted it wouldn't get damaged before heading back to the stove. "Dinner's ready," he announced after checking on the food. He and Ludwig enjoyed their dinner before Feliciano brought out the cake again. Ludwig opened the box of candles and glanced up at Feliciano.

"How many candles do you want? There are only twenty-four in the box."

"Twenty-four's not that far off. Just use them all," Feliciano decided. Ludwig set about sticking the candles in the cake, setting them up in perfect lines, as if they were soldiers standing in ranks. Feliciano found himself smiling helplessly. Not matter what, there were something things about Ludwig that would never change. And those were the things that made him love Ludwig the most.


The party to celebrate the completion of the company's new office building took place on the rooftop of the Hilton Checkers Hotel in Los Angeles. Feliciano borrowed a suit from his grandfather to wear (he had never needed one of his own until now) and got a ride to the hotel from Lovino, who had a quinceañera to cater in the city. Grumbling, Lovino dropped him off a block away from the hotel before heading off to rejoin the other employees that worked in his catering business.

Feliciano entered the hotel, feeling shabby when he was questioned by the security guards up his entry. The discomfort increased as he walked into the elevator and the couple inside instantly shuffled father away, eyeing him carefully as if he were about to do something dangerous. The man was wearing a high quality suit and the woman was clad in a beautiful gown that probably cost more than his apartment. He realized just how out of place he looked. When the elevator reached the top of the building, Feliciano left it eagerly.

The Weillschmidts hadn't spared any cost for their party. The location was magnificent. The sun had just set and the lit windows of the city's skyscrapers formed a glittering skyline clearly visible from the roof of the Hilton. The rooftop deck was beautiful; potted plants added a dash of green to the building's beige color scheme. People milled about, dressed in clothing that could easily pay for Feliciano's entire apartment building. There was a bar that he could see and he skirted the edge of the crowd to get a drink. He desperately needed one.

The food and drinks available were also of top notch quality. Feliciano accepted a glass of expensive wine and sipped slowly, enjoying the taste, knowing that he'd never drink anything of that high quality again. As he drank, he watched the crowd, looking for Ludwig. The wine soured on his tongue when Feliciano finally saw him, with his arm around a blonde woman who he assumed was Anna, chatting with a few other people. Bitterly, Feliciano drained his glass of wine and then headed back to the bar to get another one.

He'd started on his second glass and was wandering aimlessly when Ludwig happened to turn around and see him. As their eyes met, Ludwig's arm fell from his wife's waist, as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. The sudden movement and lack of touch startled the woman and she turned in surprise, looking in the same direction as Ludwig before apparently questioning him. Ludwig said something to her and she moved forward, heading straight for Feliciano, Ludwig trailing behind awkwardly. Unsure of what to do, Feliciano stayed put until the couple was standing right in front of him.

"Hello, Feliciano," Ludwig said, doing his best to control his voice and sound as neutral as possible. He cleared his throat. "This is my wife, Anna. Anna, this is Feliciano Vargas."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Anna said smoothly, shifting her champagne flute to her left hand and offering her right. Her hair was a light shade of blonde and swept up into an elegant knot. She had green eyes and a pretty face. Her dark blue dress was strapless and framed her narrow waist well. She was a beautiful woman. Feliciano hated her already. He'd felt relatively neutral about her before, but that was because until that moment, she had been immaterial. He hadn't known what she looked or acted like. Now that she was a real person, standing before him with his Ludwig, he couldn't stop himself from feeling intense jealousy toward her. He contorted his face into a forced smile and shook her hand.

"It's wonderful to meet you, too!" he lied. "Ludwig's told me so much about you!" A light blush dusted her cheeks.

"Has he?" she asked, smiling flirtatiously back at Ludwig. Feliciano's fought back a gag when he smiled warmly back.

"Of course," Ludwig replied, though Feliciano could hear some strain in his voice. Feliciano took another sip of wine to settle the ill feeling in his stomach, enjoying how the red liquid blocked out Anna's body when he lifted the glass up.

"Mr. Weillschmidt," a hotel page interrupted, coming to rest stiffly before the group. "There's a call for you."

Ludwig quickly glanced back and forth at Feliciano and Anna, hesitant to leave his wife and lover alone together, even if she was completely ignorant of his true relationship with Feliciano. Anna placed a hand on Ludwig's forearm comfortingly.

"Go ahead and answer your call, it's probably something important," Anna suggested.

"All right," Ludwig mumbled before following after the page with a grimace on his face. Feliciano took another gulp of wine to fill the silence that followed, emptying the glass.

"My husband told me you're the one who painted that wonderful fresco in the new lobby," Anna commented, filling the awkward silence.

"Yes," Feliciano agreed, allowing himself a little bit of pride. The fresco had turned out beautifully. It was quite possibly his best work yet.

"I studied art in college," she said brightly. "I wanted to be an artist, too, but my family had other plans for me."

"Ludwig?" Feliciano asked. She nodded before taking a sip of her own drink, finishing it. "Let me get you a refill," he offered, but only because he wanted his own glass refilled, not to mention it would get him away from Anna.

"Yes, please. Just cider," she replied, handing him her champagne flute.

"Cider?" he questioned. She looked around before leaning in closer to him.

"Don't say anything to Ludwig, because I'm not sure yet. I still have to see my doctor, but," she paused and giggled. "I don't think I should be drinking alcohol right now."

"Ah, I see," Feliciano said, even though he had no idea what she meant. Instead, he just took both of their glasses to the bar and had them refilled. Ludwig had returned by the time Feliciano came back with their drinks and they chatted for a while more, though Feliciano couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding about Anna's strange words.


It wasn't until the next week that her words became clear.

It was while Ludwig was in his car. He'd managed to squeeze several appointments together in one day earlier in the week and had thus freed up a few hours to go see Feliciano that day. He'd been looking forward to seeing his lover all week, and was speeding slightly as he drove to Feliciano's apartment building. Halfway there, his cell phone rang. He took his eyes off of the road for a moment to glance at the caller ID. It was Anna. Ludwig had a silent inner battle on whether or not to pick up the phone before he reluctantly answered.

"Hello?"

"Ludwig!" Anna's happy voice came from the device. "You're not busy right now, are you?"

"No," Ludwig answered. "What is it?"

"I just got back from the doctor's!"

Ludwig frowned. Anna had never said anything about having a doctor's appointment. His heart raced at the thought that she might be sick. He pulled over quickly, afraid that the news would be bad.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, in a slight panic, his grip on the phone tightening.

"No, nothing's wrong," Anna replied, still cheerful. Ludwig let out a sigh of relief. "I'm pregnant."

The phone fell from his hand, landing with a resounding clunk on the floor of his car. Ludwig was suddenly grateful that he had decided to pull over. After taking a few calming breaths, he picked up the phone, his mind still spinning.

"What?" he asked weakly.

"We're going to have a baby!" Anna rephrased excitedly. Ludwig swallowed with great difficulty.

"A baby?" he mumbled. On the other line, Anna made an affirmative noise. As the idea finally seeped into his brain, a smile spread across his face.

"That's wonderful!" he finally said. He was going to be a father! A giddy feeling filled him at the realization. He quickly dragged his attention back to the phone when he realized Anna was still talking to him.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I got distracted. What did you say?"

"Nothing much, I was just saying that I called because I wanted you to know about the baby. You said you wouldn't be home until late tonight, and I didn't want to have to wait until tomorrow to tell you."

Guilt swept through Ludwig. It was a common enough feeling that assaulted him whenever he thought about his affair with Feliciano, but today his sins seemed even worse.

"I can make it home early," he suddenly found himself promising his wife. "I'll leave soon."

"You don't have to," Anna assured him. "If you have important things to do at work, take care of that first!"

"No, no, I'll come home," Ludwig insisted. "I didn't have anything important planned this afternoon anyway."


Feliciano hummed under his breath as he set the wine bottle he had splurged on in a bucket of ice in the middle of the kitchen table. He surveyed the room one more time, checking on the various pots and pans on the stove. He made a noise of satisfaction. Everything was perfect. He'd been preparing for his date with Ludwig for the last hour, forgoing a new painting, which sat incomplete on his easel. Feliciano had just gone to change out of his clothes when the phone rang.

"Hello?" he greeted.

"Feliciano."

"Ludwig!" Feliciano exclaimed, noting that he had a strange quality to his voice. He threw a glance over at his clock. He still had some time before Ludwig was supposed to show up. "Is something wrong?"

"Er, yes. Something came up. I can't make it tonight. I'm sorry."

Ludwig might've hung up; if he did, Feliciano didn't notice. The phone had already slipped from his hand and cracked upon its impact with the floor.

That was the same excuse he'd told Ludwig to say to Anna.


*The Hilton Checkers Los Angeles lets you host events on the rooftop pool and spa level. It's absolutely gorgeous. At least, it is in the pictures. I've never been there before (and never will).

*By the way, there's a fanbook currently in the works about Christmas and Hetalia that you might be interested in. Go here http:/ christmasfanbook. wordpress. com/ for more information, but it's basically going to be a "A Christmas Carol" themed-fanbook, where each of the ten featured characters gets a fanfic and a few fancomics/art about a Christmas Past, Present, and Future. I'm working on a project to submit for this book, so I might end up in there! At any rate, you can ask for this fanbook as a Christmas present, since it'll be on sale just in time for the holiday season! So check it out, it's going to be great!