Hello, readers~! How are you this morning/day/afternoon/night? I just wanted to say thank you, again, for the reviews and alerts I've gotten. They really do make me happy… And I've also realized that I'm lacking a disclaimer, so I'll just make sure everybody knows (even though it's obvious) that I do not own Hetalia, or any of the characters in this story. They all belong to our Himapapa, and I own nothing but the plot. Anyway, on with chapter 3!


Chapter 3

One week passed, and Feliciano was getting used to his new job. He loved chatting with all the customers, and was growing to love the vibe of the whole place. Even so, he had only caught glimpses of Ludwig. Sometimes he'd see the blonde sitting at his desk amid piles of paperwork, sometimes standing in the entryway to Kiku's door, discussing paperwork… But every now and then he'd catch the quiet German watching him from his doorway. Feliciano tried to pretend that Ludwig was just being suspicious, but there was something strange in the way that his blue eyes always locked gazes with his own that threw him off completely. Despite that strange feeling he continued his work, simply going through the motions every night. He met interesting people, and flirted with lots of pretty girls.

It was another normal work night and Feliciano was polishing some glasses, facing away from the bar. He heard a shuffle of feet and the familiar grinding noises of a bar stool being moved. He turned around to cheerfully greet the customer and his fingers froze on the glass he was cleaning. There in front of him was Ludwig, settling down in one of the seats. He was pinching the bridge of his nose, his brow furrowed, and he had large, dark circles beneath his eyed. Feliciano warily put the glass down, standing in silence, waiting for his boss to say something. After a long, awkward moment, Ludwig looked up, those blue eyes tired and dull.

"Well? Don't just stand there. If I sat down here I probably want a drink, Italian." The blonde man grumbled, obviously in a bad mood. Feliciano stuttered out a 'Y-Yes Sir" before quickly arranging a drink for his boss. He turned around and reached up for a glass, straining on the tips of his toes and wiggling his fingers. He felt a strange sensation on the back of his neck, and he got the feeling Ludwig was watching him. Feliciano quickly grabbed the glass, turned around, and sure enough, those beautiful sapphires were glued to him, a look of slight amusement on the blonde's face. Nervously, the Italian man prepared the drink, glancing up every few moments, only to look down after making brief eye contact. After finishing, he placed the glass in front of his boss, who nodded and took a long swig. After swallowing, he let out a long breath, running his and through his hair. "Danke, I needed that. It hasn't been the best week…" The larger man trailed off, and Feliciano's curiosity got the best of him.

"What happened, Signore?" He asked quietly, moving back to the glass he was polishing earlier. Maybe if he got his boss to let off some steam, he wouldn't be so grouchy. Ludwig frowned, shaking his head. "Oh, come on, tell me. It's good to talk about it, si?" Those blue sapphires looked up and met Feliciano's own eyes, a confused look swirling in their depths. "Per favore? Now that you won't tell me, I'm really interested! You can't just say, 'It's been a bad day' and expect no one to ask, sciocco*!" The blonde sighed, giving up.

"Ja, ja alright… Just be quiet for a minute and I'll tell you." Feliciano nodded, a triumphant grin on his face. "Well, there's a lot of legal trouble for this place. We're having problems paying the bills- not enough customers. My bruder has been getting into a lot of… Trouble, as well. And on top of all that, my girlfriend left me. Just got the phone call ten minutes ago. She said that her brother finally convinced her how 'unsuccessful' and 'hopeless' I am... She was the sweetest thing… Petite. Caring. Her name was Lili Zwingli. Her brother was really protective, and he never liked me. Well, he never liked anyone that came near his sister. And the worst part is, he owns a whole warehouse of guns and ammunition. He's real trigger happy, too." Ludwig paused, blinking his eyes. "Oh… I'm rambling. You probably don't want to hear about the problems in my love life, do you?" To the larger man's evident surprise, Feliciano shook his head.

"No, I don't mind. It's better that you got all that out instead of bottling all your feelings instead. Besides, I like it when you talk more. You always look so angry. It's kind of scary, actually. But now you don't look so angry, I guess." The Italian beamed at the German, and Ludwig smiled, shaking his head. "You should talk more, Luddy. Can I call you that? That's a good nickname. You should call me Feli!" Ludwig smiled a little wider, nodding slightly.

"Ja, I suppose you could call me that… Feli." He let the nickname roll off his tongue at the last minute, not used to referring to his employees on a first name basis. But, there was no rule against it, was there? "What do you want me to talk about, Feli?" Ludwig asked, leaning forward unconsciously. Feliciano did the same, resting his elbows on the bar and propping his head up in his hands.

"Tell me everything."


A few hours later at closing time, Ludwig and Feliciano were still talking. The German had more than a few drinks in his system, and it was really starting to show in both his speech and coordination.

"And, so, I told him, 'Go shove your violin up your ass, you aristocratic fotze**'!" Ludwig laughed loudly, slapping the bar. "You should have seen his face! Gott, it was hilarious!" Feliciano just chuckled in agreement, cleaning up his workspace.

"Luddy, it's closing time. You need to go home." The larger man stood up, nodding and stumbling towards the door, searching clumsily for his car keys. Feliciano's eyes widened, and he raced after the blonde. "On second thought… I'll drive you home so you don't get hurt. That would be really bad because then I wouldn't have a job… But also because Luddy is my friend. We're friends now, right?" The Italian asked, and Ludwig threw his arm around the smaller man's shoulder.

"Ja, of course you're my friend! We're best friends now, little Feli!" The German leaned down and yelled the last sentence in his ear, and Feliciano winced.

"Luddy, there isn't anyone in here; you don't have to yell…"

"I wasn't yelling!" He yelled again, and the Italian sighed, leading Ludwig out to his car and opening the door for him. The blonde threw himself inside clumsily, slamming the door after himself. Feliciano walked around the car, hopping in the driver's seat. He turned and saw Ludwig inspecting his car, pulling napkins out his glovebox like some insane child. Feliciano snatched the napkins away, closing the glovebox. He sighed, starting the car, glancing at Ludwig. "Put on your seatbelt, Luddy." He chimed, before he heard a muttered, 'Nein'. "Cosa? Ludwig, put on your seatbelt. It's not safe to have it off."

"Nein, I don't want to."

"Do it."

"Nein."

"Per favore, just put on the seatbelt."

"Uh-uh."

"Lud-"

"You can't make me."

"Oh yes I can!" Feliciano exclaimed, pouncing on the larger man. They struggled for a minute, before Feliciano had to climb over into Ludwig's seat with him. "Just. Put. It. On!" He yelled, grabbing said belt and tugging it around Ludwig's frame. "Why is it so difficult?" Feliciano caught both of Ludwig's strong arms in between his own arms and his sides, effectively trapping them. Ludwig struggled some more and Feliciano tried to lean forward and grab the seatbelt with his teeth. His head was behind Ludwig's, as he tried to grab the seatbelt. Feliciano instantly tensed and he let out a horribly girly shriek. He had felt something wet moving along his neck. "Che diavolo***?" He exclaimed, pulling back to see Ludwig licking his lips.

"You taste like pasta."

Feliciano's mouth fell open, and he looked at the drunk German with a look of complete disbelief. "Did you really just… Really? Really?" Feliciano lifted one hand to wipe his neck off, releasing one of Ludwig's arms. He was shoved back against the dashboard, his neck bent at an uncomfortable angle. Ludwig leaned over him, glaring. Feliciano's eyes went even wider, and he frantically reached towards his boot, only to find that the knife e always kept with him was missing.

"Looking for this?" Feliciano looked up and saw Ludwig holding his knife. He reached for it, but Ludwig threw it in the backseat, leaning closer to the trembling man. When he was about an inch away he stopped, his blue eyes running up and down Feliciano's trembling form. He leaned forward, and Feliciano wet his lips, his trembling increasing. When their lips were so close Feliciano could practically feel static between them, Ludwig swerved off course, moving his mouth to Feliciano's ear. "If I don't want to do something, I don't suggest that you make me do it." Ludwig's voice was ice cold, sending shivers down the smaller man's spine as his breath ghosted across Feliciano's ear. He pulled away and the Italian scrambled into his own seat, still trembling. But his trembling didn't feel like fear anymore. It felt like… Want. He wanted Ludwig Beilschmidt. Feliciano's grip on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles white as he let out a shaky breath.

"Mi dispiace. Where… Where do you want me to drop you off…?" He hoped his trembling voice didn't betray him, but Ludwig didn't seem to notice.

"Er… Could I… Stay at your place?" All the earlier menace was gone from his voice, and he just sounded apologetic.

"S-Si. I'll drive you there." Feliciano put the car into gear, driving into the night.

"Come stand a little bit closer

Breathe in and get a bit higher

You'll never know what hit you

When I get to you.

Ooh, I want you

I don't know if I need you

But, ooh, I'd die to find out

Ooh, I want you

I don't know if I need you

But, ooh, I'd die to find out."

I Want You by Savage Garden

~(-|-)~


ASDFGHJKL I'm so sorry this took so long! I thought I could type it up quickly, but I got writers block, and then my laptop was broken. ;A; Please forgive me! Updates will be A LOT faster next month, when I have full laptop access. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review~!

* scioco (Italian)- Silly, or foolish

** fotze (German)- Cunt

*** Che diavolo (Italian)- What the Hell

Please let me know if these are off, because German and Italian are not my native language… ;u;