A/N: …..Three months. It's almost been three months since my last update.

I freaking apologize. Have some writer's block plus a little frustration at life and add some drama that happened a while back, and you get…well, apparently a three month hiatus of some sorts.

But, really. I do apologize on how long it's been to update this. Hopefully I'm out of this weird writing funk of mine and I'll be able to get back on track with all my stories. Which comes to my next question.

Would you guys like a small side story of Blood and Bone from Ludwig's point of view?

Heh. Sorry about the bold print, but I've only received two or three responses from others (which, by the way, I would like to thank for answering my question). It'll only be a few chapters long, and I'll put it up once I know I won't spoil anything in this story before it even appears.

Also, I'd like to thank all the people who've taken the time to favorite, follow, and review this story of mine as well as anyone and everyone who's been reading this story so far.

And now, onward with the long-awaited chapter! :)

Chapter 9

"Shit!"

I threw the financial papers off of my desk, frustrated about how I couldn't concentrate on my work. The dinner that Ludwig had invited both Feliciano and I to was tomorrow, and I had no idea how the hell it would go.

In all honesty, I worried more about Feliciano's stability. He acted the same way towards me as he did when Ludwig invited me along to Saturday's training, although Feliciano had become a bit sneakier. He had to have been thinking something up with Kiku.

I tapped my pen against my desk, thinking back on Ludwig's parting words. "You looked lonely." The fuck does he think he knows? Stupid bastard can't even pick up on the "run as fast as you fucking can away from Feliciano if you value your freedom, life, or sanity" vibes I've non-so-subtly been hurtling at him. The pen hit the desk faster with each new agitated thought I remembered on Ludwig's cluelessness.

Maybe he does know what you're trying to do, but has a different reason for sticking around.

My hand stopped tapping the pen it had been holding. "You have no idea what you're talking about," I muttered, glaring down at my desktop.

A snort. Hell-fucking-lo? I'm your brain, you idiot!

"I'm happy we cleared that up. Now do your job, brain, and let me concentrate on working on the financials."

Um, no. We need to talk.

"Yeah?" I sneered, gripping the pen harder. "Let's talk about, oh, I don't know, the family finances. Or we could talk about how much I like breathing and not being dead."

The little voice that called itself my brain sighed. Listen, you've attempted to warn Ludwig away several times now with as clear of a voice as you've got. Obviously he's not going anywhere. We need to question the why.

"Ludwig's a moronic German who eats potatoes and who seems to like hanging around Feliciano. There! Question answered. Now I can get back to work." I pushed myself away from the desk and stood up, intending to grab the papers I had pushed off the desk.

He may like Feliciano, yes, my brain agreed, but he's included you in recent activities, too.

I snorted as I collected the papers off the floor. "Physical exercise and food. That must mean Ludwig wants me around," I added with more than a touch of sarcasm.

Go ahead and be as sarcastic as you want. You just don't want to admit that Ludwig has squirmed his way past most of your defenses and seen through your façade, because you don't want to get your hopes up-

"Shut up!" I screeched, chucking the papers up in the air so I had both hands free to grab my head with. I squeezed my hands together and pulled my brown hair while I bent over and closed my eyes. "You don't know anything! Ludwig has only included me due to politeness and to get on Feliciano's good side and nothing more and I hate him hate him hatehimhatehimhatehim!"

Lovino, you can only claim to have heart burn or whatever other ailment so many times before you realize it's happiness you're feeling.

A quietness had settled down, except for the fluttering of a few stray papers that hadn't come down to Earth yet. I gulped in a few breaths, staring at a distant point on the floor. Thump thump, my heart went as it started calming down.

I can't say how much time had passed, but I eventually released my head from a death grip and stood back up. I surveyed the room, seeing the papers scattered randomly around the area. I took in one final breath, and then I scowled. "Brain or not, you still have no idea what you're saying," I ground out between clenched teeth. "I have and always will hate Ludwig, and nothing you say will change me. Now, stop being an ass and let me do my work."

There was a pause before I got an answer. Very well then. Keep hiding behind that smart-asseryness of yours. But let me end this conversation with one last sentence on this subject…

"What?" I snapped.

Somehow my brain gained a sort of smugness to it. You say that you hate Ludwig so much, but somewhere along the way you've started calling him "Ludwig" and not "the potato bastard".

I didn't respond, knowing that what my brain had pointed out to me was true. Instead I picked all the papers back up from the floor for the second time that night, took them to my desk, placed them down, and then sat in my chair. I had to try to concentrate on getting the finances updated.

"You looked lonely."

I groaned, covering my eyes with my hands. Dammit.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

"Ve~ Ludwig's home is very pretty."

I gave Feliciano a skeptical look, then glanced back to the house ahead of us. I guess that the house was alright for one or two people to live in, but it wasn't anything fancy. For starters, it was only a ground floor house and had the basic door and window designs. The entire thing was yellow, standing out like a sore thumb. And I'll have to admit, I wasn't expecting a flower garden of all things.

If this was how the outside looked, I wasn't looking forward to seeing the inside.

"Fratello, are you ready?" I snapped away from observing the house and turned my attention onto Feliciano. I opened my mouth to reply, but Feliciano took off, skipping up to the door and ringing the doorbell.

I sighed, glancing in the direction that I last saw Kiku and his car. Too late to turn back, I thought. Remembering the part I put myself in, I simply walked up to my brother, hoping that I looked unenthusiastic and not nervous. Walking up I frowned, noticing that I not only walked forward but forward and slightly up. What…?

Before I could ponder this mystery, the door opened, revealing Ludwig. My eyebrows rose. "I didn't know you owned a classy outfit," I said, getting a scolding "Fratello!" from my brother.

Ludwig wasn't wearing that shit outfit he pieced together last Saturday, and he wasn't wearing those type of clothes that he wore in the garage. Instead he looked like he put in some effort and wore a suit and tie like Feliciano and I normally wore…except his was a much cheaper version.

The German mechanic didn't rise to the bait. Instead he sounded amused when he replied, "I try to avoid wearing my dress outfits when working or exercising. It doesn't do the outfit much good if I get oil stains on it or if I sweat through it."

"Ve~ Ludwig, aren't you going to invite us inside?"

"Ja, ja. Come in."

Feliciano beamed a smile to Ludwig before latching onto the German's arm. I rolled my eyes at my brother's action, then shoved Ludwig out of my way.

The inside of his house matched the simplicity of the outside. No photos hung off the blue walls of the living room. The living room had the basic furniture, also blue, as well as a small bookcase and a television set. The furniture was spread out, and a stray trash can filled with empty cans of beer inhabited one corner of the room. The kitchen rested across the living room, devoid of walls that normally separated the two. The strange thing about the kitchen was how the row of kitchen counters along one wall was at normal height, but the counters along another wall only reached to my knees.

I took a seat in the living room's only cushioned chair while Feliciano commented to Ludwig how the house was just as lovely on the inside as it was on the outside as the two of them headed towards the couch. However, it felt like I didn't have a full picture. The sidewalk, the stray trashcan, the spacing of the furniture, the kitchen…

"I apologize," Ludwig said once he sat down on a couch cushion," but the dinner will not be done for another hour."

Feliciano tilted his head in confusion. "Aw. Why so long?"

Ludwig took in a calming breath. "Family complications."

That shocked me. He had family? The file I put together had all the available information on Ludwig that I could dig up, and I sure as hell knew he didn't have any living parents.

Feliciano perked up upon hearing this surprising bit of news. "Ve~ Ludwig, I didn't know you had family." I could hear the excitement layered underneath Feliciano's cheery voice. Having a relative made great material in getting someone to agree to the Vargas family way.

Fuck. Just when I thought things couldn't get any more complicated…

Bang! "West! I'm back!"

The three of us jumped from where we were sitting at the sudden intrusion. All heads turned towards the source, which had come from the front door.

Ludwig recovered first, eyebrow twitching with what I interpreted to be annoyance. "Gilbert, you told me that you would stay out of the house this evening."

"Kesesese!" An albino man in a wheelchair wheeled himself into the room, a mischievous twinkle in his ruby eyes.

Well, I thought as the puzzle came together. That explains the weirdness of this house.

"But West," the man whined, "I'm hungry, and I knew you'd be cooking."

"I gave you more than enough money to go out and get something to eat."

"Francis, Tony, and I spent the money on alcohol. We needed to have a celebration for Tony, you know!"

"Gilbert-"

"What joy," I stated in a monotone voice. "Another moronic potato bastard."

'Gilbert' seemed to notice that Ludwig wasn't the only presence in the room. "Are these the brothers you mentioned?"

"No shit Sherlock."

"Fratello!" Feliciano focused his attention away from me onto the man in the wheelchair, observing every little detail and placing information away for future reference. "Ve~ Pronto, Mister…?"

"…Gilbert," the albino offered up.

"Gilbert! I'm Feliciano, the person Ludwig saved from the mean, nasty dog in the park. Pleased to meet you!"

"…Ja." Gilbert squinted his eyes at my brother. "How the hell do you see with your eyes closed like that?"

"Bruder! Language, bitte."

"What? The other brother just cursed at me a second ago!" He held up two fingers and wiggled them as if it'd help him in his case. "Twice!"

I stuck my tongue out. "I'm a guest, motherfucker. I can talk as I please."

"Why you-"

Ludwig rubbed his temples with two fingers from each hand. "Lovino, Gilbert, I would appreciate if the two of you attempted to act civil around each other."

"He started it!"

"Gilbert-"

Feliciano sniffed the air. "Ve~ Is the food supposed to smell like that?"

Realizing that something had started to burn, Ludwig jumped off the couch. "Verdammt!" He cursed, making what he tried to lecture earlier ironic in the situation. He then proceeded to rush off into the kitchen, Feliciano following close behind in a joyful manner.

"I guess I forgot to mention that the oven's been acting funny," Gilbert commented as he rolled over to where I was. "We should probably go outside to avoid the smell of burning food."

I gave him a nasty glare. "What makes you think I'd want to go outside with you?"

"Good! I'm glad you agree." While I spat out indignities, Gilbert wheeled himself around to the scene of Ludwig attempting to save whatever the charcoaled things were while reassuring Feliciano that, no, the house would not catch on fire. "Hey West! Feliciano's brother and I are going out for a bit. Take the time to save dinner or make out with your boyfriend there."

"Bruder!" Ludwig sputtered, face turning beet red at such an indinity.

"Kesesese!"

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

"If your brother is Feliciano, that makes you Lovino, ja?"

I rolled my eyes, already annoyed. "Good job with piecing that puzzle together, especially after Ludwig announced who I was a few minutes ago. You must be so proud."

Gilbert threw me a look that told me to stuff it. Since there wasn't really a porch area, Gilbert had locked his wheelchair on the flattest area he could find and I just stood on the sidewalk to avoid getting dirt on my suit.

"Ludwig talks about the two of you a lot, you know. However, I don't think he's ever told me what it is that you two do."

I narrowed my eyes. "Feliciano runs a business."

"Ah! He must be doing a good job at it, with how expensive his suit is." His red eyes clouded up a bit. "I used to run the garage here, before…" Shaking his head and snapping himself out of it, he let that train of thought alone. I had a pretty good idea what it was that stopped him from running his business, however. "Anyway, do you both run this business of yours, or…?"

"I take care of the finances," I muttered, the hair on the back on my neck standing up. I did not like where this was heading.

"So you have some brains then. Kesesese! That's good! Since you seem to have some smarts…" Suddenly the playfulness that had been in his voice left, and a cold tone took over. "…you can come right out and tell me what interest the Vargas family has in mein bruder, ja?"