(( A/N: Ahahahaha sadly my laptop decided to break on me sooo all my hard work for the following chapters are gone ;w; now I gotta re-write, so sorry if they end up coming out slow!

Reviews are always appreciated!

Enjoy!))

The soft glow of light that greeted Kiku the following morning was quite soothing to wake up to, birds chirping away loudly outside, the air chilly around him and the fresh scent of... burning?

Kiku jolted up from his slumber on the couch, pushing himself up. He looked around in alarm until he pin pointed where the smell was coming from, the kitchen. Kiku sprang to his feet, dazed from sleep but not allowing that to slow him, stumbling along towards the smell.

Once he came face to face with the cause, he stood stiff in his place, unsure of what to think of the situation; There stood Gilbert, hunched over the stove with a pile of- well, what appeared to be- eggs and toast. He seemed to be still cooking, attempting to scrape a burnt egg off the pan with a spatula.

Gilbert raised his head from his actions as he heard Kiku, giving a big, bright grin Kiku's way. "Keeks! Man, I though you'd never wake up," Gilbert chuckled before turning back to his work. Kiku stayed silent until he breathed a sigh, coming in and turning on the fan over the stove.

"Gilbert, it is very nice to see you, but did you really need to cook..?" Kiku asked in a bit of a murmur, Gilbert breaking into a bit of laughter as he dumped the 'egg' on a plate.

"Of course I did!" Snorted the man confidently, Kiku reaching over and turning off the heat. "Gotta do something to make it up for you nannying ol' west,"

"Nannying?" Kiku asked with a raised brow, taking the mutilated pan and setting it on a different burner to let it cool. "I don't know about that,"

"Aww c'mon, you're the best nanny I've me," Gilbert replied with a grin, giving Kiku a good pat on the Asian jolted and frown lightly from this action but let it pass.

"A-as much as I'd like to thank you, right now I'm wondering how Ludwig will take the mess in his kitchen," Kiku spoke in a softer tone, Gilbert pausing before slowly paling as he realized the mess he made, muttering a swear under his breath.

"I better hit the road then," He laughed nervously, giving Kiku a gentle pat on the shoulder, finger's tensing as he could hear Ludwig down the hall, getting out of bed. Both he and Kiku nearly jumped out of their skin as they heard the smoke alarm go off in the hall.

"Well see ya bye!" Gilbert spat out all at once before bolting to the door, leaving Kiku with the aftermath as he fled the house. Kiku let out a heavy sigh, grabbing a dish towel out of the drawer and a chair from the dinning room, heading off down into the hall with it.

He stopped when he came face to face with Ludwig. Well, more or less face to chest, Kiku nearly getting run into by the German as he had made a bolt to the kitchen to see what the matter was.

They both stared at each other, Ludwig in reluctance and fear and Kiku with tire and blankness. Kiku took the quick moment to inspect Ludwig's features; a bit pale but recovering, he looked a lot more energetic, too, though that could just be adrenalin.

"Gilbert cooked," Kiku finally spoke flatly after a long moment, Ludwig growing tense and hurriedly going past Kiku, the Asian heading to the smoke detector. He put his chair under it and got on the furniture, starting to try and get it to stop beeping by fanning the smoke away with the dish towel.

In the other room, Ludwig inspected the burnt pile on a plate, frowning softly at the waste of food. He threw out the charred remains and tossed the now cooled frying pan in the sink to be washed, heading to the fridge afterwards to see what could be made.

Soon enough the fire alarm was stopped and Kiku got down from the chair, bringing it along back into the dining room. He came back into the kitchen, using his dish cloth to start wiping down the counters and stove.

"Shit," Ludwig muttered in German as he closed the fridge, frowning softly and going to the cupboard next. Kiku dumped the burnt crumbs into the garbage can, looking Ludwig's way from the murmur. Ludwig looked... embarrassed. Kiku was still just getting used to the new types of emotions that were different from 'work Ludwig', as silly as that sounded. Seeing him get embarrassed, upset, even just a little happy... it made Kiku feel good to just be able to be apart of those emotions.

Kiku perked up as Ludwig soon spoke up. "I forget to get groceries this week," Ludwig said in a flustered tone, Kiku blinked in surprise to this.

"It is alright, we can just go to a restaurant for breakfast if you want," Kiku offered, Ludwig glancing his way.

"A restaurant..? Uh, sure, what did you have in mind?" Ludwig asked curiously, Kiku shrugging lightly.

"Maybe just some fast food joint nearby," Kiku replied, thinking back to when he was driving towards home to try and remember if he saw any, Ludwig giving a little 'oh' as Kiku meant that type of restaurant.

"Well... alright, I haven't been to one in awhile," Ludwig agreed a tad reluctantly, not one for fast food. He was quite the healthy-eater, not wanting to end up like a certain few that lost their muscle to a couple quarter pounders. Kiku nodded lightly.

"Get a sweater on, I'll drive. It's too early to dress too fancy," Hummed the Asian before trotting off, Ludwig glancing towards the clock to see it read seven am. Ludwig was a tad baffled at why he wouldn't need to get changed out of his pajamas- wearing a pair of plaid pants and navy t-shirt- but since he wasn't familiar at all with going to fast food restaurants, he just did as told and hurried off to his bedroom.

Kiku was soon enough waiting by the front door, wearing what he had slept in which was a pair of stripped pj pants and a soft blue t-shirt, topped off with a brown pull over. Ludwig headed to the front door soon enough in somewhat the same outfit, pj pants and a red zip up sweater, having also shaved as to not look like too much of a mess.

The two left off, Kiku driving them off to the fast food joint just down the road. It wasn't long until they were in the drive through, not wishing to go inside. Kiku ordered a burger and some chicken nuggets while Ludwig stuck with a chicken wrap, thinking that looked the healthiest. They got a fries to split and each got a cup of hot chocolate since it was pretty cold out, Kiku parking in the parking lot so they could sit and eat there as a sort of way to 'eat out'.

The car was cold, but had warmed up from the heater and their breath. Kiku snuggled into his sweater some as he started to eat the food he bought, Ludwig munching away at his a tad eagerly from the good flavor.

Kiku kept his thoughts to himself, but felt really happy to see Ludwig have more of an appetite. He was getting better fast, though he'd still need a bit of bed rest. The German's skin had regained some color and he looked a lot less sluggish, too.

For just a moment, Kiku let a small smile tug at his lips, returning to his food. He wasn't quite sure why he kept getting so happy when Ludwig showed his true exterior around him. It made him feel warm and cozy on the inside.

After a few moments, Kiku turned his head to see Ludwig staring at him, locking eyes with the German. They stared at each other, blue eyes that resembled a warm, summer sky clashing with dark, brown eyes that resembled soft brownies or chocolate.

Kiku broke their stare, looking at his lap in embarrassment with his cheeks blushing up. Ludwig looked surprised at this action, not expecting something like that but also getting quite curious looking and a little baffled. He straightened up though, pulling his gaze away.

"Er... Kiku, can I asked you a question?" After receiving a timid nod from the Asian, Ludwig continued. "How come you get tense when you're touched? I-I mean, I hope that's not too personal or anything," The blond ask a tad hesitantly, not wishing to invade on Kiku's privacy.

Kiku was skeptical on how well he could open up to Ludwig, the raven haired man casting his stare to the side. He decided he'd just try his best and pray that Ludwig wouldn't react negatively.

"W-well... growing up, I did not receive much affection at all, not even little touches here and there, so I am not too used to how touchy people are here," The raven tried his best to explain, not budging and waiting patiently for Ludwig's response.

The German fell silent, not really expecting such a response, just thinking the Asian was shy. Well, that probably tied into it. "Ah," He muttered simply, unsure of what else to say, taking a quick moment to gather his thoughts.

"It is somewhat ridiculous, I know," Kiku butted in before Ludwig could say anything else, expecting an insult or scolding from the other male. "I'm trying to fit the culture here as best I can,"

"No, I don't expect you to fit the wear western culture perfectly," Ludwig reassured, bawling up his food's wrapper once finished and putting it in the bag in which is game in. "I can help you get used to contact, if you want," Offered the blond with hesitance, his offer being more of a question. He wasn't sure if Kiku would want his help, especially since they were just starting to get to know each other more, even if they'd known each other for quite the long time.

"Well.." Kiku muttered, astonished from the offer. After a pause, he bobbed his head up and down in a 'yes' motion. "Alright, I-I guess, if you think you can help," Kiku continued in a softer more timid tone.

Ludwig gave a stiff nod. "Right, now why don't we go do a bit of grocery shopping? As nice as this treat was, I rather not have fast food every day," The blond replied with just a hint of a smile, Kiku nodding softly with some warmth spreading in his cheeks before he turned to the wheel and started up the car once more.

The dumped out their trash before driving off, Kiku bringing them to a local super market. They both headed inside, Ludwig getting a cart and trying to think of what he needed to buy since he hadn't made a list, knowing just generally what he needed.

Kiku mostly just trailed after, having his own little basket to pick up some snacks for himself. Ludwig started simple; milk, eggs, butter and bread. He also grabbed some cream cheese and bagels, heading to the veges isles to start getting things for home cooking.

Staying somewhat distanced for now, Kiku watched as Ludwig started to gather things. He was inspecting apples, trying to find bruises or other things on them before he putting them one by one on a scale to judge their weight. Ludwig soon had a big bag of them in his cart, getting some vegetables and a few other things before moving on.

Kiku trailed after him into the deli isle, watching Ludwig pick up a pack of sausages, the brand looking to be from another country. Kiku came a bit closer, peeking at the package.

"I never knew you were one to enjoy foreign foods," Kiku commented, Ludwig glancing his way and shrugging, putting the sausages in the cart.

"I grew up with food from my homeland, Germany, like Semmelknoedel, Kaiserschmarren and Jagerschnitzel," Ludwig explained. "I always loved food like that, so these days I tend to stray from standard American food and try to replicated meals from Germany,"

Kiku nodded at the little information, though seemed a bit concerned as he noticed Ludwig starting to grow paler again. "We should probably hurry," He commented. "You don't look so good,"

Ludwig's expression faltered some. "I don't feel too well, either, oh well. We should hurry anyway," He muttered, Kiku nodding and starting off once more with the German.

"You know, if you want, when we get home I can make some apple pie," Ludwig offered, Kiku blinking in surprise at the offer but quickly nodding.

"Y-yes, that would be wonderful," Kiku replied, trying his hardest not to get all blushed up and smiley over the thought of the sweet food, Ludwig grinning a little himself as he headed along with Kiku to get the rest of what he needed.

Soon enough, they made it to check out, each buying their things before heading off. Kiku helped Ludwig carry his bags so they wouldn't have to take a cart, the two loading their things into Ludwig's trunk before heading off back home.

Upon arrival, Kiku grabbed up some bags and headed inside, Ludwig doing the same. They put everything away, Kiku heading off and getting some medication from his bag. He came back, holding the pill bottle out to Ludwig.

"Take two of these, they should help, you'll just get a bit sleepy," Kiku explained, Ludwig nodding curtly before taking the bottle and reading it, Kiku getting out some of the food he had bought, getting out a little box of macaroons.

Ludwig went to the sink, getting a glass before filling it with water. "What are those?" He asked as he spotted the somewhat colorful box in Kiku's hands, the Asian peeking up once questioned.

"Macaroons," He replied, taking out a soft brown one and taking a bite out of it. "Kind of like little cakes,"

Ludwig hummed curiously, first putting his attention on the pill, taking it quick with a few gulps of water. Kiku held out the box to Ludwig with one hand as he ate with the other.

"Try one," He offered, Ludwig tilting his head but taking the box, inspecting it a bit before opening it up. Inside, there were 11 different colored little biscuits, there being a list of flavors on the inside top of the box. Ludwig read them over before choosing a light green one- pistachio - and taking a bite out of it, setting the box down.

"Mmf, these are good," The German commented as he ate, Kiku beaming just a little from Ludwig seeming to enjoy the confectionery.

"We can split them," Kiku offered, Ludwig nodding a little with a 'thank you' as he finished off the one he had.

After some snacking, Ludwig went about making the pie and starting up some other foods for dinner, Kiku relaxing in the living room for the while, messing around on his phone. It wasn't until an hour or so later that he was disrupted from his lazing about.

"Hello little birdie~!" Giggled the familiar Prussian voice as Gilbert reached over the couch and gave Kiku's cheeks a pinch, making him flinch in surprise.

"G-Gilbert? Where did you come from?" Kiku replied, trying to pull the Prussian's hands off of his cheeks. Gilbert pulled his own hands off, wrapping his arms around Kiku's neck.

"Can't pay one of my favorite co-worker a visit?" Gilbert cooed as he rested his head on top of the Asian's, grinning from ear to ear. He reached down and took Kiku's hands in his own, the size difference almost making him squeal.

"You've got the cutest itty-bitty hands~!" Chirped the Prussian as he nuzzled Kiku's head, Kiku frozen in place as his hands were rubbed at by the larger's. Kiku had seen Gilbert do the same to Feliciano, he hadn't expected to be in this position, though he was disturbed from his frozen state as he was plucked off the couch.

The Prussian held him up with ease, giving his usual round of laughter as he turned Kiku around to hold him bridal style.

"Gotcha~" He snickered, Kiku putting his hands to Gilbert's chest and trying to push out of his grasp.

"G-Gilbert put me down!" He yelped, cheeks darkening with blush. Gilbert just gave more laughter at how fast Kiku got embarrassed, sticking his tongue out at him.

"Little birdie is too uptight~ " Gilbert mused as he swayed with Kiku in his arms, the Asian struggling still with a disgruntled look.

"G-Gilbert," Kiku somewhat whined as his struggles faltered, Gilbert's grip being too strong for him to escape. He could feel the hard muscles beneath him, securing him like padlocks. Gilbert merely giggled on, though jerked as he was poked on the shoulder.

He turned on his heel, coming face to face with a not-so-pleased Ludwig. He paled further than his already white skin would go, taking a stiff step back. He pulled up a quick grin to try and be confident.

"What? Didn't know my lil' bro could even get jealous," Gilbert laughed, Ludwig's big-bad atmosphere faltering as blush covered his cheeks, Kiku already as red as his cheeks could be.

"I am not, put Kiku down," Ludwig snapped unhappily, Gilbert sticking out his tongue defiantly. "Gilbert," The larger persisted stubbornly.

"I thought you had it for the Vargas kid," Frowned the Albino, Ludwig freezing up and blushing harder. Gilbert swung his arms back before tossing Kiku to Ludwig with a little 'Catch~' Kiku yelling in fright and surprise.

Ludwig flinched in shock, diving forwards a step and catching Kiku with ease, holing him bridal style like Gilbert had. The room was enveloped in a thick silence, Ludwig's face ever so slowly growing as red as Kiku.

Their position was frozen, one of Kiku's hands on Ludwig's shoulder, the other on his chest. He could feel the muscle, hard but not a bad hard, skin giving it a bit of a soft feeling as well. His arms were a lot thicker than Gilbert's, and his heart was beating right near Kiku's ear, heat radiating off of Ludwig (either naturally or from his illness, Kiku couldn't tell).

Ludwig could feel Kiku's frail form in his arms, the Asian's slender body held safe in his grasp. Kiku was somewhat cold, to his surprise, wondering if that was a natural thing for him. The position was a bit awkward, but for some odd reason.. having Kiku in his arms barely fazed him (past the slight embarrassment).

Gilbert broke their silence after the long pause. "Jeez, you two look like a fairytale couple," He grinned.

...

It was minutes before Gilbert could feel the sensation in his lip, the throbbing and the slight metallic taste that stained his taste buds not too great of a feeling. He knew very well that it was all his fault, though, his younger brother had been already on the verge of an embarrassment break down before his comment.

Gilbert drove home with a busted lip and bloody nose after Ludwig had slapped him upside the head just a little too hard and he stumbled into a wall. Though his mouth was curved into a smile, knowing what he had in mind to do with the two now.

...

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Ludwig sat on the sofa, a hand to his brow as he tried to settle. He had a bit of an out burst and his head hurt plenty now, Kiku having just arrived back with a cold, damp cloth for him. Upon being asked the question, he nodded softly.

"Yes," He said in his mother tongue, taking the cloth once offered. "Thank you,"

Kiku merely nodded. "You should head back to bed soon, its almost eight o'clock, anyway," The raven hummed, Ludwig nodding some and dabbing at his hot face with the cloth. He soon got up, heading off into the kitchen to finish up his cooking, putting all the food away in the oven and fridge. He wasn't hungry, but told Kiku to eat whatever he wished, heading off to bed himself.

Kiku sat himself down on the couch with a piece of the apple pie Ludwig made, shuddering with delight from how good it tasted. He was surprised at how well the man could cook, seeing as he was usually working, so whenever he picked up cooking must have been in his earlier years.

Once Kiku finished it off, he brought his plate back to the kitchen before laying down on the couch, not hungry for much else. Ever so slowly he fell to sleep, his thoughts pestering him for an hour or so.

Did he... enjoy... being held like that?