My Roommate is keeping a dirty little secret:

Ludwig worried the knot in his tie for the twentieth time that evening. The smell of freshly baked goose, stuffing and spiced side dishes filled the air, mixing with the laughter of children and adults. He checked his hair when he and An'na passed by a mirror in the foyer, to make sure it was perfectly slicked back, no cowlicks or flyaway. When she looked his way, Ludwig forced himself not to fiddle with the cuffs on his shirt.

"Are you nervous?" she whispered up to him and his gaze shifted to the floor.

He wasn't particularly nervous but, "I'm not fond of meeting new people," Ludwig admitted and much to his gratitude An'na grunted and nudged his shoulder playful as the living room came into view, which made him loosen up a little.

Overall, the home was huge, and one could only assume that this was a wealthy family. Which, for Ludwig, explained how his roommate could afford a house of her own. And although it was big, with people crowded in the room, adults and children of all ages alike, sitting around, standing, and holding drinks: it felt smaller and cozy.

"Klaus," An'na exclaimed and bent down to scoop up little furry dog that was charging it's way towards them. "Whose mommy good boy, hm?"

He danced around her, barking excitedly and Ludwig smiled at the two as she tried to secure him in a firm enough grip to pick him up. When she succeeded, she turned the hyper little animal towards him. Klaus tried on several occasions to jump into his arms but An'na held on to him, "Ludwig, this is Klaus, our family dog."

The dog barked at the sound of his name and Ludwig nodded, petting him affectionately. Momentarily distracted from the attention directed their way, he didn't notice a figure approaching them, "Ah, An'na Marie!" The man yelled, literally.

An'na's smile beamed and she passed Klaus to him in order to give the man a hug, "Uncle Freddy, they didn't tell you were coming from Austria."

The man returned the hug, glancing at Ludwig before pulling away, "It was a last-minute thing. This must be your roommate right?"

Uncle Freddy was a plump older man with a mustache. Despite his weight, the man was rather tall, almost Ludwig's height, with a laugh that bounced off the walls and resonated in the ears. He nodded at being addressed. Sitting the dog down, he held out his hand from the elder man to shake.

"Ludwig Beilschimdts," he introduced himself, "Pleasure to meet you, sir."

The man blinked and he and An'na shared a glanced before he spoke, "Where'd you find this one at? Straight back, firm grip, formal introductions, he came straight from the barracks huh?" Uncle Freddy laughed and Ludwig hid his slight embarrassment while holding the man's gaze.

"Come this way, son" he said guiding Ludwig away from An'na and Klaus towards the rest of the family, "Don't be so stiff. You like cigars? I just got some imported from Jamaica, best in the world. They'll get you look loosen up."

"Whatever you do, don't smoke his 'ciagrs'" Daniel said approaching them and Ludwig sighed with relief. Following him was a petite woman in a red dress and short hair that looked achingly similar to his roommate's style but a smile that matched the man before him.

"The boy needs to relax, Danny." Uncle Freddy said with a laugh and clasped Ludwig's back.

"Hello, I'm Cassandra," she said extending her hand, Ludwig shook it pleasantly, "I'm Daniel and An'na's mother." Well that explained the smile. "An'na's in the kitchen helping finish dinner."

Ludwig returned the formalities with shy smile, "Thank you for having me at your home,"

"It's no trouble at all. Daniel's said such nice things about you. We all wanted to meet you anyways." She said and Daniel nodded in approval.

Uncle Freddy interjected, flagging down an elderly woman, "Ah, Ada! That's Great Aunt Ada, she's one you have to worry about misbehaving" he directed to Ludwig as the elderly woman approached them, "This is Ludwig."

A little girl ran by and the elderly woman scolded her before turning back to them, "What?" she yelled, and leaned forward.

Ludwig took over, extending a hand, "I'm Ludwig, An'na's roommate. It's nice to meet you."

She looked at his hand, and then scrutinized him for a moment eyes squinted in determination. Aunt Ada looked at Uncle Freddy, completely ignoring the outstretched hand, "This the guy shacking up with my Maria?"

Ludwig flushed, Daniel coughed and Cassandra covered her mouth to suppress a laugh, "Ada, they are just roommates, right Ludwig?" the petit asked, amusement dancing in her eyes.

He cleared his throat, "Y—yes we're, um roommates. Who is Maria?"

"Should have named that girl Maria like I told you Sandra," Aunt Ada continued, pointing a shaky finger at the other woman, "Maybe she wouldn't be shaking up. She'd be a Saint."

The woman tisked, and tightened her grip on the cane as she turned half away from them. "Well, at least she brought home a man this time."

Ludwig raised a brow at this as she continued, "Last time she brought home a girl, and I thought she was one of those—"

"Aunt Ada," An'na almost ran into the room, wiping her hands on the apron at her waist, "Hey, Ludwig I see you've met my Aunt Ada. Isn't she lovely?" She said, trying to catch her breath, cheeks and ears red.

Aunt Ada smiled and pinched her cheek, "You're still my good girl, Maria."

"Yes, yes of course. Um, Mom, I think I'll get him a drink?" An'na rushed out, "You want a drink right, Ludwig? Come on, let's get you a beer or something." She ushered him out of the den and into the kitchen before he could accept or reject the offer.

"A girl?" Ludwig teased as An'na leaned against the counter, trying to catch her breath.

"It wasn't like that," she clarified but didn't meet his gaze, not that it stopped him from seeing the tint of her cheeks "We were friends and that's it. Don't mind my Aunt, she's a traditional elderly woman who watches too much TV, here."

Ludwig smiled and made no further comment when she handed him a beer.

A/N: Oh, don't you just love family gatherings? Your friends find out all about your old stories, embarrassing things you did in the pass. For those who don't know, the term 'shacking up' is a term for living with your boyfriend/girlfriend without being married. Older people say it a lot. Well, I know that's what my G-ma tells me, don't 'shake up'. Old people say a lot of things that make no sense. Like, "Don't look at me in that tone of voice". What does that even mean? LOL

-CeCe ~.^