Pairing: Germany (Ludwig Beilschmidt) x South Italy/Romano (Lovino Vargas)

Although Gerita is my OTP, somehow Germano wormed its way into my heart too, becoming my guilty pleasure ship in the Hetalia fandom. And seeing that there are so few fics about these two, I couldn't stop myself from writing about this rare pair. And it turned out way longer than I thought it would when I began writing it. So, please enjoy!

An Improvised Anniversary

Everyone thought their relationship was strange or even plain impossible. To be honest, Ludwig himself thought like that once too, before they actually got together and even still at the very beginning of their romance. But somehow, surprisingly, it worked. It worked well enough that by now they could look back on five years spend together, with their anniversary coming up tomorrow. And while Ludwig always thought hard when it came to giving presents – but rarely found a present he or the presentees were satisfied with – this time he knew exactly what to give Lovino.

When he thought back on their time together, all the arguments and the irritating tries from Lovino to rile him up, as well as the laughter they shared – something only a few have ever witnessed – and the calm evenings when they found peace in each other's arms, when he thought about all these memories and more, he slowly came to the realization that he couldn't image his life without Lovino anymore. So for once in his life, he knew what the present would be. The only question was if Lovino would accept it.

Ludwig had even practiced the moment when he would give Lovino the present. He had asked his best friend Feliciano, who was Lovino's little brother, to accompany him for dinner last Saturday. And during the course of the meal, he'd handed over the little box. He had thought everything through – it had been the dress rehearsal for a very important moment in his life after all – but the moment he'd seen Feliciano's shocked expression he'd remembered one simple thing. He hadn't told his best friend about his plans for a mock anniversary dinner. Which then had led to a very embarrassing explanation on his part where he'd needed to assure that, no, he didn't intend to cheat on Lovino and yes, he planned to propose to him on their anniversary.

Though, the worst part of that evening were the other restaurant patrons. Seeing that their table hadn't been secluded enough, a woman saw how Ludwig gave Feliciano the ring. Then, she had quickly told her husband about it, her high-pitched voice loud enough to draw the attention of a few more people in their vicinity. In the end, he'd been on the receiving end of some very pitiful looks and even got a small piece of paper with a telephone number and an explicit invitation from one of the waiters pushed into his hand, because everyone thought he had just been rejected and was in need of some consolation.

Though, the next problem came right afterwards. Feliciano had been so excited about the news that he wanted to tell his big brother right away. So, Ludwig had to ensure that his best friend would keep quiet through making a promise to treat Feliciano to pasta at his favorite restaurant for a whole month in exchange for his silence. When it came to certain things, the quirky Italian could drive a surprisingly hard bargain and not for the first time, Ludwig had found himself unable to say no to Feliciano.

But so far, Feliciano had kept his promise, as Lovino hadn't mentioned anything about their upcoming anniversary till now. Which meant: four days down and only one more to go. Luckily, the days had gone by in a flash. Lovino worked the late shift this week, so even though they lived together they barely saw each other. The weeks when Lovino had the late shift were always like this. Ludwig got up early in the morning to go to the office while his boyfriend slept in till midday before he had to go to the restaurant he worked at. And in the evenings he went to bed early to be refreshed for a new work day, at a time when Lovino just came home from his work.

So in the end, they just had a few moments for themselves in the evenings when Ludwig decided to stay up just a tad longer so they could actually spend at least some time together. Though, Lovino was especially late today.

But fortunately, he didn't need to work tomorrow and could therefor stay up longer than usual. They both took the day off to spend their anniversary with each other instead of with their respective colleagues. He had so much overtime hours he could basically take off a whole week and Lovino had managed to change his shift. Everything just like Ludwig planned, so they could enjoy that special day together without worrying about work.

Ludwig went to bed, but was determined to stay awake until his boyfriend got home. To bridge the time, he read one of his self-help books about all kind of different social situations that could arise from human interaction. It could never hurt to learn more of the proper social cues and reactions that were expected of him. Who knows when it would come in handy?

He read on for a while until he heard some thumps and footsteps coming from the entrance of the apartment. According to the loud sounds, Lovino's day must have been a stressful one, some stomping could be heard as well as a loud "Fuck!" when he must have bumped into the couch again.

Ludwig turned his attention back to the book in his hands. Lovino would come into their bedroom soon enough and tell him everything about his day - or more like complain about it with all the vigor he could muster after a hard day at work.

And just like he expected, the door opened after a while and his boyfriend came inside, going straight to the bed, all the while he took off his clothes down to the underwear, and flopping down on it with his head buried face-down in his pillow.

Ludwig closed the book and laid it on the bedside table on his side of the bed, sighing in the meantime.

"Long day?"

Lovino turned his head slightly to the side, only to glower angrily at him. Seeing that no insult or sly remark was coming his way, it really must have been a pretty tiring day for the Italian. Therefore, to offer some solace, Ludwig lay down from his sitting position against the headboard and scooted closer to his grumpy boyfriend, opening his arms in a silent invitation for Lovino to cuddle up.

Lovino only continued to shoot his glare for a short moment until he eventually accepted the offer and snuggled into his chest.

"Tomorrow, we both have the day off, so you can relax as much as you want."

Lovino hummed.

""I'll make lunch and for dinner we're going out. So you don't need to lift a finger," he reassured with his mouth close to Lovino's ear, while he stroked soothingly over his boyfriend's back.

Once the other relaxed enough, they started to talk in low voices, telling -or in Lovino's case complaining - each other about their respective days until they both got too sleepy which didn't take too long. Ludwig was sure there was still more of Lovino's lamenting to come in the morning. Reaching behind himself, Ludwig fumbled around in search for the switch to turn off the bedside lamp, casting the room in a deep darkness. They both got a bit more comfortable in their current position, their arms wrapped around each other and legs entangled, before they were taken over by sleep.

Even on days when there was no reason to get up early, Ludwig still woke up at an early hour, his body drilled into waking up at the same exact time every day.

He entangled himself from Lovino, being as careful as possible to avoid waking him up. Though, when he pulled his arm from under Lovino – noticing much to his dismay that his left arm was completely numb – all his efforts were for naught as his boyfriend woke up from the motion.

"Hnng… be quiet and let me sleep, bastard." Lovino mumbled into his pillow, only half-awake but till cranky as always, but it did bring a smile onto Ludwig's lips. He ruffled gently through Lovino's hair until his boyfriend's grumble became loud enough to indicate that he should stop if he wanted to keep his hand. Hmm, funny how good he was by now when it came to translating Lovino's growls. But Ludwig guessed that for today, he would let Lovino sleep for however long the other wanted. He would have liked for them to spend the morning together too, but they had the whole day after all. And the most important thing only came in the evening when they would sit at their reserved table in the restaurant.

Ludwig grabbed some casual clothes for the day and left the room as silently as possible, leaving Lovino to sleep in peace and quiet. He knew he had at least a few hours until Lovino would wake up on his own, so he could enjoy a calm and peaceful morning all by himself, something he also appreciated every now and then. He first made a cup of coffee and then proceeded to start his day with a big breakfast while he read the morning newspaper. A nutritious breakfast was essential for a good start into the day. He couldn't understand how Lovino could function with only a cappuccino in the morning, and maybe a croissant or some cookies if he felt like. Over the years, he had tried numerous times to convince the Italian to eat a larger breakfast, though all his inquiries fell on deaf ears.

When Lovino finally emerged from the bedroom, still in his underwear, Ludwig was already in the act of preparing lunch. If the Italian hadn't come out when he was finished with it, Ludwig would have gone and gotten him despite his initial claim to let him sleep as long as he wanted. Even when it was his free day, to sleep in too much wasn't advisable, especially when he only had a single day off and had to get up tomorrow at his usual time again. But somehow Lovino always seemed to avoid being woken by him, as if his body had the timing just right to get as much sleep as possible without any interruptions.

Ludwig stood at the counter, cutting some tomatoes, when he heard the footsteps of his boyfriend coming closer until he felt arms wrapping around his chest from behind. Lovino rested his forehead in the space between his shoulder blades, leaning against his back. "Hmm… morning," came the mumbled greeting, muffled by the fabric of his shirt.

Ludwig turned his head around, only to stare at the unruly mop of brunette hair that Lovino sported in the morning when he hadn't kempt it yet. Even that one untamable hair curl was sticking up again, the one that always did when Lovino had been sleeping on his right side again.

He wiped his hands on the kitchen towel and turned around in the embrace, bringing his arms around Lovino and gently holding him, too.

"Good morning. You're in a good mood." It wasn't often that Lovino was so meek. Not that he didn't appreciate it. It was a nice contrast to the easily aggravated mode he was in most of the time. He leaned down for a slow good morning kiss that was returned with a soft contented moan. "I don't have work today. That helps," Lovino said after they parted.

"And here I thought for a short moment that I could be the reason."

He snorted. "As if." And while the words were dismissive, Lovino still had a small telling smirk on his lips. Lovino reached around him and took one of the cut tomato slices.

"It's because of the tomatoes." He put the slice into his mouth, closing his eyes in exaggerated pleasure to reinforce his point. "And thank god you're not making any potatoes."

A small trail of tomato juice was running down his chin – that's why he always told Lovino he shouldn't talk while eating - and Ludwig took the chance to steal another kiss at the corners of Lovino's lips. He brought a hand up, wiping the remaining red liquid away with his thump. "Happy anniversary," Ludwig whispered when they looked into each other's eyes, concluding it was a good moment to breach the topic of the day. Lovino only answered with a low hum, though Ludwig knew that it was his way to respond in kind without saying the words. Sometimes his boyfriend could get easily embarrassed about the simplest things. Though, Ludwig had to admit, the same could be said about him.

Lovino broke away from him and went over to the couch in the living room. They had an open plan kitchen, so Ludwig was still able to see him as Lovino turned the TV on and zapped through the channels. Hmm, seemed liked Lovino wanted to be as lazy as always.

Ludwig continued his cooking and once he was finished he called Lovino back into the kitchen. They ate their meal in relative silence. They only talked about some recent developments in the lives of their friends, the atmosphere they shared relaxed and serene. Lovino even kept his swear words at a minimum. Apparently, after they closed up the restaurant yesterday, Antonio had realized that he had left one of the ovens on which was why they had needed to go back to turn it off before the whole building would burn down and why Lovino had been home so late last night.

Well, good things never lasted long. Once they were done with lunch, this cozy atmosphere was destroyed by Lovino. "So, did you make any plans for today aside from dinner or are we just staying in the bedroom, fucking all day?"

Ludwig felt his cheeks heat up. Why did Lovino need to be so crude all the time? Ludwig will probably never get used to his crass language, even after five years together it still made him feel uneasy every time Lovino talked explicitly about their bedroom activities. And he had the feeling that sometimes his boyfriend did it intentionally to make him feel flustered, enjoying his reactions to the crude remarks. Although, the idea in itself did sound kind of appealing…

But just when Ludwig opened his mouth to give his answer, he was interrupted by the ringtone of Lovino's mobile phone that sounded throughout the room.

Lovino groaned, but went over to the couch where he must have tossed his phone yesterday evening after coming home. Hn, he probably threw it at the couch in some sort of revenge after he bumped into it.

"What?!" Lovino barked into the phone and flopped down on the couch.

Ludwig wondered who was calling now. Well, judging from the angry tone and the insults from Lovino, the caller could practically be anyone. "Well, fuck him!" Must be another man, though. Lovino would never speak so rudely to a woman. After one last "Damn it." he ended the call, slumping down back against the couch, one arm over his eyes. Okay, this must have been a really bad call.

"Who was it?"

Lovino sighed. "Antonio. The other cook I traded shifts with fucking called in sick, so he's short on staff. I need to go to work, damn it."

That certainly was an unfortunate turn of events. When Lovino had to work today, then it would not be possible to perform any of the carefully calculated steps of his plan to propose. So what should he do now? It wasn't like he could stop Lovino from working for some selfish reason, even if it was their anniversary. Ludwig was lost in thought about the situation until Lovino's voice brought him back to the present.

"Hey, now don't look like a kicked puppy. I'm sorry, okay?" Lovino crossed his arms. "Not that it's my fault or anything."

He may have been unhappy about this development, but he strongly repelled the part of looking like a puppy. "No, I understand. If the restaurant is understaffed then there's nothing you can do. It's work after all." There's nothing to do if it's duty. Ludwig himself had often cut their time together short in the past when he had to work on an important project that needed to be completed before a certain deadline. So he could really understand it. If only it wouldn't happen today of all days.

"Argh!" Lovino punched one of the pillows net to him before he stood up abruptly, only to kick the couch as his next target. His anger about the situation was tangible. With stomping steps, Lovino came over to him.

"You're coming with me." Lovino grabbed his sleeve and dragged him along into their bedroom. "I wanna do it at least once today, even if it's just a quickie, damn it."

He slammed the door shut behind them, the loud bang resonating throughout the whole house, and continued to let his anger out, together with Ludwig this time, less violent but still aggressive in his actions, leading to some intense love-making.

It hadn't been just a quickie in the end. True to his Italian nature, Lovino took his time – especially when it came to matters of the heart – which led him to leave for work a bit too late in the end, but for once, Ludwig couldn't find the heart to reprimand him for his tardiness. After all, he did benefit greatly from it this time too.

But while he enjoyed this unexpected act of love, it didn't change the fact that their dinner date was ruined. All his careful planning was now rendered meaningless when there was no person he could propose to. The reservation at the restaurant he intended to take Lovino needed to be canceled and he needed to think of another scenario for a proposal. It put him into a sour mood. Who knew when another good opportunity would arise. It would have been perfect to ask Lovino on their anniversary, but that was out of the question now. Urg, he didn't want to think about it anymore. Lovino was already at work and he was left at home with nothing to do.

And he needed something to do with all the free time he had right now. He'd never liked the feeling when he was unproductive and always wanted to use his time in the most efficient way. In the end, Ludwig ended up doing some work in his home office, seeing that he had nothing better to do without Lovino here. He could have read a book or something but he really wasn't in the mood for it. That his perfectly laid out plan was destroyed by a sick co-worker was an eventuality he hadn't prepared for. And working would keep his mind off of things at least.

After some time working on a few documents that were only due in two weeks, his stomach growled. Looking at the clock on his laptop he realized that dinner time was already approaching. More accurately, it was the time he had wanted to leave with Lovino to their date. Being reminded again of their failed anniversary, Ludwig shut his laptop, his mood getting worse. He wouldn't get any more work done with such low spirits. And he was way ahead of schedule anyway.

With a sigh on his lips, he went into the bedroom and opened one of the drawers of the wardrobe where he kept the ring hidden. Because his lazy Italian boyfriend never did the laundry, and basically left all house work to Ludwig, this place had been as good as any for hiding it. Ludwig took the small velvet box into his hands and opened it, the ring's gem shining a bright red in the setting sunlight that fell through the window. He really wanted to give the ring to Lovino today, asking him this one short, but oh so important question to spend their lives together.

He didn't know how long he stood there and stared at the ring, as he let melancholy consume him, thinking about his unwillingly changed afternoon and evening and the missed opportunity. He always hated it when things didn't work out the way he planned them or when something unforeseen happened.

The sudden urge to do it today and to see Lovino swept through him. Was there really no way for him to propose on their anniversary? Lovino did work in a restaurant after all, so the setting would be just like he planned. If he went to Lovino's work place, there should be some chances for him to get a glimpse of his boyfriend, steal him away for a few minutes and pop the question. Maybe his plan could still work like he intended, with a few adjustments here and there. He made up his mind. Nodding to himself, he went to prepare everything for the dinner, his resolve strong und unwavering. He couldn't give up without trying. It was their anniversary and he would ask Lovino today!

Dressed in his finest suit, one that he knew Lovino liked on him, he stepped into the restaurant his Italian boyfriend worked at. He hadn't been here often. Lovino didn't want him to come here, invading his workplace, saying it would only lead to stupid questions from his co-workers that he didn't want to answer.

A young blonde woman with a ribbon in her hair greeted him and led him to a more secluded table for two at the end of the restaurant. He explicitly asked for the private spot, having learned from his dress rehearsal with Feliciano to keep away from possible prying eyes.

He ordered one of the Italian dishes the restaurant had on their menu, being sure that Lovino would be the one cooking it, so he could enjoy one of his boyfriend's delicious meals. And his assumption turned out to be true. He could distinguish the cooking of his boyfriend perfectly, as he was used to the seasoning Lovino liked to use, the combination of the spices was something he will always be able to make out.

Everything was as he imagined the evening to be, just at another restaurant and with one major exception: the seat across from him was empty. He just needed to think of something to get to Lovino. Well, he didn't think that it would be a good idea to just waltz into the kitchen, so maybe there was a way to get Lovino out…

He looked around the room. There had to be something in here that would provide him with an opportunity or at least an idea how to proceed. His eyes eventually landed on the blonde waitress that had been attending to him tonight. Bingo.

She was just about to clear the plates from a nearby table. When she walked by his table, he made a small gesture to get her attention, successfully drawing her to him. "Is everything alright?"

His first instinct was to tell the truth and say that the pasta was delicious but he caught himself before he blurted it out. It would mess up his chance to speak to Lovino. Because right now, he just needed to use a small white lie. He only hoped it would work. "Actually, no. I would like to speak to the chef who cooked this."

She looked taken back by his request. "I'm sorry about that. What is the problem?"

"I will talk to the chef about it, so would you be so kind to bring him here?"

"Ehm, right away, Sir."

He was a bit sorry about lying like that – he's never been one to lie much, preferring honesty even if the truth was a hard one. The waitress looked uncomfortable with his complaint too. Like she hadn't dealt with it often, which was totally understandable when his boyfriend was the cook.

His eyes followed the waitress, how she went back through the door into the kitchen. He only had a few moments left until it was time for the moment of truth. Ludwig took a few deep breaths, mentally preparing for the life-changing question. One calm breath in, and one breath out…

But when he saw Lovino finally leaving the kitchen, his breath and his heart stopped for a moment. Not because Lovino looked especially beautiful or anything similar cheesy – he was still in his working apron after all and his face was contorted with anger – no, it was more like the situation was finally crashing down on him. He was really going to ask Lovino to marry him!

Though, maybe it wasn't his best idea to call for Lovino with a complaint about his cooking skills he was so proud of, even if it was just a ruse to get him out of the kitchen; the food tasted fantastic as always.

But regardless of Lovino's anger – he had enough experience to deal with that – seeing his boyfriend made him realize that, yes, this was it. This was the one moment he had prepared himself for during these last few weeks. And even though it hadn't worked out the way he originally intended, it was close enough. His nervousness accelerated in an instant and his heart beat faster and faster until he could hear the pounding in his ears.

And while it usually was his older brother who could never keep his hands still and took basically everything between his fingers to play around with it, Ludwig found himself twirling the velvet case inside his jacket, finding at least some kind of relief and courage for the events to come. He had wanted to buy flowers too; a small nice flower shop would have been directly on the way between their apartment and the intended restaurant, but seeing that there were some last minute changes about the location, he had to discard this part of his plan.

Lovino turned around the low partition that provided visual cover for the section where he sat, dividing this corner from the rest of the room.

"Okay, so who's the bastard that…" He stopped in the middle of the sentence once he saw Ludwig. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Ehm…" In all his nervousness, Ludwig somehow forgot to think up some words to explain his presence before he got down to business.

"Well, I can understand that you can't get enough of me but I have to work. So if you excuse me," his boyfriend said in a mocking tone, already turning back around to leave.

"Wait!" Ludwig cleared his throat. "Would you please sit down for a short moment?"

He didn't think that the Italian would be so compliant and actually do as he was asked, but after only a few wary glances at him and their surroundings he sat down across from him.

"Okay, so why are you here? If you tell me that you have some weird kink of doing it here, I'll throw this pasta in your face. And by the way, it's some really great pasta so I really don't want to waste it like that."

"That's not…!" he stopped, feeling warmth spreading in his cheeks. Just what did Lovino think of him? Once again, Ludwig took a few long breaths. He needed to stay calm for this and state his intention clearly.

"You know how I had plans for dinner tonight? Well, it wasn't just about the dinner itself, I also wanted to give you a present during it to celebrate our 5th anniversary."

Lovino gave him a skeptical look and crossed his arms in front of him.

"And that couldn't wait or what?"

"No, I didn't want to bother you after you come home from work." Or more like, Lovino would be really grumpy so that he feared it would reflect negatively on his response. Not that Lovino seemed any less irritated right now. "And it really felt like I needed to do this today."

Lovino let out a sigh and looked for a short moment back to the door he came through. "Fine. But make it quick."

Ludwig had prepared a few words to say before he would present the ring, but now they felt insufficient and too plain in his mind. But unable to think of something more fitting and smooth, Ludwig decided to just pull out the small box from his pocket. And Lovino had told to make it quick. His hand was sweaty; another clear sign how important this moment was to him. He couldn't mess up now.

He opened the lid of the box with his other hand and practically shoved it into Lovino's face. "H-here." It took a while for Lovino until he showed a reaction; he may have taken him off-guard. Then suddenly, as if a switch was turned in his head, Lovino's face turned a deep red, a shade Ludwig had only seen once before when he had been asked out by the Italian all these years ago.

"Lovino Vargas, will you marry me?"

Lovino just stared at him with wide eyes, speechless. Then he grabbed the still nearly full wine glass from Ludwig's side of the table and gulped it down in one go. It made Ludwig nervous; he could feel the small droplets of sweat running down his neck. Why wasn't he giving a response and indulged in his love for red wine instead?

Lovino brought the now empty glass down forcefully in a fast movement. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" he hissed.

"W-what?" Definitely not a good reaction. Did he make a mistake somewhere? Or should he have said something before giving the ring after all? Some words to convey his feelings properly. Or-

"You really thought this is the best moment for it?! When I'm at work and already pissed off because of it, you come here, bothering me, telling Emma my cooking sucks and then you ask … that?" He gestured wildly while he talked, alternately pointing between the two of them.

When he was done, he snatched the box out of Ludwig's hand and stood up abruptly. After he glared at him for a few seconds, he stormed away without another word, and therefor leaving him without a clear answer to the proposal. Ludwig sat still in his chair, stupefied about Lovino's reaction. What… had just happened? That was a rejection, wasn't it?

Shocked, frozen solid, he sat there for what felt like eternity, his pasta getting cold, contemplating on what to do next. His mind was a blank. The only reasonable option he came up with was to pay for the meal and leave. And dread the moment Lovino came home, when they would need to talk about what Ludwig had thought when he decided to be so stupid and propose.

The blonde waitress from before came back to his table some time later - he didn't really know just how much time has passed by now - which gave him the perfect opportunity to ask for the bill and get back home, away from yet another embarrassing evening in a restaurant. He laughed bitterly. It seemed like his mock dinner with Feliciano had been more accurate than he would have liked.

"Hey. So you're Ludwig?" He could only nod at this; higher brain functions that were needed for making small talk and actually making sense were still not working right. The waitress smiled sweetly at him.

"I'm Emma. Lovino has told me a lot about you. Though, right now he's completely churned up."

He could only imagine it, how angry the Italian must be at him right now. After all, he had probably just ruined their relationship with an unwanted proposal that would only put pressure on Lovino. He must have sent the waitress to throw Ludwig out.

"He's so happy. He even cried when he came back into the kitchen."

Huh? He turned his full attention to the blonde woman. Was he hearing correctly? Lovino was …happy? But he didn't look happy at all when he had asked him. Had Ludwig missed something? He was so sure that it must have been a rejection.

"But I don't think he'll come out again anytime soon, so maybe it would be the best if you would just come with me," she continued in her monologue.

As if in trance, he stood up and followed the waitress - Emma, was it? - to another door in the back of the room near the one to the kitchen, probably a backroom that was only used for larger events. Once they were inside, the waitress addressed him again. "Just wait here for a second." And then she was gone again, leaving him alone with his thoughts in the empty room.

Could she be right? Did he misinterpret Lovino's reaction? He guessed that it was possible. While Ludwig tended to not react at all when he had to deal with embarrassing and emotional overwhelming situations, Lovino's first instinct had always been to run away and get as far as possible from whatever made him feel uncomfortable. The only question was if it was the good or bad kind of uncomfortable. Was Lovino just embarrassed or angry?

Hope began to blossom in his chest again. Maybe there was still a chance for a favorable outcome of this evening.

The door the waitress had left through opened again and a complaining Lovino came into view as he was pushed into the room by Emma who only grinned sheepishly at the whole situation.

She lingered in the doorway, one hand on the door handle. "Have fun you two! But don't take too long. You know Antonio can't handle the orders alone for too long before he starts to panic." She closed the door, letting them have some privacy.

They stood awkwardly in the room, facing each other, some distance between them that at the moment felt way greater than it actually was. How should he start the conversation after what happened? While he still contemplated what would be the perfect ice breaker for this kind of situation – hadn't been there something similar in the book he read last night? – Lovino beat him to it.

"Here." He threw the velvet box at him, which Ludwig caught with ease. Well, at least his reflexes were still working. "I don't need it."

Ludwig felt a cold chill going through his bones. So it was a refusal after all, despite what the waitress had said about Lovino being happy. She must have read something wrong; Lovino wasn't the easiest to understand after all. For the second time this evening, he felt his hopes getting crushed, like a big rock that fell straight onto his heart. He opened the small lid, wanting to see the ring one last time, and perhaps to wallow in self-pity, before he would never take a look at it again as it would only remind him of this shameful day.

But to his utter surprise, the box was empty, no ring in sight. Instantly, he looked back up at Lovino who stood there with his arms crossed, not looking at him but at some invisible spot to his right and with a deep blush on his cheeks. And then he saw it: the ring, worn around the ring finger of Lovino's left hand.

Before he knew what he was doing - his mind was a complete blank once again - Ludwig crossed the short distance between them, pulling Lovino to him with one hand around the other's neck and one around his waist. They kissed, full of passion, their lips pressed hard against one another. Ludwig put all his feelings into it. Feelings of relief, of joy, of happiness and most of all, of love; and he could swear that he felt the same intensity in emotions from Lovino, returned with just as much vigor.

They remained like that for a while, clinging to each other, the initial passion slowly dropping as their lips moved more slowly together with time. They basked in this joyous moment together, this moment of deciding to spend their lives with another, of knowing that the other feels the same.

When they eventually parted, they were both out of breath, staring into each other's eyes. Ludwig brought the hand he had at Lovino's neck to his cheek, drawing small circles with his thumb. He was still so caught up in the moment. Nothing else seemed to matter right now but this grumpy, irritating, feisty and cute Italian in front of him. And the knowledge that he would be his for however long they lived.

"Lovi~. I really need you back in the kitchen now." A loud and cheerful voice sounded from the room next door.

The moment between them broken, they both turned their heads towards the voice, staring at the door until Lovino eventually broke the silence. "Fuck, I need to go back." Lovino had his hands still on his chest, playing a bit with his tie. "Make sure to be awake when I come home. I don't care how early you have to get up, but we have some unfinished business."

Lovino shot him one last enticing look before he went back into the kitchen, leaving him standing there in the big empty room, still a bit bewildered about the emotional roller coaster he was riding tonight. He hadn't returned his composure yet, the events of this evening still replaying in his mind, from the first moments of nervousness over the fear of rejection until it finally came down to relief and happiness.

He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to calm down. Lovino had really accepted! Mind you, not like it would be done normally by simply saying yes, but for once Ludwig didn't care if things were going by the book or not. Only the end result was important to him now. Lovino and he, they were really going to marry! Ludwig felt a form of lightness in his chest he never experienced before, almost making him dizzy, the relief how things turned out overruling every other emotion in this moment.

Until a small grin spread across his face. Well, it seemed like he won't be getting any sleep tonight.

The End

Thank you for reading!

This story is unbetad so there are probably quite a few mistakes. Still, any feedback and comments are appreciated.