Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

AusIce: Bowled

Emil frowned as he entered the kitchen. It was a mess, and Roderich was still doing… something. He watched the Austrian for a few minutes, until Roderich noticed him.

"Oh, Emil," Roderich said. "How long have you been standing there?"

"A while," Emil replied. "What are you making?"

"Cake. Tomorrow's your birthday, isn't it?"

Emil startled. He couldn't recall mentioning something like that to Roderich at all.

"How did you know?" Emil asked.

"Your brother told me," Roderich said. "He suspected that you didn't tell me. Said you always felt a bit self-conscious about it." Roderich turned to him with a firm look. "There is nothing to feel self-conscious about."

Emil blushed. He should have known that his brother interfered. He watched as Roderich poured the batter into the baking trays before placing them in the oven. Emil frowned when Roderich handed the bowl over to him.

"In my family, we had this tradition," Roderich said. "The one whose birthday it is gets to lick out the bowl."

Emil looked down at the bowl. He remembered when his mother would bake a cake and let them lick out the bowl. He tentatively scooped some of the leftover batter onto his finger and gave it a lick. Well, Roderich had always been a good baker. If he weren't a musician, he could just as easily have been a confectioner.

"You didn't have to do any of this," Emil said.

"Of course I did," Roderich said. "It's your birthday. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't treat you at least a little?"

Emil blushed, but a small smile still crossed his face as he continued to lick.

My family also has this tradition where the birthday person licks out the bowl. My recent birthday gave birth to this idea, and I chose Iceland for this story because the two of us share a birthday. I wanted to finish this chapter last week but I didn't have enough time, but I did manage to get a few other chapters done before I posted last week.

And I have an announcement: On Wednesday, 30 June, I will start posting a new story titled Ghost. The story has been finished, and is only four chapters, along with a prologue and an epilogue. The dates are relevant, so instead of my normal weekly updates, that story will be updated daily. The pairing is PortCan, so also falls under HCSS.