Title: Watching the Ink Flow

Summary: Arthur/Ludwig. Meeting on New Years Eve, 1913, a romance develops which, unbeknownst to both, will be put to the test in the years that follow.

Disclaimer: I do not own and never will.

Warning: Slash, don't like don't read.

A/N: I'm had this story on my mind for the past week which has been incredibly annoying since I was staying with a friend in France and could not write. Ironically we met on here! ^^ I did ask her what she thought about the pairing while we were waiting for pizza. Hahahaha. Good times. Anyway, my twisted mind presents to you ...

Chapter 1

New Years Eve, 1913.

Arthur sat amongst his so called friends and chose not to speak. He wasn't going to be tricked into buying everyone drinks again, nor was he going to feel sympathy and back down from his moral position and buy all the drinks again like last time. Why he even chose to go out with the lot of them was something that kept his mind busy. He could only come up with one possible answer.

He now lived in a big, desolate of life house and his parents, though who live nearby, were out the country.

Arthur inwardly groaned. Whoever said wealth brought happiness, lied. He was miserable. For all the money, education and privileges he had, he would give it up in a flash just to have a good friend who wasn't interested in him for his money.

The group he was sat with continued acting the clowns. The more they drank the noisier and more boisterous they became. Arthur looked around the room in a silent, helpless despair.

Someone though, caught his eye.

Arthur's attention had been caught by a silent, seemingly brooding, blonde haired man in the corner. Arthur watched him as he continuously sipped his beer quietly, looking not lost, but out of place. It didn't take Arthur long to realise he wasn't not just from London, but not from England at all. The young man had a serious, almost stern expression on his face but there were moments when Arthur watched closely enough when he saw the features soften and become delicate looking, a smile touching his lips briefly before disappearing on the winds of time, never to return.

Arthur found himself most taken with him. Deciding that his company was becoming too much for him to bear, Arthur politely excused himself though none of them heard him before headed over to make the young man's acquaintance.

"Good evening, is this seat vacant?" Arthur asked cheerfully, clutching his drink in his other hand. The young man he was addressing looked up, a shocked expression flashing across his features before being replaced with expression bordering on annoyance.

"No." The man answered, nearly slipping back into his native tongue but catching himself right at the last second. He mistakenly believed the man stood smiling at him just wanted to have the chair because there was nowhere else to sit at that current time. It didn't matter to him who had the chair, he wasn't expecting anyone.

"I am not familiar with your accent. Where did you say you were from?" Arthur asked politely, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"I didn't say." The man replied back gruffly, his stunning blue eyes occasionally flicking up to see if the Englishman was still there. Arthur refused to be defeated. This young man had caught his attention without having to utter a word, and it wasn't because he was looking desperately for a distraction that he had noticed him.

"Kismet." Arthur breathed.

"What!" The young man's head shot up faster than lightening, leaving Arthur wondering how he didn't cause himself an injury in doing so. A smile quickly graced his lips as he leaned back in his chair and surveyed the other man from his position across the table. Arthur was most entertained with this anomaly. There was something in the stoic, well built might of the man that attracted him like a moth to a flame. Leaning his head on one side, Arthur studied his expression and how his jaw was set before continuing.

"Whatever it is you thought I said, you misheard." He smiled sweetly as he took a sip of his drink. "Come, it is not a crime for a man to keep another company when the latter clearly has none forthcoming. You're foreign; are you hear on your own?"

"If I tell you, will you leave me alone?"

"That depends. The air of mystery that you are shrouded in is a lure to me. I don't get much of that in the circles I belong to by birth. It gets most monotonous and tedious." Arthur leaned forward across the table a little. "Very few don't give me straight answers to the questions I ask. It's admirable you feel yourself in the minority." Leaning back in his chair once more, Arthur pulled out a cigarette and started to smoke, offering one across the table. The young man at first hesitated, his sense telling him to decline, but this new acquaintance sat before him aroused his curiosity. He was speaking with someone who was most certainly above him in station. Relenting, he took one and allowed the Englishman to light it for him. "What is your name?"

"Ludwig."

"Arthur." Arthur held his hand out across the table to be shook. Ludwig watched it for several seconds before extending his own and shaking it solidly. "Allow me to refill your drink." Ludwig watched in amazement as his drink was refilled. He didn't even know this man! He was silently touched though that such a trivial act of kindness would be shown to him. He had been in England now for just over a week, and no one had done what the Englishman, dressed all in green with the bird nest like hair had just done for him. It was then that Ludwig realised that Arthur's eyes matched his suit; a deep emerald green contrast with pale, milky white skin. He even walked with a refined elegance and everything about him from posture to his smile was saturated with wealth and education. Ludwig suddenly felt overwhelmed. Why was this Englishman who had such material possessions and station in the world want with talking to him? He had nothing to compare. How he was dressed was a statement that he owned very little in the world.

"You never did answer my question." Arthur spoke softly as he sat down again. "Where are you from?"

"Germany, Berlin to be precise." Ludwig answered. Arthur noticed that Ludwig's eyes were averted once more. He knew why. It wasn't hard to tell, especially since it happened a lot. It wasn't his fault that his parents ranked fifth in the country for wealth. However, not everyone saw this. Arthur had in fact been quite a lonely child.

"Please, do not think that I am a spoilt little child whom thinks he's better than everyone else because of a privileged birth. Too many make that assumption. Those who do talk to me I wouldn't trust with a can of bake beans. I know why they stay close to me. It's one of the worst kept secrets in London." Arthur smiled, but there was sourness behind his words. He secretly held a hope that he could find a long needed friend that wasn't just out for his money in Ludwig. Ludwig heard it and felt a pang of guilt towards the Englishman because of his own behaviour. He felt that his coldness towards him was unfounded now, though it's always easy to form such a resolve with hindsight.

Arthur felt that the conversation had taken a turn for the worse and attempted to steer it back on course. "Berlin. What brings such a charming gentleman as youself away from such a vibrant city at such a joyous time of the year?"

"Work. I am an apprentice in a heavy industry in Germany. The owner has sent me for two weeks to England to have a tour around the English equivalents. He also said travel would be good for me. Apparently I am a recluse."

"How delightful." Arthur commented, his emerald eyes alight with interest. Ludwig could see by his animated face that he had captured his fascination. "How have you found it so far?"

"Pleasurable ... though I know no one."

"I can rectify that if you wish." Ludwig smiled as a faint blush appeared on his cheeks. Remembering Arthur's implied loneliness, he gracefully accepted such a friendship. "How old are you?"

"21."

"23."

Both chuckled lightly before continuing on in their conversation. They discussed everything that passed through their minds and quickly the hours disappeared. London and Berlin were popular talking points. Ludwig tried to teach Arthur a little German while Arthur complimented none stop on Ludwig's English. Both found they delighted in one another's company and found their families, previous experiences and stories being shared as though they were friends of over ten years.

Arthur looked down at his watch before being struck with a sudden thought. "How are you spending the rest of tonight?" Ludwig gestured with his hands that he hadn't intended much beyond having a drink before disappearing back to his hotel. "Have you seen Big Ben? I intend on going there for when the clock strikes midnight. Do you wish to accompany me?"

"Errrmm ... I do not see why not."

Grabbing his coat and paying for both his and Ludwig's drinks, Arthur looking over his shoulder and saw that he was still not missed, which was an obvious outcome really. Until he was needed to pick up the tab, he was invisible. He could have a stroke and no one would have notice. Well, not tonight. The corners of his mouth were being tugged by a blossoming smile which was born from anticipation and excitement. He felt that he had made the best decision of his life to leave that table when he did and pursue after his captured interest. Looking back to Ludwig, the word kismet reappeared in his mind.

Pulling Ludwig out onto the snowy London street with five minutes left before midnight, Arthur kept his arm linked with Ludwig's as he took off down the street, doing a speed nearer to running than to walking. Ludwig expression quickly turned to a smile as he was dragged behind the determined Englishman. He found it oh so amusing that he had gone from knowing no one to knowing the most eccentric Englishman in London in the duration of one evening.

Large, fluffy snowflakes started to fall from the heavens, which quickly increasing in quantity. Arthur's eyes became like sauces as he looked up and tracked the dancing flakes down to the ground as he walked. He was grateful that there was no one on that particular street at that time because he would have most certainly have walked into them. Ludwig watched with fascination as Arthur's attention had been side tracked to look up at the snow before returning his attention to where he was going. The pavement was quickly becoming deeper in snow underfoot as Arthur continued to guide Ludwig through the maze of streets. The London streets were certainly a maze to get lost in for anyone who didn't know how to navigate them.

Ludwig was confused at first due to the numerous streets they had gone down. He was very misplaced now. However, he was even more confused than before when in the sight of the landmark, he was shoved into a side ally where they were out of sight but they could still see the clock. Ludwig had barely gathered his senses though when Arthur pressed his lips hard against his own, his body slightly trembling due to the cold. Ludwig found himself kissing back with vigour, delighted how the smaller man moaned in reaction. Arthur's lithe body in his arms felt right, spontaneity befriending them both within a few moments of one another. Ludwig pushed himself from the wall and in quick succession had twisted around so as to press Arthur against it, pinning him firmly between himself and the stone wall. Arthur's hands roaming, dishevelling his hair, sent bolts of electricity shooting up and down his spine in rapid succession.

Breaking the kiss for some much needed air, Arthur stood and studied Ludwig threw sparkling emerald eyes. Ludwig was most taken with the delicate blush that had appeared on Arthur's cheeks, though from the cold or from the kiss would never be distinguished. Big Ben struck midnight, marking the beginning of the New Year, 1914, as an eruption went off in the sky above, filling the sky with colour. Arthur watched with a child like glee. Ludwig wrapped his arms around Arthur and pulled his shaking form to him, trying to share a little body heat. Arthur's attention turned from the sky and Big Ben back to him, his smile growing as he went up onto his tip toes to whisper in Ludwig's ear.

"Spend the night with me."

Ludwig looked at him with more than a little surprise written across his features. Arthur's smile though was too much to say no to.

"I would love to." Ludwig smiled before pressing Arthur against him, connecting their lips in a passionate, delicious kiss once more.