A calloused thumb traced gentle curves over taut pale skin, leaving invisible, intricate swirls over and over in the same tender spot.

On the other side of the room in his favorite armchair, Ludwig watched in breathless fascination from behind the screen of his laptop, fingers frozen over the keyboard. He barely dared to breathe, lest he disturb the picture playing out in front of him.

He'd originally come into the living room to get some work done in a less stuffy atmosphere than his study. He'd even managed to complete several reports in peace and comfort and knew he would be well prepared for Monday's internal meeting. He felt relaxed and quite satisfied with the day. But then Gilbert emerged from the kitchen and plopped down, sprawling across the couch with his back propped up against the armrest without even a 'good afternoon'. Ludwig had long ago grown used to this complete disregard for social niceties, and ignored him right back.

That is, until Gilbert stated acting obscene.

He started tracing those damn circles into that pretty flesh and Ludwig hadn't gotten so much as a memo written since. Now Gilbert's other hand reached out to join its counterpart, both thumbs mirroring each other while the rest of his fingers reached around in a cupping motion. He hefted the weight in his hands experimentally, as if it were the most important object in the room.

Ludwig felt a groan try to make its way past his throat and stomped it down with a savage bite to his lip. The slightest sound wormed its way through to escape but at the last minute he managed to turn it into a cough. Red hot heat suffused his face and he silently thanked whomever was listening that Gilbert hadn't even glanced in his direction, too caught up his own ministrations to notice his little brother coming undone not half a room away.

Feliciano, as his first real friend, had always taken seriously his self-imposed duty to coach Ludwig in the finer points of non-awkward social interaction. (It was part of the pinky swear, apparently. To this day, the regulations and protocols governing such pacts in times of peace continued to elude him, so in this one area, he was content to place his trust in his friend.) Well, Ludwig surely didn't need him here now to know that what he was doing, the unabashed staring, the indecent thoughts, the– he took one hand away from the keyboard to palm himself through his jeans –lust, was most certainly on the it-would-be-best-if-you-didn't-do-that-because-it's-scary list.

This was entirely inappropriate. No, it had passed inappropriate some time ago. He was teetering on the edge of summoning the requisite willpower to pick himself up off the chair and leave the room (laptop held securely over his crotch), when Gilbert did the unthinkable.

Slowly, achingly, he brought both hands to his mouth and sunk his teeth lovingly into that gorgeous flesh. The crunching and snapping noise as Gilbert bit firmly into the apple was audible from across the room and this time Ludwig couldn't stop the moan that escaped him.

At that, Gilbert seemed to finally realize he had an audience. He finished taking the bite and swallowed. Without realizing, Ludwig swallowed too, mirroring his actions.

"Really, West?" Gilbert asked incredulously, turning his head at the sound. "Apples? That's what gets you off."

Ludwig said nothing, torn between embarrassment and all-consuming arousal. He ached to touch himself again, but couldn't bring himself to go through with it while Gilbert's eyes still bored into him.

"You're so fucking strange," said Gilbert, not waiting for a proper answer. But he was smiling as he raised the apple (oh, happy apple!) back to his mouth and took another bite, eyes locked on to Ludwig the entire time.

Ludwig licked his lips as his eyes traced the line where the apple met Gilbert's mouth, the line of his jaw as he chewed, the undulation of his throat as he swallowed the whole delectable bite all in one obscene mouthful.

He surged into action before he even fully realized it, tossing the laptop, still open, on to the abandoned chair behind him. He reached the side of the couch just in time for the third bite.

Using the momentum he'd gathered on the approach, he leaned over the couch, grabbed Gilbert by both shoulders, and forcefully pinned him to the couch's armrest. Not pausing to let him react, Ludwig smashed their lips together. Normally, his brother relished meeting violence with violence and despite the years without his own country, he was still scary good at physical combat. Ludwig braced for a retaliation that never came. Gilbert didn't even try to fight back, and if the muffled laughter Ludwig felt against his mouth was any indication, he was clearly enjoying himself.

Taking that as encouragement, Ludwig forced his tongue inside. Not that Gilbert needed much coaxing to let it happen. With one swipe of his tongue, he captured the still-whole piece of apple and quickly withdrew, breaking the kiss and claiming his trophy. It was delicious.

With an accomplished nod of his head, he stood up and joined Gilbert on the couch, straddling his hips and grinding against him, relishing the wave of heat the contact provided. His hands found the hem of Gilbert's t-shirt and burrowed beneath it, stroking intently up the hard planes of his stomach and then back down his sides.

"If this is the view I'm rewarded with, I should eat apples more often." Gilbert was smirking up at him. What was left of the apple remained in his hand, lazily hanging off the side of the couch in the aftermath of Ludwig's assault. He brought it back to his lips.

Ludwig made no move to intervene.

"I cannot allow it," he replied. His legs clamped around Gilbert tighter in an effort to keep himself from moving. "I would never get any work done. It would imperil the entire European financial system."

Gilbert ran the apple across his lips with the smooth, unbroken side. Pale yellow against pink. Back and forth, back and forth, and Ludwig realized just how uncomfortably tight his jeans had become. Before he could remedy the problem, there was the crunch of another bite and Ludwig released the breath he didn't even realize he was holding.

This time when Gilbert finished the bite and lowered the apple, there was a tiny drop of juice clinging to the corner of his mouth. Like a man starved, Ludwig ripped his hands out from under the t-shirt and lunged forward. He seized Gilbert by the sides of his head, thumbs caressing his jawline, and kissed the edge of his mouth directly over the offending droplet.

"Sounds perfect," Gilbert murmured. Then he turned his head within the confines of Ludwig's grip to kiss him full on the mouth and ground his hips upward to meet him and Ludwig decided that, just for today, the economy could take care of itself.