For half a second, all Feliciano could do was stare. Ludwig. That was his name. After all this time. Ludwig, who must work at a bank. Ludwig, whose brother was an albino; the very same brother Feliciano was supposedly dating. Feliciano grinned and hopped forward, shoving his hand toward Ludwig's face.

"Ludwig!" Feliciano chirped happily. "I've heard so much about you from Gilbert." He laughed at the expression at Ludwig's face. "I think it's really sweet you pick up your brother's dry cleaning. My brother would punch me in the face if I asked him."

Slowly, the blond shook Feliciano's hand, shooting a pointed look at Gilbert. Gilbert's smile tightened at the edges, and he threw an easy arm around Feliciano's shoulders as Ludwig released his hand. Feliciano looked at the other two people at the table—Gun Guy and his sister—who were both staring at him. Feliciano gave them a little wave.

"Sorry we were running late—we even missed the appetizers." Gilbert sighed, shaking his head remorsefully. "Traffic and all that. But," He straightened, gesturing toward Feliciano, "This is Feliciano, my boyfriend." He emphasized the word, grinning at the Gun Guy. "Feliciano, this is Vash Zwingli, and his sister, Lili."

Feliciano smiled at the pair. "Oh, it's nice to meet you! Gilbert told me about you two, too!" Gilbert casually tightened his arm around Feliciano's neck, and Feliciano figured that he really didn't need to add more to the previous statement.

"Well, it's nice you decided to show up, you and your boyfriend." Vash said, loud and brash. Feliciano felt Gilbert stiffen next to him, and he could almost see the spark of animosity pass between the two.

Hurriedly, Ludwig intervened, standing up. "I'll get us an extra chair. I only thought four of us were coming so…" Feliciano met his eyes, and Ludwig stammered for a moment before finally hurrying off to get a staff member to issue them a chair.

Gilbert snorted and released Feliciano, grabbing a spare chair from an unused table, plopping it down and sitting at the head of the table. Feliciano took the remaining seat at the end, with Lili sitting on his left and, when he returned, Ludwig across. There was a moment of tense silence before Gilbert finally snapped,

"So, Vash…" Gilbert tipped back in his chair, hands resting on his stomach as he surveyed the man. Feliciano hadn't even registered that Gilbird was still nestled in Gilbert's hair, but Vash was staring at the bird. "How did you come to hear of me and my brother's business?"

Vash crossed his arms, switching his glare to Gilbert. "Well, I thought he would have told you."

Gilbert's easy grin faltered and he furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

Vash smirked, "Oh, Roderich invited me to one of your parties, telling me that I should invest." His small smile hardened into a thin line. "And then you tried to flirt with my sister."

Gilbert leaned forward in his chair, about to protest when Ludwig returned with a waiter, who had brought a chair. There was a moment of confusion as Ludwig stared at the extra chair Gilbert was occupying, before turning to the waiter.

"Just an extra plate, please." Ludwig requested, before returning to his own seat. Feliciano drank in Ludwig's features, thinking that he was much better looking at a dinner table than across the street. Blond hair gelled back, with intelligent blue eyes that darted nervously from Gilbert to Vash. Feliciano noticed that Ludwig's cheeks were slightly pink, but he might have been mistaken with the poor illumination in the building.

Ludwig cleared his throat, "So I guess we should discuss…"

"Not before I've had my beer." Gilbert interrupted.

Feliciano, not sure what his purpose was now that Gilbert was safe from being shot, let his eyes wander across the table. He tried to avoid looking at Ludwig as he argued with his brother, and finally his eyes landed on something he could occupy himself with.

There, open but not yet drunk from, sat a bottle of red wine.

Instantly, Feliciano grabbed the bottle and poured himself a drink, grinning. Lili next to him watched curiously, eyeing Feliciano as he took a large gulp to calm his nerves. Feliciano poured wine in her cup too, wondering if she was old enough to drink. She had blonde hair a shade lighter than her brother's, with the same blue-green eyes. She looked young, but Feliciano assumed that if she was old enough to be in business, she was old enough to drink.

"That's a very pretty dress." Feliciano said quietly, trying not to interrupt the other three men's discussion. He took another sip, gesturing for Lili to do the same.

Slowly, she picked up the glass, but didn't drink. "Thank you. I sewed it myself."

Feliciano's eyes widened. What a talent! Once, Elizabeta had tried to teach everyone at Alicia's House how to stitch, knit, and sew. She took an entire afternoon off, determined to pass the talent on so that the others could fix their own tears in their clothes. The most that anyone learned was how to make themselves bleed. Only Kiku and Feliks had learned how to do all three, and Feliciano had managed to pick up stitching.

"You made that dress?" Feliciano exclaimed, finishing off his glass of wine. "That's incredible! I once tried to learn how to knit, but I kept getting the crossing and bringing around of the thread all messed up, and my scarf ended up looking all weird. How long did it take you?"

Lili looked down, smiling shyly. "It only took a week or two. I have trouble sleeping, so making clothes is what helps me calm down and get to sleep."

Feliciano whistled, pouring himself another glass of wine. He was feeling more relaxed with the wine settling easily in his stomach. "Only a week? I have this friend who would love to meet you. She has to fix clothes a lot, and I'd bet she'd kill to know how you sew so fast."

"I could give her a few tips." Lili admitted, adjusting a bow that rested in her short hair. "Maybe I could give you my number to pass along." She added quietly, "It'd be nice to have someone to discuss with…"

Feliciano laughed. "That would be great! Do you like to cook? Because—"

Someone cleared their throat, and Feliciano turned to find the other three men at the table staring at him. Feliciano smiled awkwardly, fiddling with his wine cup. Perhaps he had been speaking a little louder than he had meant to.

Vash raised an eyebrow. "What do you do for a living, Feliciano?"

Feliciano panicked internally. He had always been terrible at lying, but he couldn't just tell these businessmen that he was a prostitute. God, the looks he would get, the utter revolution they would feel. Feliciano could feel the seconds tick on, and he found himself staring at Ludwig as he fumbled with his words.

"I… I… I'm…" Feliciano could feel his face heating up, and he began to feel dizzy with anxiety. He knew he would let it slip—his brain couldn't think of a lie fast enough.

"He works as a counselor down on School Street." Gilbert, like a voice from God, stepped in.

"Yes!" Feliciano said a little too loudly, leaning forward on the table, smiling broadly. "I'm a counselor! Of course I'm a counselor. You, you..." He took a sip of wine, looking around the table. He laughed nervously. "Vash! You sell guns, right?"

Both of Vash's eyebrows were now raised, and he gave Feliciano a wary look as he answered. "… Yes. My sister and I co-own a line of Swiss craftsmanship guns. We export mainly to Europe, but we've recently opened stores in America. However, we were looking to invest our stocks, but I'm questioning whether or not—"

Just then, the table's waiter stepped up, interrupting Vash. "Would you like to hear our specials, or are we ready to place an order?"

Feliciano grinned, looking forward to the meal. Ludwig and Gilbert ordered 'their regular,' and Vash ordered for himself and Lili. The waiter turned toward Feliciano expectantly, and Feliciano realized he had absolutely no idea what was on the menu. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled up at the waiter.

"Pasta."

The waiter stared blankly at Feliciano. "A… Any specific pasta, sir?"

Surprisingly, Ludwig cut in, facing the waiter in a huff. "He ordered pasta. Bring him pasta. Also, another bottle of this wine." He nodded toward the bottle of wine that Feliciano hadn't even realized he had continued to drink from, and which was now almost empty with the help from Vash. Gilbert and Ludwig had chosen to drink beer instead.

"Yes, sir." The waiter nodded quickly and hurried away.

When the next bottle of wine arrived, Feliciano continued to drink and chat amiably with Lili as the other three discussed the stock market and who knows what.

"What hobbies do you have, Feliciano?" Lili asked, turning more in her seat to talk to Feliciano. She had finally started to drink some of the wine, and was slightly more relaxed as she spoke to Feliciano, but she was still very shy.

Feliciano thought for a moment, wondering if abstractly naming people counted as a hobby. "Well, I draw. Not professionally or anything, but I'm trying to get better, though the supplies cost so much." Feliciano noticed that one of the other three talking at the table stumbled slightly, but he ignored it and focused on Lili.

Lili's eyes brightened, and she turned to her brother. "Bruder, hast du einen Stift und ein Blatt Papier?" Feliciano worried for a moment how drunk someone had to be before they started hearing gibberish. He glanced down at his wine cup and gingerly placed it on the table.

Vash paused before pulling out a small pad of paper and pen out of his pocket, handing it to Lili. Lili thanked him before turning to Feliciano, shyly offering him the two objects. "Do you think you could show me?"

Feliciano blinked, and then laughed, taking the paper and pen. "Sure! I haven't practiced today, and they say you should always try to draw at least one thing a day, even if it's a doodle. What should I draw?" He asked, resting the pad of paper on his knee.

Lili blushed and shrugged, turning back to her drink. Feliciano bit his lip and began to work, deciding to draw Lili. It was difficult to do with such a small canvas, and when he was half way through the food arrived. Feliciano sighed and put down the paper on the table as his pasta was placed down in front of him. He figured he could finish when he was done eating, but Lili grabbed the paper just as Feliciano dug into his meal.

"Oh, no, Lili—" Feliciano cringed, slowly swallowing his mouthful of food. "Oh… This… this is horrible…" Feliciano stared at the plate of pasta, drinking down a gulp of wine to stave off the lingering taste. Was this restaurant supposed to be gourmet? Feliciano could make better pasta than that when he was six. Lovino would have smashed the plate of food down on the ground if he had ever been presented that.

Meanwhile, Lili was studying the picture as she picked at her food. "Feliciano, you're a wonderful artist." She looked up at him, giving him a tiny smile. "You should sell these."

Feliciano chuckled as he pushed his plate of food away. He was aware of Vash's and Ludwig's eyes upon him, and he shook his head. "Oh, no. Really it's just a pastime. I'd have to buy so much paint and canvases that really I wouldn't even break even…" He brightened, "But thank you for the complement!"

Everyone dug into their meals, and there was a lull in the conversation. Feliciano noticed that the restaurant was beginning to empty out, and he could feel a tired fog settle over his eyes. He looked across at Ludwig, who was determinedly avoiding eye contact.

Feliciano yawned, covering his mouth quickly. "Ah… Excuse me? Ludwig?" Feliciano was worried that the German might snap at him. All evening, Ludwig had avoided conversation and eye contact, and Feliciano assumed that Ludwig wasn't fond of his brother's new 'boyfriend.' "Do you have the time?"

Ludwig nodded quickly, glancing down at his watch. "It's 12:18."

Feliciano felt his exhaustion vanish in a flash of panic. "Oh! I have to get home! It's so late! Feliciano turned to Gilbert, frowning. "Gilbert, I really have to leave now." He tried to keep the desperation out of his voice, while at the same time trying to weigh the amount of trouble he'd get into versus the money he'd be receiving.

Vash pushed back from the table, nodding in agreement. "Lili and I also have to go. It's late, and we'll have to discuss if we're investing or not tomorrow. Thanks for the meal. Lili…?" He stood and helped Lili out of her seat, heading toward the door.

"Bye, Lili!" Feliciano called, grinning and waving.

Feliciano turned back to the table, drumming his fingers on the table as Gilbert and Ludwig stared each other down. Finally, Ludwig asked, "So, when did you and Feliciano meet, Gilbert?"

Gilbert laughed, slowly standing up. "That's a funny story, West." Feliciano followed suit, standing next to Gilbert as Ludwig rose. "See, it was a cosmic moment." He began to move toward the front desk, pulling Feliciano by his sleeve, with Ludwig trailing. "Our eyes met, and we knew—" He slowed, "Are you paying the tab?"

Ludwig straightened, "I thought we'd split."

Gilbert grimaced as they reached the front desk, turning to Feliciano, "I'll go get the car. You… stay… here…" He bounded out the front door, leaving a fuming Ludwig and confused Feliciano behind.

Feliciano began to follow Gilbert as Ludwig paid the tab, but he found that it had started raining. He didn't want to ruin Ludwig's expensive suit, so he found himself dawdling at the door. Feliciano felt someone behind him and whipped around, relieved to only find an awkward Ludwig.

"Do you think he left me?" Feliciano asked lightly, smiling at Ludwig sadly.

Ludwig coughed and looked away, shaking his head. "No, I don't think so. If he did, I could…" Ludwig didn't finish, sticking his head out of the door to look for Gilbert's car. Finally, after a seconds pause, he turned to Feliciano. "Do you dye your hair?" He asked loudly.

Feliciano frowned, staring up at Ludwig. Finally, the question and wine caught up to him at the same time, and Feliciano burst out laughing. "No! No I…" He giggled, holding his stomach. "I couldn't afford to!" Feliciano shook his head, smiling. He looked up at the mortified Ludwig, about to say something, when Gilbert's car pulled up to the curb, honking. Feliciano looked from the car to Ludwig, torn. "I hope we can see each other again soon, Ludwig." Was all he was able to say.

While Ludwig was stammering a response, Feliciano dashed out into the rain and jumped into Gilbert's car. As Gilbert sped away, Feliciano looked back toward the restaurant, and he could have sworn he saw a blond head poking out from the building.

…

Feliciano sat bolt upright in bed, gasping for air. It was still early morning, too early for even the sun to be up. Feliciano's head ached, and he felt groggy and faintly nauseous. He rested his head in his hands, breathing deeply.

It had to have been a dream. It couldn't… Feliciano in a suit, going to the most expensive place he's ever been to, seeing…

Something crinkled in Feliciano's pocket, and he looked down to see a wrinkled check half sticking out of the fabric. From Gilbert, his brain supplied helpfully. Feliciano fell back onto his bed, sighing happily. It had been real. Feliciano fell slowly back to sleep.

Ludwig…

Hetalia: I own none of it.

I... I did it! *Cheer* See, it's because finals are coming up, so I'll do anything other than studying.

A huge, amazing thanks to all the people who continue to ask me to update, suggest new ideas, and put up with my crappy updating habits. XD You'll never know how much you mean to me! *Sob*

Translations:

Bruder, hast du einen Stift und ein Blatt Papier? : Brother, do you have a pen and some paper?

I love you all. ;-;