Cross-posted from hetachallenge
Title: Before I met You, My Life Was Incomplete
Author: kira
Claim: Germany, Italy
Character(s): Germany, Italy
Table/Prompt: Romance/ Prompt #14: Before
Word Count: 559
Rating: G
Summary: While out enjoying a cup of cappuccino, Italy sketches Germany while he reads his book…
Author’s note: Thanks to my beta, Jen, for looking this over for me…
They sat in an outdoor café, enjoying a cappuccino, while Italy drew in his sketchbook and Germany read his book. Italy was a lot happier now that he had opened up to his friend about the boy he had loved when he was younger. Even though the boy was a brother of Germany’s that he had never met, he was happy to hear about him. Besides, that was something that happened before they knew each other and now that they talked about it, Italy felt like a great weight had been lifted from his heart. He had even started drawing again, something that had once brought Holy Roma a lot of joy, was now bringing it to Germany.
“Ve… ve… ve…” Italy sang softly as he shaded his drawing, smudging the lines near Germany’s nose to cast a shadow on his cheek. He was drawing him as he read, which was a simple enough pose to keep, Germany being very engrossed in his book. “Ve… ve… ve…” he repeated to himself like a mantra, the nonsense syllables a soothing song against the noise of the street and the passers-by.
Germany looked up as he turned the page. “Can I see it?”
“Not yet…” Italy said as he concentrated on his portrait. “Look down again.”
“Like this?” Germany went back to reading.
“Yeah…” Italy added more subtle shading with his fingertip, blurring some of the lines, only to redraw them with a firmer hand. “I’m almost done,” he said and Germany’s lips twitched briefly upwards in response to the smile he heard in Italy’s voice.
Germany kept reading. He had never had a good friend like this before and he was eager to please him, not that Italy was that difficult to please. A gelato cone, a walk in the park with the dogs, cooking dinner for him and on occasion Prussia would join them; simple things that brought them closer and strengthened their bond. At night when Italy snuggled up next to him in bed and told him stories of his childhood, Germany listened raptly. The only thing that made him sad was that he had no stories to reciprocate with. He felt Italy could not have put it better when he had said that Germany had sprung full grown from his father’s brow or in his case his brother’s. Somehow that did not matter with Italy.
“Ve… Germany?”
“What?”
“You can look now,” Italy said as he slid his sketchbook towards him.
Germany marked his place and closed his book. Reaching for the sketchbook, he picked it up and looked at the sketch. He stared at the drawing and gave Italy a brief shy little smile. “It’s beautiful, if I may say so myself, seeing as it’s me.” He handed the sketchbook back.
“Grazie! Would you like it?”
“I’d love it, danke.”
“Prego. When we get home, I’ll tear it out of my sketchbook for you.” Italy closed his sketchbook and drank the cold remains of his cappuccino. “You ready to go?”
Germany nodded and they both pushed back from the table. They got up and after making sure they left nothing of value behind, they left the café. As they walked home, Italy told him a story about the time he and Holy Roman Empire spent the morning painting the rabbits in the meadow near his home…
Author: kira
Claim: Germany, Italy
Character(s): Germany, Italy
Table/Prompt: Romance/ Prompt #14: Before
Word Count: 559
Rating: G
Summary: While out enjoying a cup of cappuccino, Italy sketches Germany while he reads his book…
Author’s note: Thanks to my beta, Jen, for looking this over for me…
They sat in an outdoor café, enjoying a cappuccino, while Italy drew in his sketchbook and Germany read his book. Italy was a lot happier now that he had opened up to his friend about the boy he had loved when he was younger. Even though the boy was a brother of Germany’s that he had never met, he was happy to hear about him. Besides, that was something that happened before they knew each other and now that they talked about it, Italy felt like a great weight had been lifted from his heart. He had even started drawing again, something that had once brought Holy Roma a lot of joy, was now bringing it to Germany.
“Ve… ve… ve…” Italy sang softly as he shaded his drawing, smudging the lines near Germany’s nose to cast a shadow on his cheek. He was drawing him as he read, which was a simple enough pose to keep, Germany being very engrossed in his book. “Ve… ve… ve…” he repeated to himself like a mantra, the nonsense syllables a soothing song against the noise of the street and the passers-by.
Germany looked up as he turned the page. “Can I see it?”
“Not yet…” Italy said as he concentrated on his portrait. “Look down again.”
“Like this?” Germany went back to reading.
“Yeah…” Italy added more subtle shading with his fingertip, blurring some of the lines, only to redraw them with a firmer hand. “I’m almost done,” he said and Germany’s lips twitched briefly upwards in response to the smile he heard in Italy’s voice.
Germany kept reading. He had never had a good friend like this before and he was eager to please him, not that Italy was that difficult to please. A gelato cone, a walk in the park with the dogs, cooking dinner for him and on occasion Prussia would join them; simple things that brought them closer and strengthened their bond. At night when Italy snuggled up next to him in bed and told him stories of his childhood, Germany listened raptly. The only thing that made him sad was that he had no stories to reciprocate with. He felt Italy could not have put it better when he had said that Germany had sprung full grown from his father’s brow or in his case his brother’s. Somehow that did not matter with Italy.
“Ve… Germany?”
“What?”
“You can look now,” Italy said as he slid his sketchbook towards him.
Germany marked his place and closed his book. Reaching for the sketchbook, he picked it up and looked at the sketch. He stared at the drawing and gave Italy a brief shy little smile. “It’s beautiful, if I may say so myself, seeing as it’s me.” He handed the sketchbook back.
“Grazie! Would you like it?”
“I’d love it, danke.”
“Prego. When we get home, I’ll tear it out of my sketchbook for you.” Italy closed his sketchbook and drank the cold remains of his cappuccino. “You ready to go?”
Germany nodded and they both pushed back from the table. They got up and after making sure they left nothing of value behind, they left the café. As they walked home, Italy told him a story about the time he and Holy Roman Empire spent the morning painting the rabbits in the meadow near his home…