secondary-tomato-potato-blog

[secondary-tomato-potato-blog]

Day 1: First Meeting

Pairing: Germany x Spain // Ludwig x Antonio

It’s family friendly.

He had always been a dog lover. It was not surprising their meeting would occur because of them.

He always went to this park after work, after a tiring work period. It was a dogs' park just before his street. Seeing them made him relax, it made him forget everything bad that could have happened. He knows everyone’s faces and their dogs, they knew him too. It was not unusual to engage in conversation with them every now and then, it was a relaxing time for everyone.

“Oh dear. Have you meet the new guy?” Linda, an old lady with a precious little female Bichon Frise named Lala, asked as she watched Ludwig play with her little girl. A sweet smile curved on her lips every time she saw such a built guy like him playing with such a tiny creature.

Ludwig lifted the tiny creature on his lap, scratching her tummy as he turned to see Linda. He had a raised eyebrow, not knowing what she was talking about. If there were a new guy, then normally he did be first to know but he had not seen any new faces here. Not recently at least.

“His name was...Oh dear, I had it at the tip of my tongue.”

“Please, don’t force yourself.” Lud stopped her, smiling with understanding. His attention was brought back to Lala who kept staring as if she was questioning the situation. “I believe it’s time for you to get home.”

“Is it? Ah, being old is no fun, huh?” Linda chuckled sweetly, the way only old people could.

Lud helped her to stand up, letting her use her free arm as he held Lala in his other arm. When he made sure she had not left anything behind, he put Lala down and did her collar.

“You young boy. Shouldn’t you be getting a partner? Such a good guy you are to be wasted!” She lifted her fist in the air like she was protesting. Lala ran around her, yapping as she did. “You believe too, right Lala? Our sweetheart Lud should find someone to love, right Lala? You believe it too, don’t you? Don’t you?” She spoke softly but playfully, tiny Lala liked it and yapped back at her as if she actually understood what her owner was saying.

“I’m too busy with work. I wouldn’t have time to...make them happy.”

“Don’t say that!” She interrupted abruptly, making Lud look up surprised. She looked back, satisfied to have his attention. “You are a good, good man. Whoever your partner is, they will be happy just having you by their side. I know how caring you are, Lud. Take it from me, I’ve seen nasty people in my life. The little details, that’s what you are good at. Anyone who has a good heart will appreciate those things you do for them.”

He looked away, unable to give her an answer even when she waited for one. He knew who he was and how he did things, what she said...what she said was only partially true. Lala kept yapping, filling the silence that his lack of words created. After some seconds that seemed like minutes, he nodded back not fully agreeing with her.

“I understand,” he said in a dry manner. She noticed for she sighed. “I’ll be heading home too. Please be careful on your way back.”

. . . . . .

“Lud! Lud!” Alex called as he ran to the mentioned one with Bagel, his male Beagle.

“Good morning Alex. Good morning Bagel,” he greeted accompanied with a nod. Bagel tried jumping to him but his young legs were not enough. “Playful as ever, I see.” He smiled, kneeling to pet Bagel and messing Alex’s hair a bit.

“Is he? He didn’t even wake me up today! He just kept sleeping!”

Bagel turned his head to his young owner, not understanding his words.

“Oh! Have you met the new guy? Mommy said to ask you before talking to him. I heard he has four dogs!” He raised four fingers, his expression lighten up with enthusiasm. But soon he looked upset as the oldest shook his head. “You haven’t seen him? But I want to see him.”

“Ask your mom to take you to see him. Maybe he is working when I’m free.” Lud tried shrugging the topic off, as to not upset the child more. It was better before it got too late, he had never been good at dealing with children crying.

“That’s true!” He smiled again, his hopes up once again. “Okay! I gotta go to school now. See you later Lud!”

. . .

“Thank you so much, Ludwig.” The ladies in the coffee shop sighed in relief as the package was handed down.

“It’s okay. It’s my free day anyway.”

“Hah, now you’re making me feel bad to make you run some errands for us.” Melina puffed her cheeks, blowing the air inside it, therefore, blowing the loose strand of hair hanging down her left side. It gracefully floated down. “I’m truly sorry.”

“Like I said, it’s okay.” He smiled, trying to move on to the next topic. He sighed mentally with relief when she nodded, smiling after.

“So I’ve heard you haven’t met or seen the new guy, am I right?”

“To everyone’s surprise, yes, you are right.”

“I’ve only seen him. Looks young, a few years younger than you probably.” She stretched her arms in the air. “So far, those you have met him say he’s such a good guy. Wouldn’t hurt to meet him, right?” She laughed. Her name was called from the back and she apologized.

Lud left not long after.

He was home, without noticing anything peculiar on his way back. Everything was the way it is, maybe a bit quieter than usual but it was fine for a Tuesday.

All he had in mind was the new guy. Everyone had been talking about him and somehow it intrigued him to know him. All he knew was that he was a guy with four dogs and charming, nothing useful to figure out where could he hang around.

In the middle of making tea, the thought of asking people where he was staying did not come to mind. The kettle bubbled away, his attention drifting to look for his cups. His hands moved without his commands, leaving his mind free to think of him. He could only wonder of the kind of person the new guy was.

He sat his cup with the hot tea, letting it cool as he wandered into the living room to pick up his book.

The morning passed quietly. So quietly he soon entered afternoon. His tea was finished and he was near the end of his novel. Deciding to take a walk outside, he put his book down once again. He left the cleaning for later.

His mind was straightforward, following a single path and never mixing two topics. He had to admit his life was the same. Maybe because he was brought up that way, maybe because it was the only way he knew how to live. It was tedious and boring, or that was what most people had told him back when he was still in school. He never saw it in those eyes. He liked it, actually. He never had to struggle with living, his life was one path with a beginning and an end. Worry about money or health were never something he had in mind. It was almost perfect, almost because he still missed something.

“Maybe Linda was right,” he whispered to himself as he pulled his coat over his shoulders. His eyes looked back at his apartment, not too big not too small. Lately, it had looked different but he failed to find a word to describe it. He shook those ideas away, finding them useless and not worth his time.

“Lud! Hey!” A man called down the corridor, waving at the mentioned one with a friendly manner. “Hey bud, are you going out?”

“Hey, Tom. Yeah, I am. Need a hand with something?” Lud turned his way, with a little friendly smile.

“I’m sorry to abuse your kindness.” The man started, a bit nervous as he spoke. Lud was quick to notice, shaking his head slightly.

“I’m happy to be of help.”

“Could you please take Mo on his daily walk? My sister is still and hospital and I need to go check on her.”

“Is she okay?” He nodded, walking to him to pick the Miniature Pinscher dog. Not long after Tom opened his door, Mo came running out to his owner.

“Yeah. She’s doing fine. The doctors want to keep her in few more days. To check everything, you know?” He kneeled to play with his tiny dog, scratching him playfully. “Okay, Mo, remember Lud? He’ll take you to your walk. Behave yourself, okay? I’ll see you later.”

. . .

His walk was quiet, even Mo noticed as he walked quietly too. It was uncommon for Mo to be quiet, maybe animals really possess the ability to sense human emotions. Together they passed other owners with their dogs, neither really paying attention to them. There was one thing in their mind, just to get to the park.

Lud sat down on a bench, letting Mo free to run around and play with the other dogs. Everyone knew him, they knew the dog too so they gave him extra pairs of eyes as he let himself drown in thoughts. Dangerous thoughts.

Ever since then, he was unable to brush those thoughts away and it was getting in the way of his peaceful life. The order of his life was interrupted and he feared not being able to get back to his life. All these years he had pushed those thoughts, those feelings to the back of his mind and the bottom of his heart. He knew he was unable to deal with them, he knew they were stronger than him. He never wanted to be this way but there was no other way he knew how to be.

"¡Oigan! ¡Chicos! ¡Regresen! No me hagaís esto."

Before Lud had time to react, four huge dogs jumped on him. His mind cleared, only wondering what was going on. He tried looking around but the dogs seemed to want his attention and they wanted it badly.

"I'm so sorry about this. I couldn't keep up with them." A young guy apologized, or so he sounded young. Lud still could not see him through the dogs' fur covering his face. "They seem to like you...I guess that's a good thing." Finally, a body came close enough to pulled the dogs away, revealing a new face. The face he wanted to see for some time now.

The new guy sat down, patting two of the dogs and talking to them. He babbled in an unknown language to Lud's ears, although he admitted it sounded rather energetic. His attention stayed fixed on him, the dogs were not pleased with all. They started pulling on his clothing, untucking his shirt and wrinkling it. This forced him to look down to them, they were satisfied.

"What is it that you want, eh?" he spoke softly, playing a bit with them. He recognized the kinds of dogs almost immediately when he saw them but just now he had time to assure his idea. "You two look playful. I don't know if I can keep up with that," he joked with an equal chuckle.

"You like dogs, right? They like people quite a lot but it feels different from you." The new guy commented, looking at him for a bit. He smiled, his dogs resting on the ground.

Ludwig was taken by surprise, blushing when their eyes met but he looked down quickly. His eyes were kept on the dogs, somehow embarrassed to look at his company.

"Ye-yeah...I gu-guess..."

"I'm Antonio," he hummed joyfully. "I'm the new guy on the block, you've heard already, right? Nice meeting you."

"I'm Ludwig."

"Oh! ¡Eres el dichoso Ludwig!" He chirped as if sudden realization hit him, which was pretty much the case. "Uh...I mean, uh, people told me quite a lot about you. Stuff like you are the first I should be seeing before meeting the other neighbors...I tried not raising suspicions until I meet you... Guess the time just didn't come around 'till now."

Antonio fidgeted with his fingers, showing nervousness as he stared at his hands. The dogs resting next to his feet took noticed, snuggling him in the legs warningly. The other two noticed too for they had laid on the ground too, leaving Ludwig alone and free to talk to their owner.

Lud glanced over at him, not holding it for too long. He was a rather calm person, he was known to handle any situations with a steady beat but somehow...he just could not do so now. Not even the dogs, creatures he adored more than anything, could distract him from thinking...They could not distract him from feeling...

"People around here trusts you, huh? It's nice, you know," Antonio babbled more to himself rather than to him. His energetic and easy-going image just disappeared. It just slipped away from him, leaving insecurity behind. "Do...Do I have your approval? I don't...I don't catch how this place goes but I don't want people to worry about me."

'Was he really worried about that?' Lud thought, finding almost funny...almost adorable. He turned to the dogs, scratching their ears which got their attention and brought them to their feet.

"Um-ah...Do I need to pass a test or something like that? It's weird, I mean, not weird in a bad way...Er, is it because there are many kids in this block, right? Um." He continued fidgeting with his fingers, his worry increasing. Unconsciously he was staring his way, trying to find any clue. Anything that could give him any explanation. In his search, he saw him smirking and it did not help at all. "Ludwig? I'm not good when I'm nervous, er, ca-can you tell me anything? Ju-just says anything..."

"Um, actually. There is, indeed, a test you have to pass." The blond finally expressed an answer but it did little to calm the other one down. 'What am I doing?' he questioned himself. "The test will be this Friday, are you free then?" He looked up, finding a worried blushed face. He found it adorable and he knew he was getting into a mess that had no end.

"¿El Viernes? Viernes...Viernes...NO! I mean, yes. I am free! I'm free!" Fast, his heart beat fast. No. It was not beating, it was pounding into his chest with a burning feeling. Maybe his cheeks burned with the same feeling, he just had no name to describe it.

"It's settled then." He set the topic aside, not giving it much thought as he usually would. It was just different. "Are they all yours? What are their names?" he questioned, moving their attention to the dogs. They looked up happily to being acknowledged by them.

"Eh, only one is mine. Until next week at least, then they will all be mine. Right, guys? You'll be staying with me." His world still shaking he grinned. He tried his best at hiding the nervousness that was still left by shifting his attention to his pets. "The Golden Retriever is Max. Australian Shepherd is Lina. Flat-coated Retriever is Riri. And my Carea Castellano Manchego, Toni. They are all the same age. Riri is the youngest though.

You have no idea how much trouble Lina and Toni caused me when they were puppies. Even now they are all...they all enjoy bringing me trouble. And, and. Did you know- I was actually surprised they all got along. Um, maybe they all agree to make my life more lively than it already is and that's why they get along- But you know? They might be playful dogs but they are really obedient. I wasn't too careless to not train them! People say that I would never be able to train them but I did! I wish they could- Oh..."

Antonio stopped mid-sentence at the sound of faint chuckles. He realized he lost hold of reality and just babbled on and on about his dogs. His cheeks were hit with heat, his hand quickly rising to cover them and his mouth. Although it did nothing to stop him from feeling embarrassed, it actually worsens it.

"I'm- I'm sorry. I got distracted and...I'm sorry. Did I bore you? I'm really sorry. Usually I... Lo estoy haciendo otra vez, no? Eh, hablo mucho cuando me pongo nervioso- I mean, I talk a lot when I get nervous..." He was hit with reality again, making him drop his head. He just could not face Ludwig at all, not in this situation he kept ruining.

Lud just chuckled to himself, knowing he was not helping Antonio to get a hold of himself. He heard every word and...he found no reason to apologize for.

Never had he heard anyone talk with so much passion like their whole life depended on it. The look Antonio had when he talked about his dogs, that image stuck in his mind for good. Maybe Antonio was not a bad guy, even with that affirmation he knew he was making a mistake. And he wondered how long will his happy moment last, he wished it would last longer than before.

"It's okay. You sounded like you were enjoying yourself." He replied, softly and calmly. He had control over the situation, he stood on known ground. Before Antonio could find the words to reply with, Mo came running to them and jumped to Lud's lap. "There you are, little friend. I guess I'll be taking my leave now. I should be returning this dog to his owner."

"Ye-yeah. I should go home too. Bet they are tired from playing." Antonio stood up, his gaze still fixed on the ground. "See you Friday then...or when we meet again."

"See you then."

Lud walked away, Mo resting on his arms. He had that smirk. That smirk that meant...He knew he was making a big mistake.

. . .

Antonio raised his gaze, watching him leave. Each step he took, each centimeter away made him crave his company. But his body did not move, it was unable to do so in such a burning feeling that burned his body. His mind was too busy recalling his face, his clean-blond hair slicked back, his beautiful light-blue eyes. His sharp jawline. His built body. His heart still pounding against his chest, suffocating him. Leaving him unable to breathe normally.

He knew it was bad. He knew it when the nerves started going up. He had no reason to be nervous for, he knew he was a good person that could do no harm to anyone. But still, he was nervous and worst he did not notice when he started to act like that. Interacting with people was his strong point, it was a glove in his hand but today was just different.

It was different because he missed him already.

. . .

"I'm so sorry to trouble you, buddy. I promise it won't happen again."

"Like I said earlier, it is fine with me. I love dogs. I enjoy being with them."

He had always loved dogs, they were just perfect in his mind. They loved him back too for they always seem to be quick in gaining his affection. But today he had something else rather than dogs in his mind. He had a new image accompanied by a brand new feeling.

. . . . . .

"You like dogs, right? But you don't have any of your own."

"My apartment is not enough for a dog."

"Then come live with me."

It's okay if it isn't complex, right? This is the first piece of writing about Hetalia I'm publicly 'sharing' online. It was easy to tell, right? This is a rare ship that I thought of when I saw a cute image of Germany and Spain on Pinterest. Lud was sitting on a chair and Toni was balancing a tomato in his head and was like super proud to do so.  And Lud had to put up with it and I thought 'You know what? That's ship material'. (Not to mention the Hetalia seiyuu event too) Hope you enjoy it, I guess.