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Ludwig was sure he’d studied the book to the point where he could recite it word for word, so why, just why did he feel so nervous?

Skimming through the thin pages once more, the German sighed before setting it down, blue eyes glancing at the title in neat font before sighing once again.

A Guide to Relationships: Boyfriend Edition

There was no way he could let anyone know that he’d been reading from this book – and not to mention, taking several notes on it – all because of a girl.

But let’s face it, the girl was you and Ludwig refused to give you anything less than perfection.

Thus, he bought the book for a cheap payment of fifteen dollars.

Well, perhaps it wasn’t that cheap, but that wasn’t going to stop him from impressing you.

But dear god was he embarrassed when the old lady at the cashier giggled and winked at him before wishing him good luck.

Too engrossed in his thoughts, Ludwig jumped slightly when he felt his phone ring in his pocket. Fishing around for the device, he pulled it out and read the Caller ID that flashed across the screen, a momentary look of panic flashing through his eyes as he did so.

1 Incoming Call: _____

Ludwig cleared his throat, hoping that’d somehow boost his courage as he answered the phone. “Hello?” he said, silently praising himself for not stuttering.

“Ah, hey Ludwig!” Your voice, though slightly altered due to it being heard over the phone, still made Ludwig’s heart skip a beat. “We’re still on for our date, right?”

He nodded, realizing a few seconds afterwards that you obviously couldn’t see that through the
phone. “J-Ja. I’ll pick you up at two?”

“Okay! Should I bring any money? We’re going to look around at shops, right?”

“We are, but you don’t have to bring any money,” he said, voice slightly stiff from having to force the stutter from touching his words. “I can take care of it, _____.”

“Huh? But–”

“J-Just let me take care of it.”

By now there was a blush staining Ludwig’s cheeks, and he was glad he was on a phone call with you or else you’d have seen just what kind of effect you had on him.

A soft giggle was heard from the other end of the line before you consented. “Alright. I’ll see you later then, Luddy?”

Oh god, did his cheeks just feel hotter because of your cute nickname for him?

“J-Ja. I’ll see you l-later.” And with that, he hung up.

Slumping his shoulders, Ludwig sighed.

He always thought he was pretty hard-hearted, but after you agreed to date him, you were able to prove him wrong.

And also make him spend fifteen dollars plus tax on a book in order to impress you.

Tip #1: Flowers
To keep your partner happy in a relationship, it’s highly suggested you bring them flowers! Roses are typically used, however it can be considered cliché. While not necessarily a bad thing, it would be more thoughtful to get flowers of a different variety (unless your partner likes roses). Be wary of possible allergies your partner may have!

That was the first tip in the guide book Ludwig had purchased, and as such it was the reason why Ludwig was holding – and probably crushing – a bouquet of roses in his hand.

Sure, the text said that roses could be cliché, but what was Ludwig supposed to do? The poor German nearly had a heart attack when buying flowers once he’d realized that he didn’t know what kind of flowers you liked, and in his distressed state he blindly decided on roses before he could actually give himself a heart attack.

It wasn’t too big of a deal though, was it? You didn’t seem like someone who was nitpicky about those type of things. At the very least, Ludwig hoped for the best as he stepped up to your door, his eyebrows furrowed as he gulped before knocking.

He’d barely knocked twice when your voice spoke, a quick “I’m coming!” reaching his ears before the door was pulled open and he was greeted with your bright smile.

“Luddy!” And there went his heart, deciding it was an appropriate time to beat just a bit faster. “Awesome timing, I just finished getting ready– ah, are those for me?”

Your eyes landed on the roses Ludwig had in his hand, and watching as Ludwig just barely managed a nod before thrusting it out to you, you smiled before taking it from him. “Thanks, they’re really pretty. Give me a second to put these somewhere and then we can go, yeah?”

“Of course. Take your time,” Ludwig said gruffly, hoping his cheeks weren’t as pink as he thought they were. “I’m glad… you like them.”

Merely responding with another smile, you skipped off inside and stuck them into a jar of water – you’d have to buy a vase for them later – before returning to the German at your door. “Let’s go!” you cheered, “I’ve been wanting to spend some time with you, so I’m really excited!”

The blush that Ludwig had been fighting so hard to suppress eventually spilled over once you spoke. “Ja…” Ludwig mumbled, not exactly keen on making a fool out of himself by rambling on about how he was so excited and nervous that he actually bought a guide on how to be a good boyfriend. “I'm excited too.”

“Really?” You giggled at his expression; his cheeks were visibly red, and it was rather endearing how the usually serious German got so ridiculously nervous around you. “I’m glad. Anyways, let’s start walking; there’s supposed to be some new gift shop nearby, and I really wanna check it out!”

Closing the door behind you, you turned in the general direction of the aforementioned shop and began walking with Ludwig by your side. The German then gulped, a certain tip from the book coming to mind as he did so.

Tip #2: Holding Hands
Holding hands is a good way to show affection! It can be done anytime your partner’s hand is within reach and is simply a great way to stay close to them. If needed, you should ask your partner if you may hold hands with them; however, if you two are already comfortable enough around each other, then you can also simply reach out and hold their hand.

Were the both of you already comfortable enough with each other for him to just take your hand? If anything, it seemed as though you were already comfortable with him while Ludwig was still suffering from extreme bouts of uncharacteristic shyness, so maybe…

No, he’d rather play it safe. That and he couldn’t really stop himself from asking, anyways.

“_-_____.” His deep voice made you look towards him. “C-Can I hold your hand?”

Ludwig’s face was turned away from you, in embarrassment no doubt; but with a soft chuckle leaking from your lips, you went ahead and laced your fingers with his. “Of course you can, Luddy! You don’t have to ask your own girlfriend that, y’know.”

Now that the both of you had established skin contact, Ludwig had pretty much signed off a contract which stated that his blush was going to be permanent. “I just… vanted to ask, is all…”

He’d accidentally let his German accent slip out, evoking yet another chuckle from you; the accent was a telltale sign of his embarrassment, and you found it too cute for your own good.

“Well,” you said, casually swinging your guys’ hands around, “It was really sweet of you to ask, Luddy. Thanks.” Pressing a quick kiss against his cheek, you had to hold back even more laughter once his face turned an even darker crimson. “Anyways, let’s go! We’re almost there!”

Thankfully, the day had proceeded quite well, with Ludwig mentally reciting the tips he’d memorized from the book and applying them to the date. So far, he’d successfully managed to buy you a trinket you had your eyes on, treat you to a snack and fight through his incoherent stutters to finally compliment you a few times.

He would admit though, he felt kind of bad; the compliments he’d given were the ones that’d been written in the book as an example, because Ludwig wasn’t quite sure how to normally tell you that you were so lovely and charming that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you.

So, Ludwig settled with complimenting you on your outfit, in which you responded with a light blush and a thanks in the form of a kiss on the cheek.

Now, however, was the moment in which Ludwig needed the most courage.

Tip #6: Ending the Date
At the end of the date with your partner, make sure you express how much fun you had with him/her. Whether it be by surprising them with a small gift, giving them a heartfelt compliment or simply a goodbye kiss, make it memorable. However, be cautious! Make sure your partner will appreciate your advances. If your partner isn’t comfortable receiving a kiss at the end of the date or anything else mentioned before, then remember to be considerate and refrain from doing so.

How was he going to end the date!? The two of you were walking home at the moment, you humming in content beside him with one hand holding a bag and the other in his, while Ludwig was having an internal meltdown.

He didn’t exactly have a small gift to surprise you with – he’d already bought the trinket, after all – so maybe a heartfelt compliment? But what should he say? And a goodbye kiss? Would you appreciate that? There were a few kisses here and there in your relationship with him, but it was you who typically initiated them and they always ended fast due to how nervous Ludwig got.

Whatever the case, his time was ticking, because now he could see your house coming into view.

“Hey, Ludwig.” Your voice shook him out of his thoughts, and looking at you, he grunted in acknowledgement. “Are you okay? You seemed a bit out of it today. You’re not sick or anything, are you?”

Ludwig felt your hand leave his, instead moving to press against his forehead. “You’re not warm or anything…” you murmured, “So are you okay?”

“Ja. Of course I am, l-liebling,” Ludwig said, “I’m sorry for making you worry.”

The bright smile that made butterflies appear in the German’s stomach appeared on your face as you gripped his hand once again, the happy expression a result of being called by such an endearing term in his language. “It’s fine. Aren’t I supposed to worry for the people I love?”

By now you two had reached your house, and Ludwig’s face was close to bursting into flames. “Anyways,” you said, skipping up the steps and pulling Ludwig along, “As much as I hate to say it, I guess today’s date is over. I had tons of fun, Luddy.”

He nodded his head robotically, gulping before forcing himself to speak as well. “I-I had lots of fun with you today also, _____.”

Another gulp, and now Ludwig was steeling himself as he placed a hand onto your shoulder and let go of the hand you’d been holding onto, now using the free hand to lightly grip your chin. You seemed to know what he was doing by the course of his actions, and a coating of pink stained your cheeks as your lips curled up into a smile.

Lips hovering dangerously close to yours, Ludwig took a deep breath to steady himself. “C-Can I… kiss you?”

You giggled. “Why bother asking?” you whispered, one hand moving up to caress his cheek.

That was enough of an approval for Ludwig to finally lean down and close his lips over yours, relishing in the soft feeling of your lips, the close proximity of your body to his and your scent that filled his senses and only intoxicated him further.

There was a tiny interval in which Ludwig pulled back, only to look at your flushed face with a look of adoration before stealing one more peck.

“I love you,” Ludwig finally said, pressing his forehead against yours. “Ich liebe dich.”

“I love you too,” you responded, slightly breathless from the kiss he’d given you. “But as much as I love you, Luddy… I never really expected you to follow through with tip number six on ending the date.”

His blue eyes instantly widened at your words, but before he could speak, you cut him off. “You really didn’t think I’d notice?” you giggled. Reaching into your bag, you pulled out a small book identical to the one Ludwig owned; well, almost identical.

A Guide to Relationships: Girlfriend Edition

“I bought it a while ago, after seeing how shy you seemed to be around me. I was hoping I could be a good enough girlfriend so you didn’t have to feel so shy,” you admitted, your cheeks a rosy hue. “I even looked into the Boyfriend Edition. They’re pretty much parallel to each other, so this afternoon, when you arrived at my doorstep with flowers, I thought, ‘Maybe Luddy got the Boyfriend Edition’,” you explained. “But, I figured it was just me overthinking things, but as the date went on, you followed all the other tips, so... it’s cute. You’re such a sweetheart, Luddy.”

The German was dumbfounded as he scrambled for words. “_____, I– u-um, the book, I–”

“Don’t feel embarrassed! I did buy the Girlfriend Edition, after all,” you laughed. “Next time, let’s buy the Wife Edition and Husband Edition together! I saw it in the book store!”

And with that, you pressed a quick kiss against his lips before skipping inside your house, leaving a red-faced Ludwig in your wake.

‘The Husband Edition…’

Gingerly touching his lips where you’d kissed him, Ludwig couldn’t stop the small smile that appeared on his face.

‘…It sounds nice.’