Work Text:
It was totally spontaneous and certainly not because of Alfred showing screen shots from a recent movie taking his country by storm at the recent summit. And it was definitely not because Feliciano had seen a picture of one of the actors and gotten curious as to what his own dashing hero would look like if he neglected his regular shaving ritual for a while. A man could be innocently curious, after all.
It was post-meeting, back at their shared home, that Feliciano wondered over a way to ask his love if he would take part in an experiment for him. Might he look suspicious? Ludwig stayed staunchly clean shaven year-round, so particular that he didn’t even like the presence of just a little stubble out of place. He might even say no to the very idea, thought Feliciano with a bit of dismay. But, he resolved, it was better to be direct with Ludwig than skirt around the question.
It came up at dinner. Feliciano had offered to cook as a private token to sweeten up his proposition, as Ludwig simply could not refuse his fine cuisine. Halfway through their meal together Feliciano attempted to bring it up as casual as he could.
“Luddy, I know you haven’t had much time for the cinema lately, but Alfred showed us a really cool movie at the meeting! It made me think…” The sudden comment made the tall blonde look up from his foodie concentration with a curious glance. With a mouth full of food Ludwig couldn’t very well answer, but he gave a grunt in affirmation. After a rough swallow he cleared his throat and gave his full attention to the Italian across from him.
“Made you think what? And what movie?” Sharp blue eyes didn’t leave Feliciano as the German lowered his head to take a tentative bite.
“Ah, some super hero movie. Alfred is big on those, and some are very good! But he was showing some of the actors and one was striking—“
“Alfred has many striking actors in his country, but so do you.”
“Indeed, my love,” Feliciano took a moment to be flustered by the matter-of-fact compliment. “I meant that he gave me an idea. He’s a handsome man like you love, and he grew out his facial hair. All the ladies and some of the men have really taken to this. It made me think, you’d look even better if you tried it!” Ludwig quirked one brow and fiddled with his fork for just a moment.
“Liebling, I’m not here to pick up the crowds, and beards are itchy.” A suppressed chuckle rumbled in Ludwig’s chest as the thought of him sporting some long, scratchy mess flitted through his mind.
“Oh, Ludwig, please? For me? Plus, I know you have an Instagram page. Maybe posting pictures of yourself doing things with the new look will pull in more tourists! An attractive poster boy can do wonders!” It was almost a desperate plea. Ludwig scoffed but was quick to cave to his bright-hearted Italian.
“Only for you Feliciano. And no sneaking pictures of me to post behind my back!”
--- --- ---
And so, Ludwig let his whiskers start to grow out. Feliciano already couldn’t deny how beautiful his husband looked clean, but with the shadow of stubble lining his jaw, the brunette simply had to thank God for Ludwig’s fine features. Like morning dew upon a field, the faint and beginning hairs gave a subtle new dimension to the German’s face any time he angled his head the right way. It made him look more studious when reading or writing. And the feeling of it was rough, but in the endearing way of a cat’s tongue.
Feliciano found himself taking every opportunity to sneak a quick peck on the cheek or to cup Ludwig’s face during their nightly snuggling just to appreciate the new feeling. It felt especially nice when Ludwig decided to be the big spoon and the shorter Italian could feel the scratchy hairs rub his scalp or the back of his neck, wherever Ludwig might’ve placed his head.
After a little while, the stubble got a little longer. Feliciano took joy in noticing that the fine fuzz was a darker golden-blonde than the rest of Ludwig’s hair. It was a nice contrast to his gelled locks, so light in any sun. There was minimal complaint that the growing bristles were itchy, as Ludwig had originally supplied. In fact, they made him appear more rugged, and after one of their Sunday morning walks, it gave his entire form a rustic charm. If one could describe a person that way. The best part was Feliciano taking a brazen moment to put his hand up to his husband’s chin, tempted to stroke beneath it like a dog.
Feliciano begged for Ludwig to endure it just a tiny stretch more, the blonde agreeing after being caught trying to shear the pet project. With Ludwig’s beard at a respectable length Feliciano found himself enamored by the way it framed his lover’s face. Again, the color intrigued him; a dark golden color, and, as Feliciano noticed with careful inspection, just the teeniest hint of a coppery red at the corners of his mouth. Small strips of silver poked out at the very edge of Ludwig’s jawline and Feliciano thought them lovely. They made his sharp features look smarter than they already were.
This man was an absolute angel and Feliciano made sure he knew it. Anytime the brunette could he engaged the German in quick kisses. The feeling of the bristles coupled with the rather good-looking mustache above his lip made them feel ticklish and Feliciano found that he wasn’t opposed. It also gave Ludwig a preposterous look if food became caught in the beard, as he wasn’t used to having a crumb catcher. The entire endeavor was adorable to Feliciano any time he had to point out that his comely husband had something on his face.
Ludwig wasn’t opposed to the new attention, either. He could admit that he enjoyed the slew of kisses and chin-scratches that Feliciano gifted him. But he was stubborn as they come and wasn’t quite ready to admit he was actually liking how the whiskers made his face look.
--- --- ---
That was, until one crisp autumn morning of chopping firewood, he heard Feliciano giggling behind him. While it wasn’t unusual for the short Italian to watch him at work – and Ludwig loved that Feliciano seemed to enjoy watching him do “manly things” (according to Feli) – this amount of giggling was highly suspect. The taller man turned to see the brunette wielding a phone with a devious blush and grin. Ludwig’s eyes widened and he dropped his axe to the dirt.
“Feliciano…” The Italian, knowing he’d been caught, jumped from his seat on a rock and flounced away with a squeal, both of terror and glee. “Feli! You—” the German gave chase, but to no avail. The brunette was always faster than him once motivated, but he only had so many places to run. Once Ludwig captured his fiend, trapping him in the most aggressive-yet-loving hug he could, he realized it was too late and that Feliciano had posted his forbidden pictures.
A week and thousands of embarrassingly flattering social media comments later, Ludwig trimmed the offending beard, much to Feliciano’s dismay. There were, however, no regrets on either side.