The sun was shining bright on this beautiful Saturday. The local park was filled with people, children's laughter and happy screams could be heard, and a bunch of dogs were playing on the grass. 

In the middle of this park there was a huge tree. Its leaves and branches were gently moving to the light wind. This tree was a famous place for confessing romantic feelings. Many young people came here as "friends" and left as couples. If the tree could talk, it would tell thousands of love stories. And today another story was about to be told.

Under the tree a guy was pacing back and forth nervously. If someone looked at him, they would see a tall, well build male with messy black hair, stunning green eyes and rectangular glasses, but he wasn't an ordinary human. He was a country and his name was Germany.

Germany was quite nervous. He had invited a special someone here today, someone he loved with his whole entire heart. 

This person came to Germany's school in the beginning of 8th grade. The teacher seated him next to Germany, so they were together pretty much the whole day. They became friends, but then Germany's heart betrayed him. He developed feelings for his best friend. And now he was either going to ruin what they had or make it better.

Germany took a deep breath. Worst case scenario, his friend would leave him. The German treasured their friendship, but was willing to risk it if it meant having a chance with him as something more than friends.

He looked at his watch. It was 11:57, three minutes until their meeting. Germany had invited him here at 12:00 sharp, so they could get lunch and maybe even take a walk in the park. Germany knew exactly what to say. He had planned it all.

And then he saw his friend walking towards him and everything vanished from his head. Germany's heart started beating faster and butterflies fluttered in his stomach. He couldn't move, he could just stare at the other as he was approaching him. He finally stood in front of the German with a cute smile on his face. 

"Hi Niemcy!", he greeted happily. Germany needed a few seconds to remember how to speak.

"H-hey Polen..."

Polen, or Poland as most referred to him, was short, barely reaching Germany's shoulder actually, had big blue eyes and wavy hair. Germany adored everything about him. He was just perfect. Adorably short, with beautiful eyes and amazing hair. 

"So, why did you want to meet?", Poland asked. He tilted his head a little. So cute, so pure.

Something snapped in Germany at that moment. He threw all of his plans away and grabbed both of Poland's hands. Poland yelped in surprise and looked up.

"It wasn't supposed to go like this, Polen", Germany said quietly. "I wanted to make this perfect" He let go of Poland with one hand and gently rubbed his cheek. He smiled. "Perfect like you"

"What are you talking about? Also, I'm far from perfect."

Germany shook his head and cupped Poland's face, looking into his eyes. 

"Never say that.", he whispered. "You're the definition of perfection, and I..."

Germany closed his eyes for a second and inhaled. Here goes nothing, he thought.

"I love you, Polen."

Poland was silent for a few moments. Then he timidly asked:

"You love me like, romantic type of love? Like "I want to date you" type of love?

Germany nodded and looked away. Here comes rejection. He expected anything but what happened next.

Poland smiled widely and laughed, a pure happy laughter. He hugged Germany tightly and buried his face in his chest.

"I love you too", he said, sounding a little muffled.

Germany's mouth fell open. He never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that this would happen. 

"Are you serious?"

Poland lifted his head and smiled. He reached up and booped (?) Germany's nose.

"Yes, I'm serious. I realized I'm in love with you months ago." Poland chuckled. "I've been dropping hints all the time, but you never noticed. I was starting to lose hope."

Germany put his hand on Poland's cheek. He stroke his soft skin with his finger. There was only one very important question left.

"Will you be my boyfriend?"

Poland's smile made Germany's heart melt, and his answer almost caused him to faint.

"Yes, I would love to be your boyfriend" Poland once again hid his face in the other's chest, relaxing in his warm, safe embrace. He felt like he could stay like this forever.

Germany rested his chin on top of Poland's head. Then he remembered something- they were originally going to get lunch, so he asked:

"Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm Poland." The Polish boy laughed at his own joke. Germany rolled his eyes, but was smiling. 

"Very funny, Sunflower. What I asked was do you want to go get food."

"I know, I'm not stupid. As much as I would love to, I can't. I have some things to do. Also, you're giving me nicknames now?"

Germany blushed hard. 

"I'm sorry, I..."

"No, I liked it. Could you... keep calling me that?" Poland looked down embarrassed, his face was red.

Germany smiled and ran his fingers through Poland's hair. Poland looked up at him and saw his eyes, glowing with love and affection. The short boy blushed and pushed his face into the German's chest. The two stayed like that for some time until Poland stirred in Germany's arms.

"What time is it?", he asked.

Germany looked at his watch.

"It's almost 12:30, being more specific, 12:27."

Poland gasped and flung himself out of Germany's embrace.

"I have to go! I promised I'll be there at 1 pm!" He turned around and started running, but then he stopped and turned to the confused German. "I'll call you later, okay?" Then he resumed running.

"Wait, where are you going?" Germany yelled after him. "I can give you a ride if you want!"

Poland was already too far and didn't hear him. Germany just stood there baffled.                               

'Well then, all I can do is wait for his call...', he thought to himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few hours later Germany's phone finally rang. He smiled when he saw that it was Poland calling. he answered the phone.

"Hey", he heard Poland's voice. "I'm sorry I left like that, I had to go somewhere."

"No problem. Where did you go actually?"

Poland didn't reply and after a few seconds Germany started to panic.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked, you don't have to answer!"

"No no, it's fine, I just... got lost in thoughts" Poland let out a sigh. "It doesn't matter, everything's fine now."

Germany felt worry creep in him. Something was wrong.

"You can tell me anything, Sunflower. I'm always here to listen."

Poland sighed again.

"Thank you..."

Germany started to chew his lower lip, something he did when thinking. He could sense Poland was hurt and wanted to make him feel better. Maybe he could invite him to watch a movie together? Before he could speak though, Poland started talking.

"You know what, I'll tell you. I had to go to the hospital." Germany's eyes widened. "It was because of my sister. She had an appointment today to check if she..." Poland took a deep breath. "If she has cancer."

Germany gasped.

"Oh my goodness! Do you need anything?"

"No, as I said, everything is fine. She's clean."

Germany sighed in relief.

"How are you feeling? It must have been very stressful for you."

"You have no idea."

The German knew he had to cheer Poland up. He checked the time. It was nearly 7 pm, and he wondered where he could invite the Polish boy. Then, like a flash of lightning, an idea came to his mind. He quickly returned his attention to the now silent phone.

"Polen? Are you still there?"

"Yeah", he heard him say. 

"Would you like to go to a dinner date with me?"

"Now that was sudden."

Germany chuckled. Maybe he was rushing things, but he didn't want to wait anymore. He had waited long enough.

"Yes or no, Polen?"

Poland giggled, which made Germany's heart beat faster and face turn red.

"Yes, I would absolutely love to go on a date with you. When should we meet?"

"How about I pick you up from your place at 8?"

"Great! See you soon! Oh, and how should I dress?"

"Nothing too fancy, but don't look homeless either."

They started laughing. Poland's laugh was so adorable. It made Germany so happy.

Soon they calmed down and Poland spoke.

"Well, I better go get ready. Thanks for the laugh, I needed that."

"Anytime, Sunflower. See you soon!"

Germany put the phone down and smiled. He was going on a date with the person he loved. It felt like a dream, he never thought this would actually happen, but it was real. He got up and went to the bathroom to get ready, the smile not disappearing from his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At 8 pm Germany stood in front of Poland's house, waiting for him. His stomach was tied in a knot. He was very nervous. It wasn't his first ever date, but it was the first date that was actually important to him. Okay, try not to mess this up.

The door opened and a familiar Polish boy stepped out. Germany's breath stopped. Poland wasn't wearing anything too special, but he looked gorgeous. He was wearing a red jumper, black pants and had a denim jacket tied around his waist. He spotted Germany, grinned widely and ran to him. Well, tried to run to him. When he was just a few meters away from Germany, he tripped and fell face first  on the ground. 

Germany ran to him and kneeled down worried. He helped Poland up and asked:

"Are you hurt?"

Germany was very concerned about him, but Poland brushed it off.

"Don't worry, I can't last a day without tripping at least once" he chuckled. An awkward smile had appeared on his now red from embarrassment face. Germany sighed, placed a hand on Poland's cheek and smiled. He was so cute. Cute and perfect.

"Shall we go?", the German asked.

Poland giggled.

"Yes, we shall."

Germany led Poland to his car and opened the front seat door for him. Poland got in the car and Germany closed the door after him. Then he walked to the driver seat, got in the cat himself and started it. He got out of the parking spot and got on the road.

"Where are we going?", Poland asked.

"It's a surprise."

"You're not kidnapping me, right?"

"Who knows, maybe I am."

"Um..."

Germany laughed.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Gosh, the look on your face is priceless."

"Why are you looking at my face and not the road?"

"I'm good at multitasking."

"I wouldn't call it multitasking, more like endangering our lives."

"I know what I'm doing, Sunflower, don't worry."

"I really hope you do."

They drove in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Then Poland asked:

"Can I turn on the radio?"

"Sure."

Poland reached over, turned on the radio and started flipping through the stations. After a long time of cringing at the music and making a full circle at least twice, he turned the radio off.

"Nevermind", he said.

Germany chuckled. Then he spotted a sign and made a turn. He entered a big parking lot and started looking for a parking spot. He finally saw one, parked, got out of the car and walked over to Poland's side. He wanted to open the door for Poland, but the boy was already standing next to the vehicle. He was looking at the restaurant near by.

"Is something wrong?", Germany asked, worry creeping in his voice.

"How do you know my favorite restaurant?", Poland replied with a question.

"Wait, it's your favorite?"

"Yes!" Poland laughed and hugged Germany. "Thank you so much for bringing me here!"

Germany blushed and hugged back. Poland soon broke the hug and ran towards the building. The German followed him, yelling at him to slow down.

Soon enough both of them were sitting at a small table for two, almost hidden from the rest of the customers. The waiter brought two menus and walked away.

Germany reached for one of the menus at the same time Poland did. Their hands touched and they both froze. They looked at each other, their faces getting redder with every second. 

"Sorry!", both said at the same time. "You take it!"

Germany chuckled awkwardly and moved his hand back, letting Poland take the menu. He took the other one and opened it. He flipped through the pages for some time and eventually chose to order steak with mashed potatoes on the side. Germany then looked at Poland. He was looking through the menu still. The Polish boy felt Germany's gaze on him and glanced up. Germany quickly looked away blushing. 

A soft smile appered on Poland's lips. Did Germany even realize how adorable he was sometimes? 

"You're free to look at me, you know" he said.

Germany gave a smal nod. His face felt like it was burning. He took a deep breath and straightened his back. Then he saw the waiter from earlier coming towards them.

"Are you ready to order?", the waiter asked.

"Yes, I'll have steak with mashed potatoes.", Germany replied.

The waiter nodded and looked at Poland.

"What about you?"

"I'll have grilled vegetables." the Polish boy responded.

"I will bring your food shortly."  

Germany and Poland were now alone again. The German boy expected an awkward silence, but no. Poland kept a conversation going. Well Germany shouldn't really be surprised, Poland was cheerful and outgoing after all. They chatted and laughed untill their food arrived. Even while eating they didn't stop talking. Germany felt happier than ever. 

After some time they were both done with their food. The waiter brought the bill and Germany took his wallet out. He got out a few banknotes and handed them. Poland took a look at the money and quickly realized Germany was pay6ong for both of them.

"Wait, I'll pay for my food!", he exclaimed and started digging through his pockets.

Germany shook his head.

"I invited you here, so I'm paying.", he said. 

Poland knew that when Germany decides to do something, it's impossible to change his mind. He sighed.

"Okay, but I'm paying next time, got it?"

Germany nodded with a smile. He got his change and they left the restaurant

Outside the couple was greeted by the warm night. Germany really didn't want the date to end and he gathered the courage to ask Poland:

"Do you want to go somewhere?"

A look of happiness appeared on Poland's face.

"I was just going to ask if you want to go stargazing! Did you know there is a meteor shower tonight? I know a perfect place for watching it!", he stopped talking to take a breath. " If you want to, of course.", he added.

"The obvious anwser is yes", Germany said. "Where is that spot?"

"Up in the mountain."

Germany raised an eyebrow. Going in the mountain at this hour didn't sound safe at all.

"Isn't that a little dangerous? It's night after all." he asked.

"Don't worry, the path is nicely lit and I'm sure there will be other people there, so we won't be alone!"

"Okay then, lead the way."

********************************************************

After a long, but very pleasant hike, Poland and Germany were sitting in a small opening between the trees, away from the path. The view to the sky was breathtaking. 

"How do you know of this place?", Germany asked.

"I come every weekend to ride my bike or hike. It's my way to relax. One day I decided to get off the path and explore a little and that's how I found this spot" Poland smiled. "Pretty nice, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is."

They sat in silince for some time. Then Poland moved closer to Germany and carefully laid his head on his shoulder. Germany tensed for a moment, but relaxed after a few seconds. He wrapped his arm around Poland and pulled him even closer. The Polish boy relaxed in Germany's hold. He felt safe and loved. 

Poland suddently noticed something in the sky and rose up. His eyes widened.

"Look! The meteor shower is starting!"

He was right. Germany watched the sky in awe. Each second a shooting star passed. Germany had never seen anything like that. So magical, so fascinating.

He glanced at Poland. The Polish boy was looking at the sky, eyes wide open and lips slightly parted. He looked like he was hypnotized.

Germany's heart started to beat faster. Poland noticed him staring and looked at him. Their gazes locked. Germany slowly brought his hand to Poland's face and cupped his cheek. Poland blushed. Germany hesitated for a second before he leaned down and kissed Poland. For a brief moment Poland didn't react. Germany panicked and was about to pull away when he felt Poland kiss him back. It was like time stopped in that moment. Nothing in the world matered but the Polish boy Germany was lucky enough to call his lover. Germany put all his feelings in that kiss. 

Poland didn't want that kiss to end. He frowned when Germany pulled away. 

"I love you", Germany whispered. He took Poland in his arms. 

"I love you too", Poland repled. He looked at the sky. "Although you made me miss half of the meteor shower."                                                                                                               

"Sorry."

"Eh, it's fine" Poland cuddled closer to Germany. "There's always next time."

Germany blinked.

"Next time?"

"Yes, next time. You don't think this is our only date?" Poland chuckled. "Silly you. Our story is just beginning, you know. And I plan to take you on a lot of dates."

"No, I plan to take you on a lot of dates."

"Yeah but I'll take you on dates before you do."

"It's the other way around, Sunflower."

"Don't Sunflower me!"

 "We'll talk when I show up at your door and tell you we're going on a surprise date."

"We'll see about that" Poland was already planning their next date in his head.

Germany made a hmpf noise. He hugged Poland tighter and placed a kiss on his head.

Poland was right. Their story was just beginning. And Germany was going to make sure it was the most wonderful story ever.

First work to be posted! I really want to hear what you think! I hope you enjoyed reading this! Have a nice [insert time of day] and stay safe!

Word count: 3080