The dark room was suddenly brought to life by the scream of the alarm clock. The room lit up red, the same colour as the numbers on the digital clock, and was filled with the annoying sound. The clock announced the date and time; 11:55, August 15th.
The alarm shrieked it's annoyance at the still un-moving occupant of the bed. The sharp blares were accompanied by rattling due to the clock being made up mostly of tape from the amount of times it had been flung across the room. The Italian grumbled his anger, though refused to leave his cocoon of duvets and pillows.
"Luiciano! Get up!" He heard his brother yell from downstairs.
"It isn't my fault you're the only morning person in this family!"
"It's twelve!"
"Si, so it's still morning for me!"
Luiciano sighed in content when the alarm finally died down, probably mercifully. A groan left his lips when he heard his brother's footsteps coming upstairs. The younger sibling peeked out from his den of comfort to glare at him.
It was rather difficult to guess they were even related, let alone brothers with only a couple of years between them. The only thing they had in common was that odd curl that bounced by each of their heads.
Flavio seemed to distance himself from being mistake for being the other's family all together. Why did they live together? They just shared the rent. Why did Luiciano call him 'fratello?' It was just a nickname. He even dressed overly stylishly and dyed his hair blonde just to try and convince people the curl was just a coincidence.
"Come on! If you're going to spend the whole day in bed, at least turn the alarm off!"
The next thing the older Italian knew, the alarm clock was flung, thudding against the wall just by his head.
"Happy?" Luiciano growled in annoyance. Flavio sighed and folded his arms, giving him a look.
"So you are staying in bed all day?"
"Should be fucking obvious..."
"Fine then..." The brother thought for a second before he smiled. "I'll just call Lutz and tell him you can't meet up."
"Huh?"
"That is who you meeting today, right?"
After a few moments of silence, only punctuated by the chirps of birds outside, Luiciano sat up, covers falling off the bed, and ran a hand through his hair. "Gimme five minutes."
The Italian glared once more at yet another person who'd had the misfortune to bump into him. They apologised quickly and slipped away to a less crowded part of the train.
He despised public transport, but didn't have enough money for a car and there was no way in hell that Flavio would let him borrow his. He gripped the handle harder and shuddered. Then the driver spoke over the intercom system.
'We shall be reaching our destination shortly, thank you for travelling with us today.'
He let out a sigh of relief and adjusted the small, odd hat that had been knocked slightly out of place. He didn't really know why he still wore the old thing. The purple feather that was attached was matted and the hat itself was battered, yet he still wore it every day.
The train pulled to a stop, pulling the Italian from his thoughts. He stepped onto the platform and started padding towards the exit.
'Maybe the reason you always where that damn hat is because of him.'
"Luiciano!"
The Italian glanced up, following the voice until he saw a familiar German face smiling and waving him over. He didn't understand why the blonde still enjoyed his company, especially after he'd added a rather painful injury to the man's face when he was angry. The scar was still there and took up most of his left cheek. Then again, he didn't realize what had made them become friend in the first place.
Luiciano was violent; Lutz would never hurt a fly. The Italian loved dogs; the German was more of a cat person. The brunette hated cowards; Lutz was the exact definition. Yet the two got along like a house on fire.
The shorter man grunted in response, yawning shortly afterwards. Lutz chuckled.
"How much sleep did you get last night?" He asked.
"None of your business." Luiciano snapped, though quickly straightened and gave him a quick apologetic look. Lutz seemed unfazed. He finally noticed the black cat in the blonde's arms, who was purring in content at having a warm body to sleep against.
"I found him and he was following me and I couldn't resist. He's just so cute."
It was almost comedic that the massive German had such a soft spot for animals. Luiciano held back a laugh. Be it anyone else and he would've asked why they were such a pussy, though Lutz seemed to be able to stop the otherwise mean or just rude comments that the red-eyed man would otherwise make.
"What is it?"
Luiciano came back to reality and glanced up at his friend, whose face held confusion among other emotions.
"Nothing."
"You were smiling, that's all."
"I don't smile."
"Right, okay."
The two had headed to a park just a few blocks away from the station. After a quick stop a café, they went over and sat on a bench just beside a large oak tree, just in view of the main road, but still having enough distance not to be right with the fumes. The Italian sat back against the bench as he watched Lutz pet the cat that was still curled in his lap. They'd been content just sitting there for about fifteen minutes before Lutz's hand came to a halt.
"Ya know..." He muttered softly as the sun came out from behind a cloud. "I really hate summer. I don't get the fuss. Maybe it's just 'cause I'm an autumn person."
Luiciano nodded in agreement. "It's too fucking humid." He complained. His friend chuckled and checked his watch momentarily. "What time is it?" The Italian leaned over to get a closer look.
"Exactly or roughly?"
"Exact."
"Thirty-four minutes past twelve."
As soon as the blonde had finished his sentence, the cat perked up suddenly, leaping from his lap and running off. The man shot up and ran after it.
"Hey! Come back!" He yelled, picking up his speed as the cat headed for the road. The other man would've stayed where he was, though then he saw the street light turn red. He got up and started walking in the same direction as his friend went after that cat.
'He'll notice eventually...' The Italian thought, folding his arms.
When the blonde showed no sign of slowing, he to start running. "Lutz!" He yelled, though his voice seemed to go unheard. "Lutz!" He yelled, almost a scream, his throat going raw.
The other man finally turned just as a truck rounded the corner, hurtling a good twenty mph over the speed limit.
He looked as if he was about to say something when he was cut off.
All the brunette could hear was the sickening crunch of metal colliding with flesh. He turned unnaturally pale and stared in shock for a few seconds before he started running once again.
The driver must've been terrified or drunk as he tore off the second he realized that it wasn't a lamp post he'd hit. Some were already chasing him while others were calling ambulances and police cars.
Luiciano dropped to his knees beside his friend and gripped his hand. He retched. The stench of blood and iron were disgusting. Though that didn't matter at the moment. Not when he could still see the other man's chest moving weakly.
"Come on, you mother fucker! Don't you dare fucking die on me!" He yelled, gripping the German's hand and scowling, trying to apply pressure to the wound with his free hand. There was so much blood. So much damn blood. The road was turning even redder with every passing second and the little voice in the back of Luici's head told him that there was nothing he could do.
The rest of his head, however, told it to shut the hell up. There was no way in hell that the only friend he'd ever had was going to die. Not like this, anyway.
"I'm... Sorry..." Came a weak voice from below him. He narrowed his eyes at Lutz.
"You aren't going to fucking die! And don't fucking apologise!"
The blonde managed a chuckle, though it sounded rather strangled and painful. After a few seconds, he fell still, eyes going blank, though the Italian above him didn't seem to notice. When he did however, he started desperately trying to remember when his brother forced him to sit through a CPR class.
'This is real.'
He went still, hand tightening around his deceased friend's. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a man stood behind him. Dark hair and red eyes greeted him, the other man's mouth curled up into a grin. There was no way... This had to be just a bad dream! The heat was just playing tricks on him!
"What the fuck did you say?" Luiciano growled.
'This is real.'
His gaze went back to Lutz's body and he took a shaky breath.
'This is all real!' The Heat Haze laughed giddily. 'Why are you so sad? You're alive!'
Luiciano felt himself grow faint, his head pounding and his hands quivering. Everything started to fade until his world went black.
A room of clocks... Each ticking away at it's own pace. One was frozen in place at exactly 12:35, blood smearing the face. The Haze smiled at his handy work and walked away.
Luiciano shot up in bed, drenched in sweat and panting heavily. He glanced to his screaming alarm clock, still working despite the damage it had taken. He glanced at the time.
11:55, August 15th
'It was just a dream...' The Italian flicked the clock to snooze, flopped back to the bed and covered his face with his hands. Memories of the nightmare quickly resurfaced. Flavio yelling, the train ride, Lutz, the cat, the truck, the Haze...
He shuddered.
"Luiciano! Are you up yet?!"
He rolled out of bed, groaning when the floor raced up to meet him. He sighed and sat up. "Yes, I'm fucking up!"
"Then hurry up or you'll leave your boyfriend waiting!"
"He's not my boyfriend!"
"Yeah, that and the sky is green and the grass is a nice shade of blue today."
"Shut the fuck up." He yelled, getting up to get dressed and showered.
'It's just a dream, don't panic.'
12:33, August 15th
"It's a bit weird though."
"Hm?"
Lutz glanced over at his friend, whom had been resting his head on his hand for a good few minutes now. A black cat was curled up in the German's lap, accepting the scratches behind it's ear and chirping in content.
"I... I had a dream last night and we sat right here."
"Oh... I guess maybe it's just coincidence."
"Probably..."
Suddenly, the cat leapt from Lutz's arms, scurrying off towards the road. The German shot up and was about to give chase when he felt a grip on his wrist. He glanced back and saw Luiciano gripping it tightly, looking down at his hand and hunching his shoulders up. Was he scared? Nervous? He had no reason to be either.
"Why are you- What if it gets run over?!"
'Better that damn cat than you.'
"I... I think we should go home." The Italian muttered, keeping his grip tight on his friend's wrist. Without even waiting for a response, he started dragging the taller man down the street.
"Luiciano...? Is everything okay?"
The Italian didn't respond. They crossed over the road, now walking on the side that was by a construction site.
"What do you think they're working on?"
Luiciano stopped to allow his friend to watch the site for a few seconds. What was the worst that could happen?
He noticed a few people trying to avoid the site as they walked past. When he glanced up, he saw why. A crane was carrying a palette of iron beams from one roof to another, one slightly teetering over the edge.
"The health and safety guys are gonna kick their asses." The brunette mused. Lutz chuckled.
Suddenly, the crane jerked left and the teetering pole fell, along with a good few others. People started screaming, mostly from the sound, and tried to run away. The German had a quick thought and shoved into his friend's side.
Before Luiciano could question why, he got his answer.
A metal clang accompanied by screams and a ripping sound forced the brunette to whirl around. The pole slammed right though the other man's back and out his front, causing him to gasp in pain and fall to his knees, the pole sliding up as he did so, red smearing the pole itself until it eventually slid free, the other man lying on the ground.
"Shit!"
"Someone get a doctor!"
The Italian dropped to his knees and tried to feel for a pulse. He found it, but there was no way in hell Lutz would survive.
"Come on you bastard, get up!" He yelled, rolling the heavier man over onto his back. Before he could do anything else, he felt breath by his ear.
'This is all real.' The Haze said, grinning sadistically. 'Why are you so sad? You're alive? Isn't it great to be alive?'
Luiciano kept his gaze on his friend as his vision started to blur. He glanced back to his friend's face and his eyes widened slightly before he fell into darkness.
Lutz was smiling.
Another clock was smeared in red, frozen at the exact same time. 12:35. The rest continued ticking like nothing had happened.
He shot up in bed and glanced to the clock. 11:55, August 15th
Luiciano felt sick. He leaped out of bed and threw his clothes on, skipping the shower and running down the steps three at a time.
"What's the rush?" Flavio asked, poking his head out of the kitchen. His brother shoved passed him and out the door.
Meet up. Try to get him to safety. Ran over by a train.
Reset. Meet up. Try to get him to safety. Stabbed by a mugger.
Reset. Meet up. Try to get him to safety. Fell down the stairs and broke his neck.
Reset. Meet up. Try to get him to safety. 'Why are you trying?'
Reset. Meet up. Try to get him to safety. 'You live every time.'
Reset. Meet up. Try to get him to safety. 'You should be happy.'
'How long have you been trying? A good ten years or so? Why can't you just be happy? You're alive!'
Luiciano glared up at the wall of clocks. While many were smeared red, a few still ticked away happily. He rubbed his face and groaned. How many ways was it possible to watch someone die? Not a single loop had been the same. Not yet at least.
He woke up again, same as every other loop. Maybe if he just stayed at home... No. He had to at least try. He got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Once there, he stared at his reflection. He had developed dark bags from the amount of loops he'd dragged himself through, each more painful than the last. He shook his head and went to get dressed. Maybe today would be the day...
"You look terrible. Are you okay?"
Luiciano looked up from his hands and over at his friend. The two were sat in the park, the cat curled up on Lutz's lap like usual. The German's face was creased with concern.
"I wasn't going to comment, but... You look sick. Do you wanna lie down somewhere?"
"I'm fine." He lied, knowing full well that it was a poor one, but it would stop the other man's questions.
They both sat in silence before the Italian glanced to his watch, seeing the time slowly tick towards that dreaded time.
'Remember, someone has to die at twelve-thirty-five.' The Haze whispered.
As if on que, the cat leapt from his friend's arms and ran off to the road. As his friend took after it, he took a second to think.
The loops have never repeated before... Unless...
The Italian could just keep repeating, watching his only friend die until the end of time. Lutz could go on and have a future. The choice was clear.
Luiciano started running after him, not slowing or even hesitating when the truck rounded the corner. He took a quick breath and put his plan into action.
He shoved into the German, then all he could hear sickening crunch of metal colliding with flesh. Next thing he knew, he was lying in a pool of his own blood, vision flickering and body burn in agony.
'Shit, is this what it feels like? Holy fuck-'
"Luiciano!"
That sudden shriek cut through the fog. He tried to turn his head, but he couldn't without pain shooting through his spine. Instead, he shifted his line of sight and spotted Lutz's face above him, desperately trying to stop the bleeding. He had tears in the corner of his eyes, but he was alive.
Luiciano smiled weakly. Not a smirk or a grin, but an actual smile. "Sorry..." He managed softly. The man above him froze and shook his head.
"You're gonna live, come on! Stay awake! Please!" Lutz pushed down harder on the wounds, though little could be done. The brunette's vision darkened and soon faded to black.
But not before he saw The Haze place a hand on his friend's shoulder.
The room of clocks was empty and quite, all of the clocks were still, each one smeared in red, each one stuck at 12:35. All except one.
One was still ticking away.
09:12, August 15th
Sunlight peeked through closed blinds and forced the occupant of the bed to wake up, they sat up and yawned, glancing to the clock and frowning.
A cat hopped up onto the bed and curled up in it's owner's lap. The owner glanced down and petted it lightly. It purred in content. The owner sighed and rubbed their face.
"Guess I failed, again." Lutz mumbled to himself.
A/N: I felt like writing something based on Kagerou Days.
Originally, I was gonna write it with just regular Germany and Italy, but... I kinda changed my mind halfway through. I might add another chapter with just the regular guys, but whatever...