It was dark outside, and the streetlights in front of my house were dimmed by the ferocious downpour. It had been raining all day; the power had been choppy and the phone lines were dead, just adding to my unease. This was the day I had finally lost hope. I'd never been loved, and I'd decided I never would be. My one true love hated me - he always had and always would. Or so I assumed... This was the day I tried to do something about it, and there's only one thing I know for sure about it. It worked. "To Hell with all this!" I swing out my arm, causing everything on the top of my desk to fall off with a crash, piling onto the floor. I twitch when something brakes, and my shoulders slump as I realize I'm going to have to clean it all up now. As I bend down to find the broken object my eyes catch on the window behind me. A loud clap of thunder echoes through my hollow house and I sigh, turning back to the clutter on my floor. The thing that broke, I see, saddening, is a picture of America. The small blonde boy is holding tightly to me, his small arms wrapped around my neck. He was so cute... A small tear drops onto the shattered glass of the frame, and I wipe my eyes angrily, cursing myself for becoming so weak. I know America will never return my feels, it's not our fate to be together. I slowly fix all of the fallen items, leaving the room afterward. The rain still drips down my windows, reminding me of things I'd rather stay hidden within my memory. 'I'm done. Through. No more of this sadness; I'm not even sure how long I'll be able to take this rejection anyway!' I think, kicking a stray book out of my way as I pace the empty house. My eyes catch on its worn cover as I watch it spiral into the wall across from me. I stride over smartly and pick it up, brushing off the dust that obscures the books' words. The gold letters read "Magic" in Latin. I laugh coldly, flipping open to a random page. 'I guess I could read this. I need something to take my mind off of him...' I sit down on my couch and start to read. My eyes become wide with shock, and I turn to the Index section to search the types of spells. "Love... Pain... Jealousy... No, none of these with do!" I say, almost giving up. Then my eyes land on a single word and my breath catches in my throat. Death. "No!" I yell, shoving the book off my lap. It lands on the floor with a puff of dust and snaps closed, but my eyes still linger where the word had been. "Maybe, just this once..." Before I know it, a small circle is written on the floor in front of me and the book is opened to the page for something called "Immortality", which shouldn't effect me at all, seeing as I'm a nation. As I start to chant, the circle glows a deep red, then orange, and then finally to white. I struggle to keep reading and force my eyes open. But it's so hard to concentrate, and I feel so tired all of a sudden... My eyes roll back just as I finish and I sink into unconsciousness, falling deep into my own troubled mind. And I just keep falling. And never stop. I open my eyes and yawn, sitting up and rubbing my emerald green eyes. It's morning, and for some reason the light shining through the windows around me burns my eyes. I sigh, running a hand through my hair and wincing as I get up. "Why... was I on the floor?" I can't remember a thing from last night, and I'm slightly worried until I feel a sting at the back of my throat. 'Dammit, I must be sick...' I think, walking upstairs to change into fresh clothes. The pain in my throat is accompanied by one in my chest and a dull ache in my head as I take a shower. When I come out, eyes still adjusting to the light, my cellphone rings. 'The lines must be back up' I think as I check the caller ID. "America" it says, and I sigh when I pick up. "Hello, this is England. Please leave a message after the-" "Very funny, Iggy. I know it's you." The American interrupts with a sly voice. I can barely stop myself from reprimanding him. "What do you want, America?" "I wanted to make sure you were okay. I heard there was a pretty bad storm over there last night and I wanted to make sure you were okay!" 'That's right... There was a storm last night, but I can't remember anything else!' "Um, that's very nice of you America. Now, I think I have to-" "Hey, dude!" he interrupted again. "Can I come over?" "America, I'm kind if busy..." "Aw," I could practically hear his pout through the phone. "Just for a little while! I won't bother you!" "Whatever." I say before hanging up. America will just be another distraction from work, but at least he's a welcome one. I continue to towel dry my hair in a fogged mirror before getting dressed. Now the pain has become worse and I can't focus as I slip a tank top over my chest and put on some khakis. My heart skips a beat and a cold sweat breaks out on my brow when I bend to slip on my socks. I give up, stumbling down the stairs and into the kitchen. I turn on the teapot, leaning back against the counter as another wave of pain washes over me. I sip my Earl Grey once it's ready, hoping it will calm my nerves, and sit down. The pain in my throat isn't helped at all by the drink, and I set down my cup almost immediately. Now I am gasping for breath and about ready to faint. That's when I try to call America. "Pick up, pick up, pick up you git!" I whisper as the dial tone sounds. "England? What's up? I was just about to leave for your place." The farmiliar voice says. "America..." my chest contracts and I cough. "Arthur, what's wrong." America says calmly, using my human name. Before I am able to answer, my chair falls back and the phone is knocked out of my hand. I can hear Americas voice for one second more until its cut off by a ringing in my ears. Black spots crowd my vision and I close my eyes tiredly, turning my head away from the phone. And then I fall asleep, one hand reaching towards the cell, the other grasping my shirt over my heart. When I wake up again I'm lying on something soft. I keep my eyes closed for a minute as I try to get my bearings. I'm lying down, with one hand grasping my heart and the other tearing into whatever I'm sleeping on. I can't hear anything but someone above me breathing heavily, suggesting they're asleep. I try to move, but everything hurts too much and I let out a gasp of pain. The breathing above me catches and I feel something under my head move. "England. Are you awake?" America's voice says. I try to keep quiet but with each breath another shot of pain lights up my chest and eventually I open my eyes a bit. Only to close them right away at the harsh light. I groan, forcing myself into a sitting position and taking a few deep breaths. "Yeah," I respond. My voice comes out as barely a whisper, but when I try to speak up I double over in pain. I feel America's hand rest hesitantly on my shoulder as I cough. When I've recovered I mutter a strangled "I'm sorry." before turning away. America, hand still on my shoulder, sighs. "Are you okay? You tried to call me but... Hey! Are you listening?" In fact, I'm not listening. I've been too busy staring at America. And not just America, but his neck. It's so... Perfect. And there's this one vein right under his collar that pulses with every beat of his heart. It looks so... so good! I leaned in, my eyes hazy. "England? What are you doing?" America asks. My eyes widen and I back away from him, shaking my head. "N-nothing! I don't know. I'm sorry. Um, I have to..." my eyes race around the room, searching for the door. When I finally find it I make my break, running through it and locking it behind my with a click. Seconds later I hear America banging on the other side and I gasp for air. "Iggy! Let me in!" he screams. I ignore him, rushing to my bathroom. The fog had evaporated from the mirror and my panicked expression reflected back at me. My eyes were bloodshot, my hair messy and lank. My skin was pale; nearly translucent, and my veins stuck out against it like they'd been drawn on with a marker. "Holy..." The door bursts open to reveal a flustered America, who is breathing very heavily. I still stare at my reflection in horror. I open my mouth a bit and both of us jump back in shock. My teeth are normal, all for the canines, which are sharp and pointed. I snap my mouth closed and my eyes widen. "Ah!" I cry, sinking to my knees. America is by my side in a second, still trying to get me to respond. "England?! Answer me!" "A-America?" I say. "I... Can I tell you what happened?" After ten minutes of explaining and searching I find the page in the spell book I'd used. "So, you're telling me you accidentally turned yourself into a Vampire and you're going to stay this way until midnight tonight?" America asked doubtfully. "Yes." "Dude! That's so cool!" he says, slinging an arm around my shoulders. I wince a bit at his proximity and push him off gently. "So, do you, like, drink blood and everything?" "Um..." I really don't want to tell him about my cravings, but I don't want him getting hurt either... "Yes." He stared at me hard for a moment before blushing and turning away. "Well, if you want, you can drink from me..." I do a double take. Did he just say I could bite him? "Don't be rediculous! I'm a gentleman, which means I won't be biting a single person while I'm like this!" Just then my chest clenches and I let out a gasp of pain. "No," I say as America advances on me. "Don't come any closer!" I hunch over in pain on the wooden floor as my heart beats frantically and my throat starts to close. Tears pour from my closes eyes as I moan in pain. That's when Americas' hand grasps mine. I look up into those vast blue eyes, seeing the hard determination there. And something else. Before I know it, his soft lips clash against mine and all my pain is forgotten. My hands thread through his hair and his pull me deeper into the kiss. We lie on the floor, gasping for breath, as America scrambles around for something sharp. I hold down his arms, my legs straddling his, and press my lips into his. "No need," I whisper through kisses. I trail my lips down his cheek bones and neck, finding that perfect vein, and then I bite. The boy under me gasps, but before I can move away he thrusts me down. "More..." he says, his voice desperate. I smile and lick his wound before going in again, this time biting harder. Blood flows into my mouth and I moan in pleasure. The metallic substance drips down my chin and down Americas neck. I stop biting to kiss him, and he slips his toung into my mouth, exploring every inch with it. His scent and taste fills me and I barely have time to drag him to his feet and into my bedroom before both of us are undressed. We fall onto the bed, me on top, and I lose myself in the bliss until the next morning when I lay next to his quiet form. "America," I say, nuzzling his side. He shivers and kisses my forehead in response. "Yes?" "I love you." His arms embrace me suddenly, and tears fall on my face. "I love you too, Arthur, and I always will." And that is the story of how America and I got together. Now, if you'd excuse me, I have some... "work" to do. Goodbye! ====== Review!
