[AN: I do not own Hetalia: Axis Powers or anything affiliated with Hidekaz Himaruya. I do however own this Isle of Man OC: Gillian Kirkland]
It was a typical and slightly boring day for the personification of the Isle of Man, Gillian Kirkland; the sun was shining, the birds were singing and there was the ever-pleasant aura surrounding the Isle.
So far, the day had been nothing short of the norm. She woke up, had breakfast and visited her son, the capital city Douglas. Naturally, the teen was pleased to see her and kept her company until she decided to take her leave.
Currently, she was sitting in her living room in the East Wing of her futilely large home engrossed in a new book that she had purchased from the local bookstore.
There was a loud knocking from the front door, jolting her from her imagination within the depths of Middle Earth and back to reality. She placed the book down on the side table and got up from her seat, walking out of the East Wing and down the stairs, toward the front door.
The person at the door didn't mind waiting for her to come downstairs, after all, he had been delaying this visit for a few centuries now. His boss managed to force him to her mansion within a secluded clearing in one of the forests near the capital city. The male smiled fondly at the memory of the last time they saw each other.
~Flash back~
There were noises of protest and the smell of burning wood filled the winter evening air as the people of the village were searching for the teen vampire who was also the personification of Romania.
The boy, growing tired of running from the people, ran down a darkened alleyway only to discover that it was blocked off by some civilians who were blocking his path with hunting dogs who were snarling and barking at him.
He rested his hand against the crudely-made wall and panted heavily, slowly regaining his breath as his heart beat returned to its normally steady pace.
The angry mob had also turned into the alleyway and were slowly approaching. It seems that the teenage vampire had taken too long to recompose himself. "The beast is calling upon his coven to come and kill us! Don't get too close!" a voice from the mob called out.
"I don't have a coven and I honestly mean you no harm" Romania said in an attempt to plead with the crowd, reaching out a shaky and slightly bony hand to them. "It's trying to attack us! Let's kill it!" the leader of the mob said, pointing his flaming torch at Romania.
As he said this, the ghost of their former dictator leader appeared in front of Romania. In actual fact, it was England's younger sister, the Isle of Man or Manx as she was more commonly known as, in disguise.
"If you do not wish to die before your natural time is up, you will leave him alone and never bother him again" an eerie voice spoke, slightly echoing and making the mob tremble before running to their separate homes, leaving behind their torches and pitchforks and their dogs to follow close behind with their tails between their legs.
When it was declared safe, Manx showed her true form. "Seems like you ran into trouble again, eh Vlad?" the teenage Manxgirl said with a gentle smile and using his real name, her forest-green eyes seeming to glow under the dying flames of the torches. "It's not my fault Gillian...I'm a monster" Vlad sighed, damning his vampiric curse to the depth of an evil deity's heart.
"You're not a monster, not in my eyes. Don't let what they say or what you think make you believe that you are. I better get going, brother's servants will most likely report my disappearance...stay safe, Vlad" Gillian said, untying the red ribbon from her hair and tying it around the collar of his fraying and grime-stained shirt before kissing his cheek softly and smiling at him before dematerialising in a puff of smoke, magic allowing her to do so.
~End flashback~
That smile and those words were always there to keep him going, no matter the situation. Her smile could make burn a torch brighter than any human could, it was just that amazing; In his eyes anyway. Romania sighed happily at the thought of seeing Manx's smile again.
The Manxwoman, by this time, had already opened the door and was smiling at her childhood friend who was still lost in his hopelessly-in-love imagination. "Are you going to stand at my door all day or would you like to come in, Vlad?" Gillian giggled at his slightly dopey expression. The Romanian turned a dark red at this and grinned warmly at her.
"Can I come in~?" Vlad said with a grin, inwardly hoping that she wouldn't mind what he had to say. "No need to ask, your company is always welcome here, Vlad" Gillian said, opening the front door further and stepping out of the doorway for him to pass through the threshold.
Vlad brushed his shoes off quickly before hurrying inside and looking around her home. Everything in her house practically oozed her personality and person. From the Kirkland Family Coat of Arms hanging on the wall above her fireplace to the ever-lingering scent of honey and raspberries.
Gillian laughed off his surveying of her home and closed the door behind him. Vlad was enjoying the serenity of her home before being taken by surprise and turning an even brighter red when she hugged him softly. "It's nice to see you again, I've missed you" Gillian said, smiling up at him before pulling back.
"I've missed you too...I'm not late for breakfast or anything, right?" Vlad said, smiling down at her. The female sweatdropped at this and sighed. "I've already eaten but I can make you something" Gillian said with a weary smile.
"Ooh, can you make us pancakes?" the Romanian asked, his dark red eyes sparkling and completely oblivious to Manx's annoyance. "Pancakes? Ah, I could try but I'm not that great of a cook...I do know that I'm better than my brother" Gillian said, rubbing the back of her head nervously.
"You're a great cook! Don't deny it because I know you have awards everywhere" Vlad said with a warm grin making Gillian wave her hand airily. "Oh you, don't start about those and fine, we'll have pancakes" the female retorted, her cheeks tinting a light shade of pink.
"Thanks Gilly~!" Vlad said with a grin, making Gillian giggle softly. It had been a while since someone had called her by her nickname. "Silly, let's go...~" Gillian said, taking his hand and leading him to the kitchen.
Although she would never openly admit it, Gillian liked Vlad and would consider him a love interest but like all cliché love stories, she didn't want to risk their friendship over something like this.
Manx began to forage through her pantries and cupboards, looking for ingredients unknowing that Romania was watching her do so. "What would you like to have on top of the pancakes?" Manx asked, struggling to reach the packet of self-raising flour.
"Do you have lemon juice?" Vlad asked, taking down the packet for her and receiving an odd look in response. "Lemon juice...? Well, I should have some in the fridge." Gillian answered, shuddering inwardly at the thought of lemon juice on pancakes. Then again, she had raspberry syrup on her pancakes.
"Fridge? Got it!" Vlad said with a wide grin, scurrying over to the appliance and opening its stainless steel doors, crimson orbs flickering over the contents. Gillian smiled at him before going over to the counter to mix all the ingredients together.
"What would you like on your pancakes, Gilly?" Vlad asked, closing the fridge and turning to face her, the small bottle of lemon juice in his hand. "Raspberry syrup, it's in the pantry over there" Gillian answered, pointing to the pantry on one side of the room and mixing all the ingredidents together in the bowl.
Vlad nodded and walked over to the pantry, eyeing Gillian in admiration as he walked past her. Upon opening the pantry door, he was met with the scent of multiple types of fruit and different types of teas. There were also several bottles inside, all with different shapes, sizes and different coloured liquids.
The Romanian made an 'erring' noise, making Gillian turn to him curiously. "What's the matter, Vlad?" Gillian asked, her forest-green orbs flicking over the bottles in the pantry. "Which bottle is it? So many of them are unlabeled..." Vlad replied with a sheepish laugh.
"It's the red one labelled 'Raspberry Syrup', Vlad" Gillian said, slightly sweatdropping but with a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Oh...right!" Vlad laughed, slightly rubbing the back of his ash-blonde hair nervously before reaching for the bottle of raspberry syrup.
Gillian giggled and continued to stir the ingredients until they were ready to be put into the frying pan. Sometimes, she honestly believed that her choice in friends was questionable.
Vlad sat down atop the counter and watched as Gillian poured the pancake batter into the frying pan, a little bit at a time and leaving them to cook for a bit before flipping them over, her grip slightly tight on the handle of the frying pan.
When the pancakes were finally cooked, they were piled in stacks on the two nation's plates respectively. Vlad began to drown his stack with the lemon juice while Gillian poured a decent amount of raspberry syrup on hers.
"The pancakes look great, Gilly~! Vlad enthused, beginning to feed his face full of pancakes. "Thank you Vlad, I'm glad you think so" Gillian said with a smile, eating her own pancakes.
The two ate in a peaceful silence until Vlad had finished his share. "Oh gosh, I should mooch off you all the time~" Vlad said, in an attempt in being a gentleman towards her. "You're welcome to if you like. I appreciate the company" Gillian replied with a smile.
"That's not the only reason why I'd come over...hmm, I'll tidy up" Vlad said with an affectionate smile in response to hers. "Oh? And what's the other reason?" Gillian asked, raising a brow and handing their plates to him.
"Well...uh..." Vlad started to say, blushing lightly. He was going to say it, finally! The Romanian had never felt more nervous in his life. "Well...?" Gillian asked, looking up at him curiously. His nervous reactions had spiked her interest and she wondered what his next response would be.
"Uh...I kind of...really...like you" Vlad whispered quietly, his cheeks on the borderline between pink and bright red. He finally confessed his feelings, after so many centuries of hesitance, he had done it. But a pang of anxiety hit him like a tidal wave. What if she didn't feel the same way?
"R-really? You like me?" Gillian asked, blushing at what he had said. Never in a million years had she expected him to feel the same. "Y-y-yes" Vlad answered, his cheeks matching his scarlet-coloured eyes as he began to wash their dishes.
"Well, I really like you too~" Gillian said, cheeks matching his and with a large smile on her face. Vlad slightly stiffened at her words. All those centuries spent pining because he thought she didn't like him back were wasted. It turns out, she had liked him all along but suffered the same situation as him ; lack of confidence to say how they really felt.
"R-really? I'm so glad~" Vlad sighed happily, wrapping his arms around her waist and smiling. "I'm glad too~" Gillian giggled softly, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head on his chest.
"I just realised something..." Vlad said, kissing her cheek softly and glad he could do so without issues. "What is it, love?" Gillian asked, smiling up at him happily.
"Your brother's going to kill me~" Vlad said, looking oddly amused at this.
"And that's how your father and I first told each other about our feelings~" Gillian said, smiling down at her daughter Lilith who was sleeping peacefully in her mother's arms; Lilith had inherited her mother's blonde hair and her father's crimson eyes. Gillian giggled at the sight of her daughter and proceeded to carry her upstairs into her room. Lilith curled up under her blankets and cooed softly as Gillian departed to her and Vlad's room.
"Fallen asleep, has she?" Vlad asked, smiling up at his wife from their bed. "Yeah, I was telling her about how we first confessed to each other~" Gillian answered, climbing in next to him and smiling back at him. "I remember it like it was just yesterday~" Vlad said with a grin, holding her close.
"Hmm, Vladdy~" Gillian purred seductively, beginning to stroke his chest gently. "Y-yes Gilly~?" Vlad asked, his eyes beginning to cloud over with lust. Gosh how he loved it when she said his name like that.
"Let's have a son~" Gillian purred, rolling them so she would be on top and beginning to suck on his neck. "Mmm, what a good idea~" Vlad moaned quietly, kissing her deeply.
