Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Also wow! Thank you for such a positive response right off the bat! It was amazing to wake up and find so many reviews just on the first chapter! Also I wrote half of this at 4am because I could not sleep, so it was nice to see such encouragement for the second chapter~

Thank you, and enjoy this next chapter x


Chapter 2

Francis awoke slowly, his mind foggy as if a veil had been placed over his memories. He could not remember how he came to be in this huge bed in this grand room, but he did remember a man named Arthur, who was kind and friendly to him. The four-year-old sat up, rubbing his eyes sleepily but he flinched as he felt a small jolt of pain in his wrist. Looking down in wonder, Francis stared at the two tiny puncture marks on his skin, confused as to what they were or how they got there.

But his pondering was quickly abandoned when his stomach rumbled in protest, and the Parisian boy gasped softly, hopping quietly out of bed and heaving open the heavy bedroom door as quietly as he could, having to stand on tiptoes to reach the doorknob.

Peering out into the dark corridor, Francis felt a small spike of anxiety. He did not know if he was allowed out of his room without Arthur's permission, and he didn't want to get in trouble. But he was also hungry despite his large dinner the night before, as he had been half-starved all his life, though he did not remember it.

Making a quick decision, Francis left the safety of his bedroom, padding down the dark corridor with his tiny fingers brushing against the left wall so that he could feel his way along. He had no idea where he was going, or how to get to the kitchen, but his rumbling stomach would not let him abandon his mission, so the child pressed on.

His cerulean eyes were wide as he tried to see in the darkness, but all of a sudden he felt the floor give way beneath him, and Francis let out a shriek as he slipped down the staircase that had been concealed to him. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut in fear, reaching blindly for the bannister as he felt himself fall, but he found nothing. Instead, he fell heavily against something – someone's strong chest.

Arthur let out a slight grunt at the impact, but he had caught Francis before the boy managed to do himself any serious injury. The vampire had been in the library, but his heightened sense of hearing had picked up on Francis leaving his bedroom, and he had come to the foot of the stairs to see if he was alright.

Now the boy was still, except for he was trembling all over, clearly shocked from his sudden, if brief, fall down the stairs.

"Are you alright, poppet?" Arthur asked gently, pulling back to examine the boy, but as soon as he did Francis just grasped his shirt, burrowing against his chest for safety.

The feeling of being needed was something Arthur had never experienced, but now he gently wrapped his arms around the child, as if he would break if the vampire was not too careful. Soon, muffled sobs slipped from Francis' lips as the child could not help it. The fall had greatly shaken him up as he had not been able to see anything.

Arthur had a heightened sight and so he never used candles around the house, but now he mentally berated himself for assuming Francis would be the same. He gently stroked the boy's hair as Francis sobbed against his chest, holding him in a protective embrace until the child felt safe enough.

"It's alright, love. You're safe now…" Arthur soothed, his voice barely above a whisper in the deathly silent house.

"I-I'm sorry, monsieur…I-I just wanted…s-something t-to – " Francis struggled to get the words out between his sobs, but his stomach rumbled once more, finishing the sentence for him.

Arthur smiled softly, gently picking the child up and letting him nestle against his chest as the vampire carried him to the kitchen.

"No need to apologise. I should have given you a candle to light your way with…" Arthur set Francis down on the counter, and the child watched as the vampire rummaged his way around the kitchen, searching for any food that was still in date and suitable for a human child. There was not much, as Arthur rarely ate human food. To him, it tasted like ashes in his mouth and so he only ever ate to keep up the pretence that he was human and not a creature of the night.

Eventually he found some bread and cheese: the bread was hard and the cheese was almost mouldy, but Francis accepted it without a fuss, munching quietly as Arthur lit some candles in the room. Once the room was lit in a dim but cosy glow, the vampire turned back to the child, seeing the glint of the tear stains on his cheeks, and he took out a handkerchief, dabbing at the boy's eyes gently.

"There, that's better, yes?" Arthur studied Francis for any signs of injury from his fall, his gaze lingering on the boy's wrist as he remembered drinking from him the night before.

Francis nodded, giving such a beautiful little smile that Arthur was filled with the overwhelming urge to protect this child from the cruelty of the world. He was so naïve and innocent, and he did not even know what Arthur was. It was then that Arthur decided to keep his true nature hidden from Francis for as long as he could, not wanting the boy to fear him.

When the Parisian boy had finished eating, Arthur fetched a lantern, lighting the candle inside and letting Francis hold it.

"Here, now be careful on your way back to bed, alright?"

Francis nodded again, letting Arthur lift him down off the counter as he was too little to climb down by himself. "Oui, merci monsieur…."

Arthur smiled. "I already gave you permission to call me 'Arthur', did I not?"

Francis froze, peering up at Arthur as if to judge whether the Englishman was scolding him or not. But seeing Arthur's smile, the boy returned a sheepish smile of his own.

"Je suis désolé…Arthur…" Francis had slight trouble pronouncing the vampire's name, saying it more as 'Art'ur', but Arthur found it endearing.

"Goodnight, Francis." The vampire watched the child carefully make his way back up the stairs, holding the lantern in front of him so he could see where he was going. There was a tiny frown of concentration on Francis' features as he was focused on not losing his footing again, and Arthur could not help smiling as he watched in silence from the doorway.

It was only when Francis was out of sight and Arthur heard the boy's bedroom door click closed that the vampire saw fit to resume his reading in the library, returning to the large, high-backed armchair in front of the unlit fireplace and finding his place again.

XxX

Arthur allowed Francis to sleep until mid-morning the next day, since he had an interrupted sleep the night before. The vampire, contrary to popular belief, did not sleep during the day, and the daylight did not make him turn to dust as overzealous fanatics seemed to believe.

The sun was more of an irritation to the skin and the eyes, and so Arthur kept heavy drapes over the windows to avoid discomfort. Of course, if a vampire chose to go out into the sun at the height of day with no protection for more than a few minutes, he would become rather dizzy and weak, and if it was incredibly excessive, the vampire would indeed die. But it was more of a wasting away than turning into dust, and it was a terribly slow way to die.

So Arthur could perfectly well tolerate the sun in small amounts, and he proceeded to cross Francis' bedroom and pull back the drapes, allowing the morning light to dance across the polished wooden floorboards and slither up the bedposts, finally resting on Francis' sleeping features.

The boy stirred slightly, and Arthur smiled, coming over to sit on the edge of his bed.

"Good morning, Francis…" he said gently, and the Parisian boy stirred again, but Arthur could tell instantly that the child was not one to enjoy getting up in the mornings.

"Wake up, sweetheart. We have a lot to do today." Arthur's tone was still gentle, but he gently patted Francis' shoulder to accompany his words, until the boy opened his beautiful cerulean eyes.

"Hmm?" Francis blinked, before sitting up and rubbing his eyes sleepily. Arthur smiled, enjoying the small moments that he found so endearing, and that he knew no one else would ever see. Francis' golden hair caught the sunlight beautifully, his blue eyes sparkling with innocence and wonder, and Arthur was captivated by the youthful beauty that Francis so effortlessly possessed.

He was the only real light in Arthur's world of darkness, and Arthur was going to treasure him, and never let him go.

"First, we shall have some breakfast, and then we shall go for a lovely morning walk." Arthur gestured to the boy's wardrobe, as he had taken the liberty of buying Francis some rich, beautiful clothes in the night. He was a very good customer of their local tailor in Paris, who as a result would accommodate Arthur's every request immediately.

Francis' eyes lit up as he launched out of bed, throwing open the wardrobe doors in excitement and gazing up at all the silks and frills of the clothes with wide eyes. Arthur blinked, but gave a chuckle as he noticed how fascinated the child was with all the finery.

"Do you like them?"

Francis nodded eagerly, his golden hair swaying prettily as he did. "May I try them?" he asked, the eagerness in his voice unmistakable.

Arthur smiled, standing and going over to him. "Why don't you choose one outfit you would like to wear today, hm?"

Francis gazed up at all the clothes, tracing his tiny fingers over the delicate embroidery. He took a long moment, examining every outfit in detail, before finally deciding that he would like to wear a blue and gold jacket with a white, ruffled shirt and dark trousers. Arthur was impressed by Francis' taste, and he dressed the boy in the clothes he had chosen.

Once they were done, Francis beamed at himself in the mirror, which Arthur tactfully stood to the side of so Francis would not notice he had no reflection.

"I look like a Prince!" Francis beamed, and although the clothes were slightly large on him, Arthur knew it was because the boy was so skinny, but as soon as he was a healthier weight the clothes would fit perfectly.

The Englishman nodded, selecting a blue ribbon and a brush, and he gently brushed Francis' hair. "Indeed you do~"

Francis stayed still for him, letting Arthur brush his hair and he beamed when Arthur tied it back with the ribbon, giggling when the front bangs fell out instantly to frame his face. Arthur raised a slightly bushy eyebrow, but decided that it was a nicer style, so he let it be.

"Perfect." The vampire muttered, smiling in satisfaction. Francis beamed back, his beautiful eyes alight with the excitement of new clothes.

He did not spare a single thought for his deceased mother, for Arthur had erased his memories of her entirely.


A/N: So I've decided to keep the chapters a relatively short length but I shall try to update regularly so you don't all get mad at me for it XD It's just easier to write little and often rather than trying to avoid getting stuck in the middle of a longer chapter~

Please review and let me know what you thought of Arthur becoming Francis' weird guardian type thing, and what do you think of Francis being so innocent?

Love you all x