I know I said last time that it would be Whiskers that would be updated, but I decided to go ahead and post this chapter because I realized that I would have to completely re-write the plot for this story for it to actually be considered a horror fic. That, and at the end of this, an idea popped into my head and it was a hell of a lot better than what I originally had planned. That saying, there will be two updates of Whiskers before the next chapter of this is posted, and since I don't have any classes until January, there may be more than one update a week for the weeks that I have internet access. Sorry for the inconvenience.
And I realize that some of the characters may come off as OOC, but attempted to get them as close as possible concerning the circumstances.
Everything has a reason.
Panic burned under the Spaniard's skin and he ached under a cold sweat sticking his clothes to his body. What would... could he do? He was sure he didn't own any medicine that would kill the parasite without bringing harm to himself and that thing sprawled out in his den blocked him from his only way to get help in a reasonable amount of time. And there was no telling what he would do to the Iberian if he got too close again. Force more of those parasites down his throat? Eat him...kill him? He couldn't take the chances, but he couldn't afford waiting for the thing in his stomach to grow and potentially kill him. Antonio scrambled back onto his feet, carefully creeping to the door of his bathroom and made a silent prayer that the monster wasn't in the hallway.
He peered through the frame, down towards the din. Clear... good. With his feet swift and as quietly as they could possibly be, Antonio leaped across the hall, throwing himself into the side of his bed as he frantically and blindly fumbled his hand around under the frame for a small wooden box. Even more panic stabbed at his heart when he couldn't find it at first, but the moment his fingers brushed against the smooth surface of his objective, a cool wave of relief washed over his body.
That humanoid monster...whatever it was, there wasn't any possible way it could survive a bullet to the head. Nothing could survive without a functioning brain.
With the cool weight of the weapon comfortably in his hand, he snapped off the safety and aimed it at the door, keeping his brows furrowed and eyes alert as he made his way to the hallway. It was still clear and seemed to stretch out to impossible lengths with each cautious step that padded against the icy flooring of his home, deftly echoing in the spine-tingling silence meeting his ears. Blood thundered through his veins, screaming for him to shoot the man the moment his crosshairs ghosted over that monster's face.
Antonio kept his stance ready, keeping his body turned slightly to the side and the barrel of the gun trained on the floor. That thing wouldn't jump him again, never again. Grating breaths once more scratched though his ears, underlain by those guttural clicks the beast was able to produce and then its toes slipped into his sight. Calves soon stretched from the feet, sloping up into smooth thighs and bare hips, though it was only once side since the monster was laying on his side. Ribs just barely protruded from the tanned flesh, covered by an arm limply thrown across a lightly muscled chest and then... that face came back into his view, haphazardly pressed against its other arm, appearing as if it was simply in a slumber, that is, if those piercing olive eyes weren't gazing at Antonio through half-massed lids.
God... if he didn't know that the thing wasn't human, he'd call it beautiful. But it was a monster; a demon that infected him with some sort of parasite that would surely kill him. A concoction of rage and dread furrowed his brows and he rose the barrel so it was in line with the beast's skull, right in the middle of its forehead. It didn't move, either from not knowing that Antonio was about to kill him or from it not fearing the Spaniard. Like it really mattered. Antonio squeezed his finger on the trigger, only a small pull away from blowing the demon's skull to bits...but... he couldn't. He just couldn't kill the creature.
Why... Why couldn't he? What the hell was preventing him from destroying the abomination sprawled out in a sticky puddle of slime that reeked of disease?
It lazily gazed up at him, splitting apart its lips and exhaled though the pink flesh, weakly trying to lift its head from its makeshift pillow called his arm. "Don't." Antonio bellowed out to the thing, flinching as the parasite writhed in his stomach and sent shockwaves of discomfort through his intestines. "M-Move and I'll shoot."
Harsh clicks vibrated in its throat and it twitched, hissing callous breath through unstained teeth that tapered off into a whine akin to cicadas on a feverish summer night. The man-creature twitched, scrunching up its face into an expression only describable as pain... and a lot of it, masking over its quivering form that slowly curled itself into a ball. But... It couldn't be in pain, it was impossible and... and tears began to stream down its cheeks, no... demons didn't have emotions. They couldn't cry, they co-
Oh...oh god... oh god.
Pain exploded in the Spaniard's stomach, burning at his flesh and stabbing at his nerves as a sharp scream seethed from his lungs, forcing the gun to slip from his fingers and clatter on the floor. He hunched over, desperately clinging to his belly with hands, nails and arms, praying for the piercing heat to stop but it didn't, even when he collapsed beside the monster that caused his pain. A sticky sweat beaded up on his skin, yet it failed to cool off his sweltering body and sooth the headache stabbing its way down his spine. His gut lurched, sending a cold fire up his chest that scorched at his insides before it clinched, swelling in his chest like a scalding metal ball covered with spinning drills.
Whimpers bubbled from his lungs and vile liquid gurgled up from his stomach, swirling against the back of his tongue before more and more oozed out, eventually slithering from his lips and gathering onto the floor. The stench burned his nose along with the bile that managed to seep into his nostrils. And as putrid as it was, it was nothing compared to the swelling mass in his throat that writhed and wiggled as it made its way up, tasting like copper and decay the moment the very tip touched the rear of his mouth. It choked him, refusing to move any further until he expelled it with several jagged coughs.
A slippery tail flopped around in the contents of Antonio's stomach like a fish in a paper thin puddle, squirting out blood from where a head should've been. The crimson plasma swirled into grotesque shapes with every twist the freed half of the parasite made in the bile, slowly mixing into a gooey mess as its movements died down and eventually stopped with one last twitch. What...where the hell was its head? More pain shot through his middle, educing another groan from the Spaniard and realization struck him; it was still inside him; eating away, growing and surely replicating itself as more and more time went on.
What would he do? He didn't have a doubt in his mind that this parasite would kill him within the next few days, but... if he did kick the bucket, he was taking that bastard who infected him with him.
Antonio craned his neck, grimacing as his cheek slipped around in the puddle of fluids; He would need to shower again, but he had other things he needed to deal with at the moment. That creature... it just laid there in the sticky slime, staring at Antonio while producing more of those clicks deep within its gullet and puffed out thin streams of air. Blinking, the demon twitched and moved its hand, reaching out towards the Spaniard who opened his mouth to yell, only for blood and slivers of goo to spew out. He was unbelievably cold, shivering and twitching in the pool of disgusting fluid. This was the end... he was sure he was internally bleeding; that was the only reason he would be coughing up the crimson plasma and that thing was still reaching out to him... probably wanting to infect him with more parasites.
Those disgusting, svelte fingers close enough to his face that it tingled, awaiting what pain the abomination would inflect upon him. There wasn't anything he could do; all of his strength was gone, torn from him by that slithering parasite eating away at his intestines and eventually his heart. But...but that didn't mean he had to die without a fight. Nails brushed his flesh, trailing down across Antonio's nose before coming to a stop on his cheeks. The Spaniard growled through the film flapping in his throat, furrowing his brows and sneering at the beast that dared to touch him, feeling warmth return to his broken body like worms slithering in water.
Antonio snatched his face away from the beast's touch, rolling away from the thing, making to snatch up the gun on his way back up. Instantly, the crosshairs were aimed at the demon's head, unwavering as the Iberian's voice boomed out orders, "Get up." Olive orbs stared up at him, but the creature didn't make a move. "Get up, NOW!" Antonio's finger tightened on the trigger, watching for any type of strange movement to come from the monster unhurriedly dragging its hands across the stained floor. It twisted its torso, tucking fingers under its naked chest as its biceps clinched, trying to lift its body off of the ground.
Watching with a vigilant glare, Antonio kept the weapon pointed at the quivering monster; it pushed itself off of the wooden floor, managing to slip its foot under the lower half of its body on the way up, further lifting higher into the air. For a moment, it stood there, shaking and swaying to the side before it leaned against Antonio's leather couch for support, gasping and huffing for its breath. "Don't move." The Spaniard growled out, approaching the beast so he could reach the phone, but he picked it up only to find that there wasn't a dial tone. Damn... the power must've gone out overnight, meaning he was stuck with this beast until it came back on. He glared back down at the monster, slight curiosity bubbling under the fear misting over his mind.
Ever since he returned, it didn't try to jump Antonio. Not once. "Who... What are you?"
The creature stared at him for a moment, eventually losing its grip on Antonio's furniture and collapsing on the floor once more, unfortunately landing in the mixture of vomit and slime. It grimaced as three low clicks vibrated in its throat through its harsh breaths, and with every crack the beast's vocals chords flicked out, a single syllable formed in the Spaniard's mind.
Lo...
Vi...
No...
Antonio frowned in puzzlement. That couldn't be right. His head had to be playing tricks on him; there wasn't any possible way that he understood what the creature was saying. "You're... Lovino?" Why did that sound slightly familiar?
Several high-pitched clicks vibrated in its throat and it tried to stand on its feet once more, only to fall right back down. Could... could it not stand up?
He was stuck with this monster... this Lovino until the power came back on... then... well, he couldn't just let it be incrusted in vomit and slime all day. That was insanitary for both that disgusting creature and for Antonio, not to mention it reeked and he wanted the vile stench out of his home. But, if it couldn't stand up on its own, then he'd have to...
A groan left Antonio's lips at the horrid thought that drifted into his mind. Ugh, he didn't want to touch the creature unless he had to, but Lovino needed a full-body bath, for the muck was covering its skin and matting its cinnamon hair to its face. With the way that Lovino was shivering, as much as Antonio didn't want any of his personal garments on the demon's flesh, it needed clothing... and if he called the police and they found a dead body of something that looked like a human in his home, he would be in all sorts of trouble.
Why did America hate him so?
Antonio carefully inched his way over to Lovino, keeping the gun trained on his forehead. "Listen to me, and listen well." He grumbled to the man-thing, reaching down with his spare hand. "I'm going to take you to the washroom. Try anything and I'll shoot." Lovino weakly grasped his hand, shooting cold tingles down Antonio's arm when its scalding fingers wrapped around his skin. With one tug, Lovino was up on its feet but instantly swayed dangerously to the side, forcing Antonio to circle his arm around its waist to keep it from falling back down into the muck.
It... Lovino was so warm, despite the cool slime that still clung to its skin and seeped through Antonio's shirt. Dammit, he shouldn't be thinking about things like that; he needed to get this demon into a bath and then back somewhere he could easily watch it. "Alright..." Antonio began, trying to press Lovino forward, who merely stumbled before pressing most of its weight against the Spaniard's side. "You can walk, can't you?"
Clicks vibrated in its throat, and Antonio could faintly see a frown in Lovino's lips through the corner of his eyes. Antonio groaned. Just great; he'd have to carry the monster into the washroom, giving the beast an opportunity to harm him once more. So, with another groan, the brunet tenderly tucked the weapon behind his waistband before swiftly dipping down to latch his arm behind Lovino's knees. The chocolate headed creature gasped at the sudden absence of floor, its voice angrily clattering at the Spaniard as he started forward, careful to sidestep the sordid puddle and parasite carcass. Antonio kept his eye on the creature on his way, yet the only thing he could see that even resembled aggression was the absolutely furious scowl that Lovino shot at him under the faint red painted on its cheeks. Once again, his mind had to be playing tricks on him; monsters didn't get embarrassed.
Lovino's grip tightened around Antonio's neck the moment they reached the washroom, as if it was anticipating what was going to happen for worse, rather than better. He gently placed the creature on the off-white tiles, allowing its back to rest against the wall before quickly stepping over to the tub and turning on the water.
Lovino stared at him as he crossed the room for a towel, rag and soap, curling up into a ball once Antonio shot a glare at him before returning to preparing the bath...for the monster. He was surely going insane. Yet, he was still surprised that Lovino didn't move at all since Antonio placed it there, choosing to silently watch him save for the few clicks that echoed in its throat. Surely, by now, it would've attacked him again.
The water was shut off with a simple turn of the faucet, a few beads dripping down from the shiny metal into the tub, forming ripples that disfigured Antonio's reflection. He still looked like he did the night before; the same darkly tanned, curly haired, green eyed Spaniard that could easily capture the hearts of beautiful women. Nothing seemed out of place...on the outside. Pain still fingered through his stomach every minute or so, constantly reminding him of the thing in his body. And... of the thing that he had to lift into the tub. Lovino's eyes were shut when Antonio twisted around, seemingly dozing off against the wall and even tilting to the side before correcting its stature. Well, maybe this would make things easier. If it was asleep, it certainly wouldn't struggle nor would it attack him.
Lovino failed to stir when Antonio approached him, though its legs did shift around so the Spaniard was able to clearly see that the monster was... well... male, at least on the outside.
He adverted his eyes from the creature's lower regions, gingerly hooking his fingers under Lovino's knees and under his arms to lift the man-thing into the air, tightening his grip when he stirred. Olive eyes fluttered open, lazily blinking up at the Spaniard as if he was trying to determine where he was until he glanced down at the tub Antonio was holding him over.
A shrill screech roared in Antonio's ears and nails dug into his skin as Lovino screamed, desperately trying to escape from the Spaniard's grasp, using every muscle he could to throw the Iberian off balance. He succeeded, forcing Antonio to drop him into the water. Oh...oh the horrifying shriek that Lovino forced out of his lungs the moment he hit the liquid, flailing around and lashing out in an attempt to escape the milky coloured tub.
He screamed... and screamed, as if he was terrified of the liquid, and Antonio had no idea what to do. Lovino clawed at his arms, pulling him down while throwing water in every direction, soaking both the Spaniard and the floor. Blood oozed down his skin, swirling into the fluid and eventually evenly mixing once Lovino's writhing stirred it, failing to catch a good footing in the slippery tub. Frantic clicks jittered behind his metallic screeches and they ripped at Antonio's heart.
Lovino... he was scared... but why? Why was he so terrified of sitting in a basin of water?
Antonio gripped Lovino's shoulders, trying to hold him down against every thrash and every clawing that was aimed towards him. "H-Hey! Calm down!" He yelled at the flailing monster, using just about all of his strength to keep him in the tub, "It's just water! I-It won't hurt you!" His words didn't seem to calm the brunet's panic; he still tried to climb up Antonio's arm using his sharpened nails, painfully digging into his skin as each clinch failed to drag him any higher.
This was becoming too much of a hassle; Antonio grabbed Lovino's cheeks, forcing the creature to look him in the eyes, cringing at the face that glared back at him. Beetle black orbs with crimson slits and streaming tears stared back at him, impossibly wide and fearful compared to how calm they were only minutes before. Fangs extended from the corners of his lips like tiny mandibles, producing higher pitched clicks when they tapped against his human-like teeth and captured pockets of air that hissed through his mouth. Once again, his head twitched and trembled between the Spaniard's hands.
Fear bubbled up in Antonio's gut at the sight...so, this is what the monster really looked like, or... was it only a mere taste of its true form? Yet, something deep within him forced to keep gazing at Lovino's face, watching as black condensed into olive once more and those mandibles retracted to the back of his lower jaw. He blinked up at the Spaniard, slightly loosening his grip. "Look," Antonio gently spoke to the creature, taking once of Lovino's hands and dipping it in the water, swirling it back and forth, "It's harmless, see?" Lovino glanced down at the liquid, releasing his grip on Antonio's arm to run his fingers across the top of the clear fluid. "Just water, nothing more."
Clicks juddered in Lovino's throat and a faint smile formed on his lips, much like he was relieved that the warm liquid was completely harmless. He relaxed in the water, allowing his body to slip further down so only his head and the tops of his knees were exposed to the air, leaving Antonio slightly curious as to why he was originally frightful. Did something happen to make him so afraid or was it that the creature didn't understand what water was? Well, he seemed content now so there wasn't a point in wasting time. Antonio grabbed the rag off of the nearby counter along with the soap, offering it to Lovino. "I'm not cleaning you."
He glared up at the Spaniard and then down at the items in his hand, snapping his vocal chords before taking what Antonio presented him. Over and over he turned them in his hands, carefully looking them over until he noticed where the wet patch of cloth produced suds when rubbed against the milky coloured bar, and how the slime was clean away from his fingers. Lovino stared for a moment before dunking the rag in the water and lathering soap all over it. Puzzlement tumbled over and over in Antonio's mind as he stared down at Lovino running the cloth over his skin, washing off the grime and sludge staining his flesh. It was like a child learning how to use basic objects and it intrigued Antonio more than anything else, so much that he didn't realize he was staring until the creature noticed his lingering eyes and angrily clattered at him, using his free hand to push the brunet away.
So very... interesting. Never before had Antonio heard of a creature that seemed to be modest about bathing, even during his years in college taking class after class in biology, only to change to a foreign affairs major. More and more curiosity began to lace its fingers around his mind, slowly imprisoning the ever dying suspicion and fear facilitating his actions.
But that trepidation was still there underneath the mesh of less than desirable feelings.
"I'm not letting you out of my sight." Antonio blandly stated, somehow growing entertained at sheer amount of red that rose to Lovino's cheeks and the utterly embarrassed gleam in his eyes. He produced several angry clicks as he glared at the brunet, dunking the rag in the water before wringing some of the moisture back out and scrubbing the off the slime caked on his skin. Much to Antonio's amusement, those piercing amber eyes never left his face, even as the creature shifted his legs in an attempt to hide his lower bits from the Spaniard's observant gaze, even though Antonio kept his stare level with Lovino's, or his hands.
Wipe by wipe, the ooze began to mix with the water, turning it an odd cream colour. It took Lovino a while to completely clean his skin, leaving only his hair matted down with gunk but by then, the water was slightly cold and Lovino was once again shivering. He glared up at the Spaniard, clicking his vocal chords in displeasure. Antonio considered telling the creature to get over it and to continue bathing in the cold water, but... once he thought about it, if he made Lovino somewhat happy, then he would be less inclined to attack the Spaniard, right? It made perfect sense, at least in his mind, as strange as it was. Then again... his current actions really didn't make a lot of sense compared to what a normal person would be doing in his situation; no one in their right mind would be giving something that infected them with a parasite a damn bath, but he still didn't want to have another worm shoved down his throat.
Antonio reached across Lovino and down the tub, careful to not touch the creature's leg while he held the gun in his other hand, keeping his finger ready for any strange movements from the other male. The plug came out with a small pop, steadily draining the water out of the tub, yet... before the liquid's top brushed against Lovino's thighs, something cold was dragged down Antonio's cheek.
It was the rag Lovino was using only moments before, gently rubbing away the grime that Antonio forgot was on his face. He held such a look of disgust, much like that of a mother displeased with the mess her children made, as he tried to clean the Spaniard up with the soapy cloth. And Antonio...well, he could only stare in disbelief when the cloth was pulled away and cleaned in the draining water. Once again, it roughly washed away some of the repulsive mixture off of his tanned flesh, trailing a bit higher until it reached the corner of his eye where it paused, lingering for only a moment before continuing on. Lovino's glare never softened, yet his vocal clicking were gentler than before, almost so that it could be called strange hum from an insect. Just like with his name, a single word formed in Antonio's mind.
Repayment.
It startled the Spaniard, how easily the thought materialized and from the absurdity of it. Lovino was doing this for repayment? For what?
How absolutely idiotic of the Iberian for allowing such improbable ideas float into his head; the creature was obviously trying to get him to lower his guard so he could attack once more, yet... he was utterly intrigued by its behaviour. Such motherly attention coming from a male creature, especially from towards something that was a different species... something that was somewhat rare for things other than humans.
He shouldn't, oh god, he shouldn't be doing this crap, but it was as if something was controlling his body and he was only along for the ride. "Turn around and come to the faucet. We need to get your hair clean." Antonio didn't even know what he was saying. Words just jumped from his lips without any sense of control, no matter how hard he tried to stop them, matching how his body stood up, reaching for the shower head before he squatted back down. Come to think of it... He didn't have full control over his body ever since he woke up that morning, whether it be from his overwhelming sense of curiosity or the parasite in his stomach.
Or maybe it was just that overly kind heart of his.
Lovino didn't move at all as Antonio washed the muck out of his hair, though he did twitch every time the Spaniard's fingers brushed close to the wayward curl that refused to be bound by water and slime, and when he was completely clean, blissful clicks reverberated in his throat, matching how he gleefully ran his nails through his now wet, but silky hair. Antonio could only stare at the smile that parted the creature's lips, faintly wondering if he was only pretending to be so harmless. It was a possibility...but his happiness seemed so genuine. Well, he'd go along with it...for now, but the moment that Lovino showed any signs of aggression other than that scowl that seemed to be permanently painted on his face, he'd kill him.
It took a few minutes to drag Lovino out of the tub, with the man-creature constantly slipping on his feet and furiously clattering at him when Antonio finally gave up and lifted him up into his arms. After flipping down the lid, Antonio gently sat Lovino down onto the toilet, wrapping the towel around the brunet's shoulders before leaving the room to grab some old clothing that often was left behind in the cottage; an oversized t-shirt with black grease stains on the hem, a pair of draw-string slacks and as for underwear... he'd just let him have his least favourite pair. After all, he didn't want to see a naked creature in his home all day.
By the time he returned, Lovino was already leaning against the counter next to the toilet, sound asleep with the towel slipping off of his shoulders. Antonio sighed, unsure if he wanted to be grateful that he slept so much or worried. A lot of sleep in the day meant that he would be awake most of the night, at least that was where his logic pointed to, so he didn't bother to wake Lovino up as he gently tugged the shirt onto his body and silently prayed that he wouldn't snap out of his slumber as he slid the boxers and slacks up his legs. Fortunately, he didn't, not even when Antonio picked him back up and moved him to his couch in the living room. All he did was produce a few clicks before snuggling himself closer to the warmth that Antonio apparently radiated and coil himself into a ball when he was placed on the leather settee.
He remained asleep most of the day, giving Antonio ample time to take a quick shower, clean up the mess that the man-creature left behind, and even look for Mr. Tomate for an hour (only to find absolutely nothing). The Spaniard vigilantly watched Lovino as he snoozed on, keeping the gun only a breath away from his fingers in case he attacked the brunet once more, but it proved useless as the day dragged on. With the power out, it became uncomfortably stuffy in his home, forcing him to open most of the windows to let the air flow inside. Yet... despite his efforts, he still ended up lazily slumped down in his chair with sweat beading up on his chest and arms while dripping down his cheeks. The humidity was awful enough to make him want to crawl into a nice cool ditch. How was Lovino not bothered by this? He just continued his little nap with not one drop of sweat on his body, and the most content look plastered on his face. It was strange... Hell, Lovino was strange from those guttural clicks to how he randomly showed up without any signs of a forced break-in. It was like he was in the house when Antonio locked the entryway the night before, but that wasn't logical either due to the absence of marks on his doors and windows. The entire idea baffled him... completely and utterly confused him to the point where his head began to hurt from thinking about it too much. Complicated ideas weren't his forte, so he decided to let it go for now and to try to figure it out when the opportunity presented itself.
Antonio ran his fingers through his tangled locks of sweaty hair, swallowing down the arid ball that had collected in his mouth from the lack of decent liquids as his eyes felt dried out from staring at Lovino for so long. The most movement the man-thing made was a few twitches before shifting around where his back was facing the Spaniard. Bits of his shirt were pulled up, exposing his back to Antonio, who squinted as something lighter than his tanned skin caught his eye, making him wish he brought his glasses with him from Spain. It was something... roughly yellow in colour but faded as if a film of flesh was covering it. Antonio inched forward on his knees, careful to not make any noises as the thing came into clearer view.
It was Lovino's spine... grotesquely swollen and protruding from his skin like plates of overlapping armour made of bone that extended from the middle of his shoulders down to space between the top of his hips. Did he really not notice this before, or was it new? Was he really that oblivious to the things around him? He really didn't know... yet it probably wouldn't be the last time he failed to notice something standing out so clearly. Still, he couldn't stop his interest from once more taking control, drawing his finger up to the column of bones and sliding it down them. An uncomfortable chill overtook his nerves at the slightest touch, and his stomach clinched as the parasite inside it writhed. Although it wasn't painful anymore, it still unnerved him to know it was still there. But... it was nothing compared to the absolute terror that washed over him when his eyes trailed up to see that Lovino was staring at him with the most infuriated glare that had graced his face all day.
So wild and furrowed those olives were, instantly turning black once the creature blinked and pulled back his lips from his teeth. Newly extended fangs were exposed along with those mandibles from earlier, and a thin streak stretching from the centre of his bottom teeth and his chin seemed to soften, hinting that his jaw had separated into two pieces along the line. Antonio lost his balance, falling down onto his rump and his entire body began to shake, trying to pull himself away as Lovino twisted around on the couch, tensing his muscles with every inch that he lowered himself. They both leapt at the same time; Antonio winding around for his gun on the small table and Lovino leaping out for the Spaniard. His head cracked against the floor once Lovino landed on him, effetely shaking the table and knocking the gun off of its surface, but it was still out of his reach. He pulled his and the creature's weight, trying to shake him off of his back yet it proved to be useless once Lovino's nails had anchored him to the Spaniard's shoulders. Pain exploded through his stomach and spine and a cold sweat beaded up on his brow. Was this the end? Was Lovino going to kill him for simply touching his back? Antonio stretched his arm out as far as it could reach, barely brushing his fingertips against the chill of the black metal before something pierced into his shoulder, right into the hollow of his neck, filling it with a warmth that scuttled up his cheeks, burning them more and more.
He should've killed the monster when he had the chance...blown a fucking hole through its brain and burned its remains in the bottom of a pit, but now it was just too damn late. He felt like he was on fire, scorched by the metal writhing under his flesh. A gasp and met his lips as his sight was blotched out by black and white speckles, each growing larger and larger until his lids were forced over his emerald eyes and his body fell limp.
"Have you tried his phone?"
Gilbert snorted at Francis' absurd question; of course he tried calling Antonio's home phone, multiple times actually, but he kept getting the answering machine that the man barely managed to set up on his own. Even if the power had been out earlier that day, it was back on now, so Antonio would've gotten his message by then. "I know the guy's useless with technology, but damn... he would've answered by now."
Francis hummed in agreement, taking a long sip of his coffee. He swirled the froth lining the top with a spoon once it was back on its coaster, watching it twist and turn with lidded eyes as he leaned back into the chair he was perched on, rolling words over in his mouth. "Perhaps he's still a bit depressed from little Feli's rejection, oui?"
"Wouldn't surprise me." It wasn't like this didn't happen before, hell, it happened over dumber things than this. Like when Antonio came home from one meeting to find his entire tomato garden had been eaten by wild animals. God, he cried for hours on end, refusing to answer the phone or door until three days passed, finally opening up to the self-proclaimed Prussian with tears still running down his face and a giant stuffed turtle in his arms. "Let's give him two more days." The white haired man suggested, idly looking around the small cafe tucked into a corner of America's capital city while Francis was staring at a table of young women only a few feet away.
"Then we visit his little cottage and show him what it means to be loved, non?" Gilbert grinned at Francis' words, leaning over the small surface separating them.
"Ja, and let's not tell him this time. It will be a surprise!"
Francis let out a long chortle, flicking a stray hair away from his lightly bearded chin. "Those always make him feel the best~"
A small, light-hearted silence overtook the two. It was a bit melancholy without Antonio to brighten the dreary day the two were having, but they had important business to attend to after the previous day's meeting and didn't have time to explain the situation to the Spaniard. It was a shame... and they actually wanted to take Toni to a few strip-joints after their sudden meetings, but he had already left for that tiny building he called a temporary home.
That green-eyed bastard probably would've waited if it wasn't for Feli rejecting him, but Gilbert couldn't get mad at the little guy either, despite him being the same age as both Toni and the albino. Poor kid already had enough troubles to deal with since the last of his family was kidnapped five years prior, literally two days after Antonio started attending their meetings and a week before Francis joined. No one, except for Luddy, Feli and himself even knew that the Italian had gone missing. They never even called the police since they were so afraid the cops would take Feli into custody because of his ties to the mafia, and no one else seemed to care that the guy was gone. He really wasn't much of a talker, and when he did, it was always a storm of curses.
Even then, such a childish spit-fire that unspeakable Italian man was, absolutely perfect for the dependence that the Spaniard seemed to crave... it was just a shame that Antonio had the hots for his younger brother. Yet, Gilbert doubted the forgetful brunet even remembered the Italian, after all, they only greeted each other before going off to whatever they do after meetings. Bah, what was he thinking?
The elder Vargas brother was as straight as a fucking metal rod; he'd never fall for such an airheaded Spaniard, even if he was still around.
Please, if there is anything specific that confuses you, tell me and I will try my best to help you out. I know it's confusing, but everything will be explained.
And let it be assumed that Francis never met Feliciano's brother.
Much love,
~Self-Titled Demo