Thanks to NekoRyuuKo, TrefleV and ScandinavianTrash for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 6

Vlad sighed as he stood under the spray, allowing the water to clean away his blood. The wound had sealed itself, though now it was starting to itch really badly through the pain. It would stop in an hour or so.

Regular wounds were only a tickle. Fatal wounds itched quite a bit. And wounds that could kill a vampire hurt like hell.

Once again, he cursed his immortality, along with the demon responsible for his existence. Sometimes he wondered if it would be better if he could die. But of course, that would always be impossible. There were only a handful that could do that, and most of them enjoyed his suffering too much.

He missed the way things were before. He missed the warmth of the sunshine, how he could feel life all around him. The cold he found himself in, the misery of death… It wasn't right. He didn't belong there. It wasn't his rightful place.

Tears streamed down his face, and the water washed them away. He moved a shaky hand towards his chest, where his heart rested and where the stake had pierced him. And through the silver, an intricate pattern of gold could be found.

The pattern was circular, with intricate vine-like patterns and even floral shapes. The mark represented everything that he had once been and could never be again.

And yet, his old nature kept resurfacing. He had only been awake for a little over twenty four hours, and he had already spoken to six angels, had befriended a few Nephilim, and even found…

He shook his head, pondering once again. He had found the most dangerous thing he could ever find: hope. And that was something that he couldn't afford. If he found out, then his hope would be snatched away, and this time there would be no escape from it.

After the water had turned cold, he turned it off and stepped out of the shower. His eyes instantly fell on the clothes that had been laid out for him, and he wondered who had left it. Inhaling quickly, he realised that it was Lovino. He supposed that he shouldn't really be surprised, all things considered.

Vlad looked towards the mirror, where no reflection stared back at him. It was a relief, in a way. He couldn't see what he had become.

…

The humans sat in the living room, nervously looking towards the window. The curtains were closed, and they were dying to see what was happening outside, but Vlad had warned them that angels of death didn't like an audience, and the things they would do were not what they needed to see.

He explained that they had already been traumatised enough in their lives.

"There's something I still don't get," Jason said. "Why didn't Vlad die from the stake?"

"It might be because he's friends with those angels of death," Matthew said. "But… What I want to know is how they even knew to come here."

"Simple," Vlad said, appearing in the doorway. "Angels of death can handle being in this world after the Outbreak. It's not stifling for them. Angels of life would find this world particularly cold and unbearable. The three of them were probably in the area, and they sensed that I got a fatal wound. The three of them are extremely close friends, and so they came to help."

"How'd you make friends with them?" Feliciano asked.

Vlad ignored the question, and turned to regard Lovino.

"Thanks for the clothes," he said.

Lovino flushed slightly.

"What makes you think it was me?" he demanded.

"Your scent."

"…Oh."

Vlad went to sit down on the armchair, and winced slightly at the pain.

"Are you okay?" Matthew asked.

"I'll be fine in an hour or two," Vlad said. "These types of wounds always hurt like a bitch."

"Why aren't you dead?" Alfred asked.

"Aren't I?" Vlad asked, smiling bitterly. "There are a few reasons. One of them is because the demon that's after me won't even let me die in order to escape from him."

"A curse?" Matthew asked.

Vlad bit his lip and nodded. He suddenly looked very tired.

"I'm going to sleep," he said. "I suggest you do the same. It's late, and we'll have to leave early. Feliks said he'd be here before dawn, though knowing him, it might be later."

Vlad then curled up on the armchair, his arm draped over his head.

"But…" Alfred said.

"Sleep. Please."

The seven seemed to get the message, and they left the vampire in the living room, curled up and apparently asleep.

Lovino and Feliciano went to Lovino's room, Alfred and Matthew to Feliciano's room, and the other three went to Marcello's room.

It took them a while to fall asleep.

…

Feliciano clung to his brother, hoping to get Lovino to stop thrashing around. The other was whimpering and pleading, and even crying. He didn't want to know what kind of nightmare he was having, but if he didn't wake up soon, he could hurt himself.

"Ve, Fratello," Feliciano said. "Please, wake up. Come on."

When his brother had stilled somewhat, Feliciano took the opportunity to try to shake him awake. He was punched in the cheek in the process, but he needed to get his older brother awake.

Finally, Lovino's eyes snapped open, and he let out a sob. Feliciano sighed in relief.

"Fratello, are you okay?" he asked.

Lovino looked over towards him, tears streaming down his face.

"I…" Lovino said. "I can't… I have to…"

"Do you want Vlad to take the nightmares away again?" Feliciano asked.

Lovino swallowed before nodding his head, and he stood on shaky feet to go to the vampire.

Lovino made his way slowly to the living room, taking care to not fall on the stairs. He didn't want to wake anyone else, especially Alfred, who just couldn't trust the vampire.

Lovino didn't know why he felt so attached to Vlad, only that it made him angry when Alfred was like that towards the vampire. He had saved Lovino's life, and had vowed to protect them. He had even gone to fight the vampires so that they would leave them alone, even though he didn't want to fight.

But there was something else about the vampire that he just couldn't figure out.

Lovino finally reached the living room and looked towards Vlad. He hadn't moved since they left him, but when Lovino walked closer he lifted his arm, looking at him blankly.

"I…" Lovino started, before he swallowed nervously. "Could you… like last night?"

Vlad seemed to understand what he was trying to ask, and he moved away from the armchair, going towards the couch. He lay down on his side, allowing Lovino to cuddle up next to him. And somehow, the Italian didn't protest.

As Lovino cuddled against Vlad's chest, he noticed that he wasn't cold, like other vampires, but he wasn't warm either. He was somewhere in the middle. Lovino jumped slightly when the wings reappeared, before wrapping around him. He couldn't help but notice how warm they were.

"Sleep tight," Vlad said, before his eyes drifted closed.

He couldn't say 'sweet dreams'. The point of this was to make sure that Lovino didn't dream.

"Hey, why are you so tired?" Lovino asked, finding it strange that the vampire wanted to sleep at night.

"I'm hurt," Vlad explained. "I need to sleep to help me heal."

Lovino nodded in understanding, and rested his head against Vlad's chest, where he heard a rhythmic…

Lovino pulled back slightly, and checking to see if Vlad had his eyes closed, he moved his hand so that it was resting on Vlad's chest.

He didn't imagine it. It could not be called steady or relaxed, but it was there.

A heartbeat.

Lovino frowned in confusion. He knew first-hand that vampires didn't have heartbeats. They didn't have a pulse at all. But there was no mistaking the rhythm under his fingertips.

Allowing the rhythm to soothe him, Lovino closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

…

A figure lay curled up on the ground, his black wings curled around him in a protective cocoon. The figure was crying.

Another figure approached, large and threatening. The smaller figure uncurled just enough to see the larger one.

"Look how far you have fallen," the new figure said. "Now, why don't you come with me? I'm sure Prince Lucifer would be happy to see you, comrade."

"I didn't fall," the smaller said. "I was pushed. And dragged. And I'm not going with you."

"You have no choice. You lost your purpose. There is no place for you anymore."

The figure spoke in a voice so cheerful that it was enough to send shivers down someone's spine.

"Then I will find a new purpose, and a new place," the smaller said. "But it won't be with you. It won't be anywhere near you."

"I see. Even though I dragged you and others pushed you, you didn't fall. I think we should correct that, da?"

The image faded away, only to be replaced by the scream of the smaller figure.

…

Lovino awoke with a start. He had hoped to get a night without nightmares, but that didn't seem to happen.

But it wasn't his nightmare. He was looking from an outside perspective. And the smaller figure…

Lovino could recognise the strawberry blond hair and the black wings. And he knew the voice well enough.

He looked over towards Vlad's face, only to find the vampire looking down at him with an unreadable expression.

"Sorry," Vlad said.

"What are you apologising for?" Lovino asked.

"You came here to be free from nightmares, and I accidentally passed on one of mine."

"Oh. Well… want to talk about it?"

Vlad slowly shook his head, glancing towards the window.

"Feliks is late," he whispered. "Just like I predicted."

Lovino frowned, not satisfied with the change of subject.

"Who was that big bastard?" Lovino asked.

Vlad was silent for a moment.

"You already know the answer to that question," Vlad said.

"What? How could…?" Lovino's eyes widened in realisation. "He's that demon, isn't he?"

"Da. The one responsible for ruining my life. I lost everything because of him."

"Why'd he do that? What did you ever do to him?"

"Nothing. But when the former Prince Lucifer of Heaven who became Prince Lucifer of Hell wanted something, then he or his underlings wouldn't stop until they've got it."

"What did he want?"

"…Me. Please, can we stop talking about this? It hurts."

Lovino scowled but settled back against Vlad's chest. The heartbeat was still there, though it was a little relaxed now.

Lovino closed his eyes, secretly hoping that he would see another bit of Vlad's past, but all he received in response was blissful oblivion.

…

Lovino was nudged awake, and it took him a moment to realise that he was still snuggled in Vlad's arms. The wings had disappeared.

"What is it?" Lovino asked, not even bothering to hide his yawn.

"The others have started to wake up," Vlad said. "I'm assuming that you wouldn't want them to see you like this."

Lovino frowned, but nodded his head. He carefully moved away from Vlad, and the vampire sat up as well.

Neither of them said a word about what Lovino had seen. It had taken Lovino a while, but he realised that he wouldn't want anyone else to know about his time with the Bad Touch Trio.

"Are those bastards dead?" Lovino asked, looking at the window.

"No," Vlad said. "Even though they're angels of death, they weren't in the killing mood. More like… torture and punishment. They're really close friends of mine. But I don't think we'll be seeing them anytime soon. By the time they've recovered, we'd be long gone."

"How do you know your friend is still coming?"

"Because even though Feliks can come across as selfish, airheaded and bratty, he's pretty reliable. There are few beings that I trust more than him. And I know that Feliks would never purposely let me down."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I told you that Feliks is a phoenix, right? Well, he has a lot of instincts of a bird. One of them in particular. Imprinting. Do you know what that is?"

"Not really."

"When a bird hatches, they imprint on the first living thing they see. It becomes their parent. Feliks imprinted on me, and he would do anything to keep me as happy as possible."

"So… are you his mommy or daddy?"

Vlad snorted, and rolled his eyes. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, though, and Lovino felt his own smile.

The smile faded when Matthew walked into the room, though the blond didn't acknowledge the two, going towards the kitchen. Lovino sighed in relief, knowing that Matthew wasn't like his brother, who would definitely make the situation more uncomfortable by making Lovino angry.

But was the situation uncomfortable? Lovino didn't even know anymore.

…

They had already eaten breakfast when Vlad sighed, staring at the door. He walked closer, and he remained at the doorway.

"Lovino," Vlad said, "do you think you can open the door. Feliks is here."

A moment later, they heard a car pull into the driveway, and Lovino walked closer.

"How'd you know that it was him?" Alfred asked.

"His scent," Vlad sighed. "I can smell the smoke and ash from a distance."

There was an energetic knocking on the door, and Lovino sighed, before he went to open the door. He frowned when he saw the man (?) standing there, who had ribbons in his hair and who was wearing a skirt…

Vlad said that Feliks was a guy, right?

It certainly looked like the guy that Lovino had seen in the mirror.

The other smiled, and it looked a little too friendly.

"Like, you're…" the other started.

"You're late," Vlad said, his tone not amused.

Feliks pushed past Lovino and tackled Vlad in a hug.

"Like, I'm sorry," Feliks said. "Like, while I was driving I noticed that I like needed gas. But when I like got there, there were a bunch of vampires, and, like, they heard my heartbeat but didn't notice my scent. Like, total newbies. So they were messing with me, and I lost my temper, and…"

"And that explains the scent of gasoline," Vlad sighed. "Feliks, you need to be more careful."

"Like, I'm sorry!"

Lovino had closed the door and was looking at the two in bewilderment. They were supposed to count on this person to help protect them?

They went towards the others, Feliks chattering endlessly, but when he saw the others he froze up, before he clung tighter to Vlad, even hugging his legs around the vampire's waist.

Vlad merely sighed.

"I'll never understand you," Vlad said. "You can pick a fight with an entire coven of vampires. You've challenged an army of demons. You've bitch slapped angels of war. You're a giant firebird, for crying out loud. Why is it that the prospect of meeting new people scares you?"

"Like, stranger danger!" Feliks cried out, burying his face in Vlad's neck. "Vlad, where's your trench coat? Like, you've been wearing them since they were, like, invented. So why…?"

"Something happened," Vlad said. "I'll explain later."

"Are we really going to let someone like this protect us?" Alfred scoffed. "Dude, this is some kind of joke."

Feliks glared towards Alfred, his eyes changing from green to amber, looking almost like a bird of prey.

"Al, be nice," Matthew scolded. "I mean, that angel didn't seem to have a problem with him."

"Like, I like him," Feliks said. "He's a guardian angel in the making."

"Guardian angel?" Matthew asked.

"Feliks has no sense of scent," Vlad said. "So he can see things that others can't. Including what kind of angel a Nephilim would be. Matthew here is a guardian angel, apparently."

"And what about me?" Alfred asked.

"Like, you're an angel of war," Feliks said in a flat tone.

"That explains so much," Vlad muttered. "Now, we have a little bit of a problem, Feliks. Seeing as you didn't come before dawn."

"Like, I'm sorry. But, like, I could take them right now, and you can, like, join us when the sun had set. I'm sorry."

Vlad sighed, shaking his head.

"Fine," Vlad said. "Whatever."

"We'll just need to go home and get our clothes," Matthew said, looking at his brothers.

"Like, no probs," Feliks said. "Like, my van's waiting outside."

"What about me?" Hans asked, pouting.

Feliks let go of Vlad to go towards the youngest, and he grabbed one of the boy's plaits.

"Like, I have a feeling that I have clothes that you would like," Feliks said.

Hans eyed the phoenix nervously. Feliks turned to Vlad.

"Like, you remember where I live, right?" Feliks asked.

"Da," Vlad said. "Now, get moving. You need to be there before sunset."

"Okie dokie!"

…

"I think we were safer with the vampires hunting us," Alfred said, clinging to the seat.

Feliks was ignoring every single traffic law in existence, and they were thankful that there weren't other drivers on the road. No one liked travelling too far after the Outbreak.

"When will we get there?" Matthew asked.

"Like, a few hours," Feliks responded.

The Americans groaned, and Hans looked worried, though the Italians didn't seem bothered by the way the phoenix was driving.

…

Vlad was alone now, and the silence closed in on him. He was bound by the sunlight, unable to join the others. Though when he thought about Feliks's driving, he was glad that he wasn't joining them.

"Are you alright?" a voice asked.

Vlad sighed, before he turned to face the angel that had appeared.

"I thought I'd lost it all," Vlad said. "That I left it all behind. Now… I don't know what to think."

Dimitri sighed, shaking his head.

"You deserve it, Vlad," Dimitri said. "No one deserves happiness more than you."

"How can I allow myself to be happy?" Vlad asked. "When he finds out… I wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Try to be happy for as long as you can. Remember, even fallen angels have the chance of finding their heartwing."

"But I'm not a fallen angel, now am I?"