Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Don't mind me, just blowing the dust off this story and writing a chapter because of the random inspiration that possessed me to do so XD

Chapter 10

A few weeks passed with Francis recovering in Arthur's bed, and the vampire nursed him through his weakness. It took a lot longer than it should have for the boy to heal, because every night while he was sleeping, Arthur couldn't resist tasting his rich, delicious blood. An intense urge to be possessive over Francis had awoken in the vampire, and by keeping Francis in a slightly weakened state it meant the boy wouldn't go gallivanting off with strange Spanish boys.

Now, Francis had recovered from Arthur's attack but he awoke every morning feeling groggy and lethargic, and occasionally had trouble remembering things from the night before. The two marks on his wrist were always red and hurt a little, but Arthur bought him a cream to apply to soothe the irritation.

Francis noticed Arthur had been very caring and attentive towards him, trying to make up for what he had done. It was almost sweet to see his guardian fussing over him, but Francis wanted more than anything to see Antonio again. He would be worried about him.

But Arthur hardly left him alone, so how was Francis supposed to sneak out and see Antonio again?

Speaking of Arthur, the vampire entered the room with a polite knock and a smile. "Good evening, love. How are you feeling today?"

Francis gave a small smile, sitting up a bit for him. "I'm fine, Arthur…" he said softly, his voice slightly delicate but otherwise the same as it was before. "Can I go downstairs and make some dinner?"

Arthur had nearly confined him to this bedroom, not even letting him back in his own room. The vampire slept in the armchair by the bed – or at least, pretended to sleep – until Francis fell asleep, and brought him meals on a tray so he wouldn't have to leave the room.

Now Arthur came over and perched on the edge of the bed, a small frown etched into his pale, handsome features as he studied the Parisian boy. "Do you feel well enough, poppet? I don't want you straining yourself…"

As much as Francis loved the attention of his guardian once more, he was becoming sick and tired of being confined to this dark, musty, old bedroom. He nodded as emphatically as he could, sitting up slowly as he did so. "Oui, I feel much better."

The words were a declaration that challenged Arthur to dispute the validity of them, and the vampire realised that he had probably kept Francis bed-ridden for as long as he could without arousing suspicion. "Very well, then. But it will be straight to bed after dinner for you…"

Francis agreed to the terms, knowing that Arthur wasn't going to let him alone so easily in case he decided to try and see Antonio again – which was exactly what he wanted to do.

He gave Arthur a grateful smile, having noticed over the years that his guardian always responded favourably if Francis smiled at him, although he blushed to think of why that may be.

XxX

Watching Francis twirl around the kitchen had become a hobby of Arthur's, and even though he was still somewhat weak – which was why he wasn't dancing so much and he was more gliding across the polished tiles – he still managed to put on a mesmerising performance.

The vampire felt the monstrous lust he was fighting so hard against rearing up inside him as he took in the curve of Francis' hips, his slim waist, his delicate, still-boyish torso. But Arthur then remembered the fear in the boy's beautiful blue eyes when Arthur had attacked him, and the lust was shattered by the plummeting boulder of guilt that forced its way into the pit of his stomach.

How could Francis even bear to be with him?

That thought alone sent panic coursing through the vampire, and he knew it was uncharacteristically irrational of him to think such things, but he couldn't shake the feeling.

"Francis?"

The sound of Arthur actually using his name for once made Francis halt in his tracks, turning to face him instead of opening the oven door like he had been bending down to do.

"Oui, Arthur?" the Parisian boy looked at him with those eyes as full of innocence as they were the day Arthur found him in that little shack all those years ago.

The guardian parted his lips, finding that no words seemed fitting enough to express how much he regretted hurting him.

"I…" was all he could muster.

Francis' expression softened, as he knew Arthur better than he knew anyone else. He knew what Arthur was feeling, and he knew just as well that the guardian would never be able to voice it.

So he gave a little smile; one that told Arthur that he still cared about him, despite everything.

Francis didn't really know what his feelings for Arthur were, exactly. It was complicated and he was still inexperienced in the realm of love, but he knew that Arthur was his world.

XxX

Arthur had retired to his study after dinner, but not before making Francis promise he would go straight to bed. Instead, the boy snuck into his own bedroom, which had long since been cleared of the evidence of Arthur's outburst, leaving a very bare room with the only piece of furniture being the bed.

Francis felt more than a bit nervous, but he closed his bedroom door behind him as quietly as he could, before sneaking out of the window and down the trellis again, intent on seeing Antonio.

Little did he know, that Arthur was listening to his every movement, and the vampire gave a small, unworried smirk as he heard Francis leave the house.

XxX

"Toni?" Francis whispered as he neared the clearing where he and Antonio would meet every night. He knew it had been two weeks since he had last seen him, but he hoped that the Spanish boy would still be here.

The forest was silent, the singing birds in slumber, and the absence of the sun making the huge, shadowy trees very intimidating.

"Antonio?" Francis called a little louder, shivering as he had neglected to bring a blanket with him.

He went over to the small log they used to sit on, sitting down and heaving a sigh. He prepared to wait for him, but as he picked at the leaves beside him, he came across a small, crisp white note on the floor by the log.

Picking it up, he saw it was a note addressed to himself:

Dear Francis,

I cannot see you anymore.

I have met a nice girl in the village, and I want to spend my time with her.

I hope you understand.

Antonio

Francis felt his heart drop as he read the note, and his eyes pricked with tears. So Toni had gone and found someone else, and had forgotten all about him.

The Parisian boy screwed the note up in anger, but all at once the anger turned to sadness, and he let out a sob, unfolding the note again and smoothing out the crinkles in it as best he could.

He sat on the log with tears in his eyes for a long time into the night, before finally trudging back to the mansion with a heavy heart.

XxX

Climbing back through his bedroom window, Francis kicked off his shoes and changed into his nightclothes, but he gave one glance towards his own empty bed and left his bedroom, tiptoeing down the hall to Arthur's room instead.

It was the early hours of the morning, and of course Arthur was awake, but he lay in his bed feigning sleep as he heard Francis come down the hall. He smiled slightly as the door creaked open, and then he felt a small weight dip on the other side of the bed.

Francis saw Arthur had his back to him so he cuddled into his back, curling into him and seeking closeness as he let out a soft sob.

The sound made Arthur turn and wrap his arms around Francis, and the boy didn't know whether his guardian was awake or asleep, but he nestled into the embrace eagerly.

They stayed like that all night, with Arthur gently playing with Francis' hair while he slept. They had not shared a bed like this in years, save for when Francis was little and he crawled into Arthur's bed when the night terrors gripped him.

Arthur knew he had upset Francis by leaving that note, pretending that it was from Antonio, but he knew that boy was trouble, and he didn't want anyone else to have his Francis.

Francis deserved so much better than a berry-scavenging Spaniard.

XxX

Francis didn't dance as he normally would when he made breakfast the next day, and he didn't even eat much before going to sit out in the garden alone.

Arthur watched him through the window, feeling the sun begin to make his skin tingle as it was a particularly sunny day, but he was not deterred. Francis was melancholy, obviously due to the ending of his first little teenage romance, but Arthur was determined to cheer him up.

Racking his brains for things that Francis liked, Arthur wondered what he could do to put a smile back on his French boy's beautiful face. He liked cooking, but he had already done that and it hadn't cheered him up. He liked painting, but he had to be in the mood for it, and Arthur got the impression that he wasn't. Francis loved music though, and Arthur smiled as he thought of something that would hopefully make him forget about that troublesome Spaniard.

Eyeing the sun for a moment and deciding to risk exposure for a few minutes, Arthur pulled on his long coat and ventured out into the garden, finding Francis on the little white swinging seat.

The boy was rocking the seat gently with the tiptoes of his feet, staring at the ground as he played with one of the roses on the trellis around the seat.

"May I join you?" Arthur asked, ever the gentleman. With a small nod from Francis, the vampire sat down, glad of the slight relief from the sun the trellis of roses was offering.

"I have a treat for you, darling." Arthur coaxed, wanting Francis to get excited about it.

The French boy looked up at his guardian, his eyes sad but betraying the curiosity he felt. "A treat? What kind of treat?"

"How would you like to accompany me to the opera tonight?" the vampire invited, and he smiled as Francis' eyes widened.

The opera.

Arthur had never taken him anywhere – he wasn't even allowed to leave the house – and now he was going to take him to the opera?

"Really?" Francis asked, sitting up in the seat a little more as he was both astonished by and suspicious of the proposal.

"Of course. I think it would be a nice occasion for you to wear one of your formal outfits, don't you think?" Arthur ventured, knowing how much Francis loved his formal clothing. All the frills, ornate embroidery and gorgeous colours made the boy brim with excitement, and now that smile of anticipation was warming his gentle features.

"Oui!" Francis jumped up out of his seat, about to dash inside to choose an outfit, but he hesitated.

Arthur smiled as Francis suddenly hugged him, showing his gratitude, and he took a moment to relish in the affection, before the boy rushed inside, taking the stairs two at a time in his excitement.

The vampire sat back in the seat, despite the sun beginning to itch at his exposed skin cruelly, and smiled to himself.

XxX

The opera was most certainly a grand affair. Francis was all dressed up in his favourite blue and gold suit, with white frilled sleeves and a white cravat. He had even spent a good hour polishing his shoes so that they sparkled as much as his eyes in the light of the ornate chandeliers hanging in the theatre.

Arthur, with his huge amounts of fortune and close ties to important people, had secured them a box to watch the opera from, and Francis leaned over the balcony as he waited for the performance to start, taking in the finely-dressed people below him and the air of anticipation in the building.

The guardian watched with amusement as he could almost taste the excitement Francis was feeling, and he even let Francis have a small glass of red wine to try, since it was a special occasion. Francis was even more astonished by this, but he seemed to like the wine, although he sipped it as delicately as he had observed Arthur doing, knowing it was not a drink one must guzzle down.

The lights over the audience dimmed and the stage was erupted into life by the orchestra striking up a fervent melody to grasp the audience's attention, and Francis peered through the bizarre little spyglasses that Arthur had given him so he could see the stage better.

Arthur watched Francis as Francis watched the performance, smiling as the opera singers made Francis' lips curve upwards in a bright smile or quiver on the point of bursting into tears.

The vampire didn't pay too much attention to the opera itself, until a man dressed in a cape and hat, obviously the villain, sang about his love for the fair maiden that would never requite his love. Arthur watched the man, able to see himself in this character far too easily.

Francis hadn't torn his gaze away from the opera the entire time, but now he stared at the villain, also picturing it to be Arthur. The villain sang about being misunderstood and only doing everything out of love for the maiden, and Francis snuck a glance at Arthur, seeing his guardian staring harshly at the opera singer, his fists clenched in his lap.

Francis' heart was saddened, as he knew Arthur saw himself as the villain, even in his own story, and it made him feel for his guardian that much more. He still didn't know how he really felt about Arthur, but he found his cheeks were wet with tears as the villain lamented, not wanting Arthur to ever feel like he was a villain.

A/N: So, a lot going on here.

Do you think Arthur is the villain here? Or maybe there are no villains?

And how do you feel about Francis being rejected by Antonio (or so he is led to believe) and feeling more towards Arthur?

Please review and let me know!

((Also if you haven't seen it already, I have a poll up on my profile asking about what stories you guys would like to see more from me, so please spare a moment to fill it in for me if you haven't already. Thank you! Xx))

Love you all x