Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters.

Chapter 10: The Past Is Not So Easily Forgotten

"Are you sure this is the right place? Check the address."

"Hai, I checked the paper Gilbert gave you."

"Then why is it so fucking sketchy?"

The four boys looked up from their car seats in the parking lot to the building called "The Night Dancer." It looked very plain, there were no windows, and the only way in was a red side door that tough looking men were guarding. The albino had given Romano directions, but, after driving down streets and ending up at too many dead ends, finding the place had been a bit more trouble than they anticipated. Even though they finally made it, the club didn't look like anything special. Feliciano leaned his elbows on the dashboard.

"Ve…maybe it's nicer inside?"

"Is this a night club? Is this part of the party?" Matthew asked with confusion very evident in his tone.

"Uh…kind of," Romano turned back to the group and eyed them, "We're all over twenty one here, right?"

All eyes turned to Matthew, who blinked and turned defensive.

"What? Yes! I'm twenty-one! Don't I look it?" The other boys were hesitant to answer. Running a hand through his hair, Romano looked over the building again.

"Anyway, as long as we have our IDs, we should be fine. We're meeting the others here anyway." The younger Italian suddenly jumped towards the driver's seat—with cussing from Romano—and pointed out the window.

"Isn't that their car?" The men turned their heads to a Jeep in a parking space a few spaces away from them. It was empty. While Romano pushed his clingy brother off, Kiku hummed.

"Looks like they're already inside."

"So what's the plan?" Matthew asked, still a bit muddled. The older Italian sighed and leaned on the shoulder of his seat to look at the boys in the back seat.

"Ok, Feli and I have a job to do. You and Kiku are free to do whatever you want: drink, dance, party—go crazy. We'll meet you back in thirty minutes." An amused giggle erupted from the younger Italian as he unbuckled his seat belt.

"Ve~ Sounds like we're dealing drugs, fratello." Romano let out an irritated growl.

"Idiota! Do we look like drug dealers?"

"Hm…not really, but we could be some pretty cool mob bosses!" Feli mused. Romano raised his finger to protest but stopped as he furrowed his brow.

"Ah, we would, wouldn't we?"

"Si! But I wouldn't want to hurt anyone! I'd be a friendly mob boss~"

"Feli…I don't think that's possible…"

"Ve? Really? But—"

Kiku cut off their pointless conversation. "Ma ji de…Just make it quick. I will stay with Matthew."

The two brothers turned to their efficient Japanese friend and offered him a quick grin.

"Grazie."

~x~

"Woah! What is this place?"

Antonio exclaimed as he and the others in his group took in the whole night club. There was no one dancing on poles, but there was a shiny gray dance floor with lots of colorful lights and people grinding up on each other. Ah, typical partying. In the back there were gray booths where people were lounging, and littered around the room were black cocktail tables. On the very left side, there was a bar with three bartenders and stool seats. It was made out of sparkling granite, and, on top of the counter, there were pillars of metal sculptures of people in different dance positions who seemed to hold up the ceiling. Ludwig glared at the trio, who looked more excited than he was.

"Mein gott…where the hell are we, Gilbert?" Pulling a red drink from one of the bartenders' serving plates, Gilbert downed it and grinned at his brother.

"It's part of your gift. Have a beer. You'll like it soon enough."

Antonio, who had went directly to the counter for drinks, tried to hold four beers without spilling them. Making his way over, the man cautiously held them up to the men.

"Ah~ Here we are!"

Gilbert gladly took a beer and handed one to Ludwig, who sighed and took a small swig of it. The Spaniard turned around to give Francis his drink, but found he was no longer there.

"Huh? Where did he go?" Taking the Frenchman's drink from Antonio's grip, the albino set it down on one of the tall tables next to them. With a covert glance at Antonio, Gilbert leered with a hint of something else in his tone.

"Probably found someone already to prey on. Typical Francis." The man scoffed as Ludwig sat down and looked at the two men.

"So are we just going to stand around and drink or…?" His brother grinned smugly.

"Well if you wanted to dance with your awesome big bro, you should have just said so!" He tried to pull Ludwig up, but the German blushed and pushed him away.

"Mein gott, no! I meant is this all we're doing?" he exasperated. Both men grinned sheepishly and looked at each other before turning away.

"Well…you'll see." Eyeing his guilty brother suspiciously, Ludwig let out a groan.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Before he could interrogate him further, a French accent joined them.

"Mes amis, the time has come~!" Francis popped out of nowhere, grabbing his two friends around the neck and smiling down at Ludwig. With his obnoxious laugh, Gilbert handed the man his drink.

"Here. Is it ready?"

"Ah, merci~" Francis downed it and let out a satisfying breath, "Oui!"

Taking this as the signal, the men moved into action. Antonio smiled, pushing the blonde in Francis's direction.

"Come along, Luddy. We've got a surprise for you!" The Frenchman's hand, however, not only latched onto Ludwig's shoulder, but also on to Antonio's.

"Ah, mon cher. You are coming too." Francis winked at the Spaniard, who stared at him and blinked.

"Uh…are you sure about that, amigo?"

"Very~"

Turning to Gilbert for help, Antonio found the same smug reaction on his face. The man shook off his confusion and nodded hesitantly.

"Um…I guess?" The boy said unsurely, which Francis took as an OK. Pulling both Antonio and Ludwig to the back of the club, the Frenchman pushed them towards a black door and went through. What they saw was a stark contrast to the activities outside. There were several rooms-some open and some closed-each covered by a curtain and containing a chair and a pole. Sounds came from behind closed curtains—sexual ones that made the two of them blush. On the other hand, Francis was practically leaning over to hear the sounds better. Ludwig growled under the Frenchman's hold.

"I told Gilbert I didn't want a stripper." Francis chuckled softly and returned his focus to them.

"Ah, yes, we completely understand. Just wait in this room and we'll fix this whole mess, oui?"

Stopping both of them, the Frenchman pushed Ludwig into a room and yanked the curtain closed before the man could protest. Once the groom was taken care of, Antonio immediately confronted his blonde friend.

"What the hell? I'm not supposed to be part of this. What's going on?" He whispered frantically, trying to get some answers. With a raised eyebrow, Francis just tapped his lips amusingly.

"Ah, it iz a surprise, mon cher. Please wait in here." The man said as he forced him into one of the empty rooms across from the one Ludwig was in.

With nothing else to do, the Spaniard took in his surroundings. There was a black chair in the middle of the room, which was sort of rounded but flat on the top and large enough to hold two people. The room was decorated with old pink wallpaper that looked like it needed to be updated. The pole on the side was how he would expect any pole to be, silver, cold, and strong enough to be danced upon. To top it all off, there was a slow, sensual song in the background accompanied with the sounds from the others' room.

Running a hand through his thick brown hair, Antonio sighed. What the hell were those two thinking? He didn't want a lap dance from some stranger! He would just respectfully decline when they walked in, and get back out there and have a drink. Or better yet, maybe Romano and the others were done and they could meet up now—

"Hands up in the air." A deep voice sounded behind him. There was something weird about it. Was this a man or a woman? It sounded mostly manly with a hint of something else. He couldn't tell. Turning his head to get a better look, the man spoke up.

"Don't turn around either." He snarled and pressed something metal against the Spaniard's back. Oh god. This person had a gun. Digging the object deeper into his back, the man growled.

"I told you, hands up." Antonio complied and faced the wall. What was going on?

"Uh…what is this about?" He tried, but was instantly shot down.

"Shut up." The man spoke as he pushed Antonio's body against the wall. Was this really happening? Was he about to be murdered? He didn't even get to say goodbye to anyone! Would he never see his Romano again?

A sudden pair of soft lips and a tongue on the back of his neck sent chills down his spine. First a gun and now sexual harassment? Was this part of the program?

Frantic, the Spaniard spoke, "I think there's been some kind of mistake. I don't want—"

A small yank of his hair had him slightly.

"I said shut up," the man twisted the gun into the fabric of his shirt, reminding him of the position he was in, "Now, close your eyes."

Antonio reluctantly complied and swallowed a large lump in his throat. He had to get out of there somehow. If he didn't, who knew what would happen?

A hand wrapped around his torso, slipping under his shirt and running his fingers gently down his abs. The soft touch reminded him of his and Romano's first time, when his shy boyfriend had marveled at his naked chest and touched him sweetly. Oh god, he needed to get out of here. He had to see Romano again.

"Keep your eyes closed. Move where I tell you." The man's voice was commanding but also husky, obviously turned on. Sick pervert.

Antonio moved blindly, stepping back until the man had pulled him to a stop. Turning his body to the left, the man pushed him back into the chair.

"Ouch!" He yelped as he hit the cushiony part of the seat and adjusted himself. He was about to open his eyes when he felt the gun on him again.

"I said keep them closed." The man commanded, and Antonio did as he was told.

Antonio suddenly felt a pressure on his lower body, assuming the man had decided to straddle him. He felt the man's hot breath on his face as his arms wrapped around his neck. Shivering and clenching his fists, Antonio struggled not to fight back. What was going to happen now?

"Now," The man was closer, practically whispering into his ear, "Open your eyes."

The Spaniard's eyes fluttered open and readjusted to the colors of the room and world of lights. It was suddenly darker than before with only a few lights illuminating the area. The smaller man on him was wearing a hat and dark clothes which reminded him of a police uniform. That would explain the gun. Before he could look at the man's face, he was pulled into a fierce kiss.

He tried to hate this kiss, he honestly did, but there was just something about it… something that had him wanting more. It was almost…familiar.

Oh. Oh.

He recognized this taste. His favorite taste.

The brunette shifted up, wrapping his hands around the smaller man and kissing back just as passionately. Surprised, the man above him tried to pull away, but Antonio didn't let him. He lightly thrust his tongue into the man's mouth and ran it over his bottom teeth and sucked on the man's lip, which brought forth a moan that was like music to his ears. Giving up, the man leaned into him and deepened their kiss. Their tongues danced along side each other like a beautiful tango that left both of them breathless. Antonio finally let him pull away, and stared at the handsome blushing man's face.

"Romano."

The auburn-haired man tcked and turned his face away from his boyfriend.

"I-i'm actually Officer Vargas…i'm calling the sh-shots right now!" Romano's normal voice was back, though more husky he might say.

Antonio let out a strong laugh, causing Romano to go even redder.

"You stupid bastard! Don't laugh at me!" The Italian moved to get up, but was pulled back down.

"Ah, I'm sorry. Please continue, Officer Vargas." Antonio smiled with a hint of amusement in his tone as he held tightly onto Romano's ass. The Italian blushed and glared at him.

"Don't touch. Just watch."

Romano unbuttoned his police shirt slowly, staring into Antonio's eyes as he did so. He raised himself up from the Spaniard's lap and began touching his own body. He moved one hand across his pecks, lightly rubbing his peaked nipple, and trailed the other hand down his torso to his lower abs just above his happy trail. Breathing heavily and fluttering his eyes shut, Romano started to move his hands back up and over his shoulders. Antonio watched mesmerized, wishing he could be the one pleasuring his Italian like that. Reaching out his hands, the Spaniard tried to touch him but was met with a light smack of pain.

"I'm not done, bastard."

The Italian threw off his shirt and leaned over the Spaniard, propping himself up with one arm next to Antonio's right ear. The Spaniard felt motion below them, and looked down to see that Romano was swaying his hips back and forth, moving to the beat he had only remembered was there until now. The boy lightly dipped down and grinded their crotches together before pulling away a second later. Adding to the complete hotness of the situation, Romano began to move his hands over his body once again, and held a glazed look in his eyes as he looked at Antonio.

God, he wanted to touch Romano so badly. How could anyone be this incredibly sexy?

Slowing down, the Italian re-straddled his hips and hissed as their hard-ons rubbed against each other. Leaning closer to his face, Romano gave him one of the sexiest looks he'd ever seen.

"Ahora besame."

Spanish had never been so hot until now. Antonio pulled Romano down immediately, latching their lips together and giving him a few soft pecks on his lips. He nipped on his bottom lip, eagerly asking for entrance, to which the boy complied. The Spaniard twisted his tongue around Romano's, and pulled back to capture it and suck gently on it. Romano moaned and gently threaded his fingers in the man's hair as the man kissed him fervently and pulled him towards him even more.

"Ah, I suppose you are enjoying yourselves, yes?"

The Frenchman smirked as he leaned on the wall entrance and stared down at the two men attached to each other. Detaching themselves, the couple glared at the intruder, wishing to continue their escapade.

Antonio turned to his friend. "Ah…Francis…can you come back later? I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"I would, mon ami, but your time in this room is about to expire. You may want to fix yourselves up…"

Francis' eyes fell on the Italian's bare chest and sent him a leer.

"That is a wonderful outfit, mon cher." Romano covered himself with his arms and huffed.

"Pervert." He said as he grabbed his shirt from the ground and glared at the blonde.

Francis only grinned and shut the curtain, leaving the couple to themselves.

Romano pulled himself up and walked towards the corner where a black bag was hidden in the shadows. Antonio sat up, steading his breath and inspecting the object next to him. Turns out it was an eight sided long chuck of metal with no handle.

"I thought for sure this was a gun." He chuckled and looked up at the boy who was putting back on his normal clothes, "Oh yeah, and you scared the crap out of me. I thought I was really done for."

Romano snickered and pulled off his hat.

"Bastard, it was supposed to be a surprise. Gilbert's idea." The Spaniard raised an eyebrow.

"What? I guess he would suggest something like that. Good thing I realized it was you soon enough, who knows what I would have done to get away." Antonio stood up. With a laugh, the Italian glanced at him with a hint of amusement.

"It's not like I was going to hurt you. Just a little teasing…and sexual harassment."

Antonio wrapped his arms around the Italian's slim and naked waist.

"Hmm…but even if it was just sexual harassment, I'd fight him. Because I wouldn't want to be touched by anyone but you."

Romano tried to hide his blush in the dark, but Antonio could still see it.

"B-bastard…stop saying embar—"

Nuzzling his face and kissing his shoulders, Antonio felt Romano shiver.

"I only want you, Romano," the Italian stood there while Antonio squeezed him tighter, "I love you. I love you more than you'll ever probably love me. But, that's ok."

Romano only stayed silent in his boyfriend's arms. What the hell? What was wrong with the bastard? What was with this desperate tone?Turning his head, the boy was about to confront him when the curtain flew open. Feliciano stuck his head in and held a big smile on his face.

"Ve! Knock, knock!"

The couple's eyes landed on the happy Italian, who was dressed in the same police suit as Romano. Feli cocked his head to the side.

"You guys done~?"

Slowly and grudgingly, Antonio released his lover and gave Feli a fabricated smile.

"Si, I was very surprised!" Feliciano giggled.

"So was Luddy. I did good, right?" The man turned to his blushing blonde fiancé, who averted his eyes and adjusted his clothes.

"Ah, yes, you did very well…"

Ludwig tried to avoid the piercing eyes of Romano.

"Yay~!" Feli jumped into the arms of Ludwig and gave him a loving squeeze. Noticing the angry Italian, Antonio clapped his hands.

"Ah, should we go?"

Feli nodded. "Ve~ yes, let me at least change my shirt!"

The younger Italian skipped back behind their own curtain while Ludwig followed him. Back alone with Antonio, Romano flipped on the light switch and took a long look at the boy. Was that dark circles under his eyes? And his stupid smile seemed... less stupid than usual.

The man moved away from Romano and handed him his shirt that was hanging out of his bag.

"Here you are." Antonio grinned as Romano glared at him. Taking the shirt, the Italian put it on and started to button himself up.

"Um…" Romano started, not sure where to begin. Should he mention the Spaniard's attitude? Should he respond to that last comment before they were interrupted? Should he just ignore it and insult the bastard like he usually did?

"Yes, mi tomate?" The brunette cupped the young man's cheek, lightly rubbing his thumb in circles. Ok, Romano, just spit it out!

"Did…did I do good, too…?" The Italian bit his lip and looked up expectantly at the Spaniard. A little surprised, Antonio relaxed and leaned down to rub their noses together.

"You were extremely sexy~ Best lap dance I've ever had." Romano scoffed and pulled away, picking up his bag as he blushed madly.

"Have you ever even had a lap dance?"

"No." Antonio admitted with a laugh and pulled open the curtain. Just as they walked out, Ludwig and Feliciano opened theirs and looked even worse than before, minus the police costume. Romano groaned and stood in front of the disheveled couple.

"I swear, how hard is it for you bastards to keep it in your pants until the wedding?"

His younger bother lifted a hand to fix Ludwig's hair.

"We're good now! See?"

Romano sent them another scowl and headed towards the exit. The others followed and entered back into the club part of the building.

"Ve~ It's like another world!" Feli marveled, slipping his hand into Ludwig's.

"Where are the others?" Romano asked while they scanned the dance floor and bar.

Pointing to a booth in the back, Antonio exclaimed, "There!"

With no other way to reach it, the group decided to head through the crowded dance floor, which had accumulated more people over the period they had been gone. Antonio grabbed onto Romano's hand as they were pushed and shoved, while Ludwig shielded Feli from those who tried to get near. The dance floor was stuffy and the people were crazy as they bumped and danced close to one another. Romano thought the lights changed colors too quickly, and he couldn't wait to get out of the crowd and get a drink. He clutched tighter onto Antonio's hand, which was slightly sweaty as they themselves absorbed some of the body heat from the dancers.

At that moment, Antonio bumped into someone ahead of him, who had trouble steading himself. The man was blonde and slightly on the short side, with incredibly thick eyebrows. He also appeared to be fairly drunk.

The man wobbled and stared up at Antonio angrily.

"Watch where you're going, you—" Speaking in a British accent, the man stopped talking abruptly.

Antonio's grip on Romano suddenly turned tight, while the blonde man's eyes grew wide and a smirk fell on his face.

"Blimey! Well, if it isn't bloody Antonio. How's it been? Still up to no good?"

The blonde laughed at the Spaniard's uncomfortable expression. Antonio stared at him like he was looking at a ghost.

"Arthur." The man faked surprise.

"Ah, you remember me? Want to rough me up again?"

Romano stared confusingly at the exchange. Antonio clearly knew him, but something was off here. The Spaniard was not his usual self.

Antonio shook his head. "No, I should apologi—"

The British man laughed and almost fell over.

"Apologize? You think an apology could solve everything? Well, you are sadly mistaken," the man came closer, a wild look in his eyes, "You know, I heard about your father. It's sad, really. He's finally gets what he deserved after all this time."

"Shut up…" Antonio whispered, fear starting to fill his eyes.

The blonde continued and dusted off a piece of lint off his jacket.

"But I suppose you haven't forgotten your violent side—after what you did to me. After all, you can't change who you really are."

"Shut up." The Spaniard said a little more forcefully. Romano looked from him to Arthur, who noticed the boy's presence.

"Is this your plaything? He's quite dishy." The blonde looked over the befuddled Italian, "You better get out now, before he lays a hand on you. You might end up just like—"

Antonio's hand was suddenly out of the Italian's and clutching the neckline of Arthur's shirt.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" There was a look of pure anger in Antonio's eyes, something Romano had never seen before. What was going on? Why was Antonio so upset? The blonde just smirked.

"Control your temper, you bloody git. If you're not careful, you're going to end up just like him." Antonio just growled and tightened his hold.

"I won't." Sneering, Arthur just shrugged.

"It's not me you need to convince."

Slowly, the Spaniard turned around to follow Arthur's gaze to Romano, who was staring at them with a look of distress. Antonio immediately let go on the blonde and looked at his boyfriend, who appeared afraid of him. Looking down at his shaking hands, he started breathing heavily.

"Oh god. Oh my god."

Romano moved forward, placing a hand gently on his shoulder.

"Antonio—"

The man pulled away and stepped back.

"Stay away!" Antonio shook his head and bit his lip, "Just…I'm sorry."

Without looking back at Romano, the Spaniard darted into the crowd and disappeared.

The Italian took a look at the blonde, who was no longer alone. Another blonde, who was taller, was helping him up. He wore glasses and—wait, Romano recognized this boy. It was the one who had served them ice cream on their first date.

"Dude! Where the hell did you go? I leave you for one sec—" The tall blonde's eyes fell on Romano, who was standing there stunned.

"Yo! You're that one guy! Dude, you still need to try the Fourth of July flavor!" Arthur groaned and leaned on the man.

"Alfred, get me out of here. I feel bloody horrible."

"Sure, babe." He smiled at Arthur and turned back to the Italian, "Ah…where's your boyfriend?"

Romano blinked and clenched his fists.

"I..ah…I have to go find him."

Diving into the crowd, Romano pushed himself in the direction that Antonio went. What the hell just happened? Why was Antonio freaking out? What was this about his parents and Arthur? A handful of questions surged through his head as he pushed back people and finally reached free space.

Looking around, he noticed his brother and friends in the corner, laughing and chatting about something. Out of breath, Romano ran up to them.

"Have you seen Antonio?" He immediately questioned.

They gave him a puzzled look. Gilbert raised an eyebrow.

"No, wasn't he with you?" Romano ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"Something happened. He ran into someone he knew and…he just freaked out."

"What did the person look like?" Francis asked, standing up.

"Ah…um…blond with bushy eyebrows. Kind of short."

Gilbert and Francis looked at each other with a serious expression.

"We probably need to tell you something, Romano." Gilbert stated with no inkling of flippancy. The Italian hesitantly nodded and swallowed a lump in his throat. Scanning the surroundings again and growing more panicked, Romano found his boyfriend to be nowhere in sight.

Antonio really was gone.

A/N:

Ah, I was so planning I get this out earlier! Moving in and no internet prevented me from doing so :(

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next chapter is the last (before the Epilogue). I hope I can get it out soon! Thanks for the reviews and for reading!