DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hetalia.

Chapter Fourteen: Tension

It was quite funny, how easily they managed to escape the Russian mafia HQ. Now, running through the French countryside with no idea in which direction they were headed, it all seemed like a far-off memory.

Neither Antonio nor Lovino nor even Ivan had noticed when Francis was able to free his arms from their bonds, having had, in his words, "a world of experience" of being "tied up". None of them wanted to ask in what context he meant this either.

In fact, they didn't notice him slowly sliding his chair back either, not until he had hit the light switch, plunging the room into darkness. Seconds later, a loud alarm started blaring through the building, alerting all of the staff to evacuate the building immediately. Ivan was furious, but as soon as he reached the light switch and relit the bulbs, the Frenchman was gone, the two-storey window behind the desk left wide open after him. The Russian immediately left the room, most likely going in search of the escapee, which was his big mistake. Francis was then able to re-enter the room through the same window (he had hidden on the roof above so Ivan could not see him) and untie his friends, allowing the trio to escape to the roof.

It had then been a case of trying not to be spotted in such an obvious place whilst also trying to get down to the ground and get as far away as possible from the HQ. They stayed low to the roof, crawling to the side facing the forest, which was, luckily for them, furthest from Ivan and the rest of his mafia men. Reaching the edge, they were lucky to see that there was a balcony not too far below them, and some trees in close enough proximity for them to jump onto them from the balcony. Nobody was near this side of the building, so they were not caught as they lowered themselves from the branches and ran through the forest to freedom.

Of course, they knew the Russians would probably be chasing after them, furious at their escape. They didn't really think about this until the euphoria started to wear off and the pain settled in. Lovino was especially worn out, though he pressed that he could manage, that he wouldn't let them be held back because of his injuries. However, when darkness overwhelmed them, the trio agreed that they needed to find shelter for the night.

They found this in a little cave in an unfamiliar rock face, the entrance obscured by bushes and shrubs and the darkness. They didn't go too far inside, only far enough that they couldn't be seen from the outside. In the cold and damp they then remained, nothing to light a fire with or to eat or drink within any manageable distance of them.

Antonio took this chance to ask Lovino the questions which had been storming through his mind since the attack on his home.

"Why is this happening, Lovino?" he asked tiredly. "Why are we being chased by the Russian mafia?"

"They told you, they want power," Lovino answered just as tiredly, if not more so. "They want to take over your kingdom."

"Is that why the Italian mafia attacked the palace?"

The Italian narrowed his eyes but nodded.

"Was the guy who tried to break in part of the mafia too?"

"I don't know, maybe? Can you let me rest, Toni, I'm exhausted." He rested his head against the cave wall, closing his eyes, but Antonio persisted.

"Were you in on it, Lovino?"

"In on what?"

"I don't know, the attack, the break in, the festival…"

Lovino sat up straighter, giving his lover an accusing glare. "What are you trying to say here, Antonio?"

"Were you trying to kill me too?" he asked bluntly, his voice no longer as calm as it had been. "Were you the one who attacked Scifo, or the one who tried to kill me at the festival? I know you were definitely in on the castle attack-"

"Antonio!" Lovino interrupted, anger and betrayal coursing through his veins. "Why the hell would I be the one trying to kill you?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because you've been keeping things from me, leaving late at night and not returning for hours on end? Don't you think I have the right to be suspicious?!" Antonio snapped back, his weeks of confusion and frustration finally spilling out.

"If I wanted to kill you I could have just done it at any time, you were right beside me every night!" Lovino yelled back. "Do you seriously think I would be plotting against you-"

"You held a knife to my throat! You threatened to kill me!"

"I was trying to protect you-"

"Oh, and you think holding me hostage and trying to kidnap me is going to protect me, huh?"

"I can't believe you could be so fucking stupid-"

"WILL YOU BOTH SHUT UP!" Francis interrupted, annoyed by the argument. He turned to Lovino. "Explain what's been going on, Lovino, you've tortured him for long enough. And Antonio," he turned to his friend, "would you please just listen to what Lovino has to say? Maybe then you'll understand things a bit more."

Both men nodded, apologising for their argument. Francis then left, claiming he needed some "fresh air".

There was silence for a few minutes. It was a painful silence, something Antonio had never experienced before, and especially not with Lovino. Every second of it felt like a shard was being pushed further into him, making the Spaniard want to scream in agony. When he spoke, however, his voice was meek. "I'm sorry, Lovino. I overreacted."

"It's fine. I shouldn't have kept so much from you anyways, so I suppose I'm sorry too."

They were quiet again for a few minutes before Lovino spoke once more.

"The story of how this all came about is a pretty long one, so don't fall asleep halfway through it."

"Don't worry; I don't want to miss a single letter of it." Antonio chuckled weakly, making Lovino give a small smile too.

"Alright, so it all began nineteen years ago, on your sixth birthday…"

Author Notes: I'm on time this time! Hurrah!

And yeah, more cliffies, but at least this one isn't quite so horrible?

Thank you, thank you, thank you all for the support! I really do appreciate it, honestly.

Until Sunday~

~Random