When Rosita opened her eyes, she was back in her dream. This time, Luciano kept his distance from her.
"Is that you again demon?" She said loudly.
"Wait, you saw him too?" Luciano asked quickly. Rosita's eyes widened. He had seen the demon, so he couldn't be him. She ran over to him and quickly put her hands on his shoulders.
"Tell me something only the really real you would know." She commanded. Luciano thought for a few seconds before something came to his mind.
"I think my older brother is an idiot." He shrugged.
"That isn't good enough. Anyone who has seen you interact with your brother would know you think that, be it human, country, or demon. I need something truly personal." She said quickly. Luciano thought longer about it this time.
"My first love was another boy." Luciano whispered. He looked down at the ground, waiting for her to respond. Instead, he got a knife to the heart.
"Impossible, I was the one who found you in that field and I have been with you ever since." Rosita explained. The false Luciano disappeared in a cloud of thick black smoke.
Rosita awoke from her sleep well rested and relaxed. She smiled into the warm fluffy pillow beneath her bed. It had just been a dream. The war, the bombings, Luciano, it was all just a nightmare. She sat up and yawned happily. But something wasn't right. This bed wasn't hers. Those pillows and those sheets weren't hers. The room wasn't hers, the house wasn't and neither was the country. She stood up and ran to a window. It was night outside. She thought back to the last thing she could remember. It was daylight, and she was tired and hungry. Then, she remembered passing out. That didn't explain how she got there though. Where was she in the first place? She walked down the hall and down a large staircase. At the bottom, she saw a room with lights flickering from underneath the door. The sound of music drifted through the house. When she opened the door, she saw all of the walls were covered in books from the floor to the ceiling. Luciano was sitting in the grand library enjoying a drink.
"Rosita, so kind of you to awaken." Luciano said with a slight smile. He took a drink of the caramel colored liquid then put it down on a small table next to him. Rosita ran over and hugged him.
"Where are we?" She asked quickly. Luciano took out a map and pointed to Vienna.
"We made it. Welcome to Vienna, Austria." He said happily as he took another sip of his drink.
"We are glad you could make it. I do hope you enjoy my estates." Said a voice from behind them. Rosita turned around and screamed. The poor man jumped and looked at her shocked. "My dear woman, are you alright?!" He asked quickly. Rosita was light headed as she looked at him. He looked just like the demon's human form. He even had the knife like teeth.
"Rosita, calm down, I know he looks like a nightmare but, he is our host for the evening." Luciano said in a calm voice. The tall man gave him an offended look, but shrugged it off.
"My name is Derik Edelstein. I am the nation of Austria, at your service." He said, bowing to her. Everything about him was red. He had red tinted sunglasses like the dream, but he also had a red overcoat, red pants, a red tie, and red boots. The only thing that he was wearing that was another color was his white shirt.
"Rosita, don't be rude, you must speak to our host." Luciano said, a bit embarrassed. She was looking at the both of them scared and confused.
"Oh, do not worry about her Luci, I know I am quite the sight." The older nation said with a sigh. "things are different for me, I know. I am used to it by now." he said with a laugh.
"Since she isn't going to do it, I guess I will take care of introductions. This is Rosita, a human girl who has been helping me travel to get here." Luciano said, giving her a slight pat on the back.
"How excellent. Using a human as a companion. I usually use a couple of young men that I found recently hiding in the woods. You already met Gilen, the nation of Prussia, and he has a troublesome brother somewhere in the house." Derik said with a sigh.
"So Gilen is the nation of Prussia? How interesting. I had no idea. He had blue eyes so I just figured he was a human." Luciano said with a slight shrug.
"Actually, my other self was very unique among the other nations. He had red eyes already." Gilen said with a slight smile as he walked into the room. Rosita looked at him and relaxed a bit. There was something kind and sweet about him. He and Derik walked over and sat in chairs near Luciano. The three talked for quite awhile, when the door opened again.
"And there he is now, Luciano, I would like you to meet Gilen's younger brother, Lutz, the nation of Germany." Derik introduced the young man who stumbled through the doors. Rosita started to blush the moment she saw him. Despite the poverty facing his home, he was extremely handsome. He was tall and covered in muscle. His blond hair was hidden under a tan cap. When he turned around, they saw that he had dark red eyes. When his eyes fell upon Luciano, he froze up. Luciano had the same reaction. It was as if the both of them were frozen in a single instant in time. "Lutz, these are our guests, Rosita, and Luciano Vargas, the nation of Italy." Darik smirked a bit and pulled Gilen and Rosita aside. "Come Gilen, I think we should show Rosita the music room. Surely a woman of her beauty and grace would love to hear some wonderful music." The moment the door closed behind them, the only sound in the room was the record.
"It's good to meet you." Luciano said after a few moments of silence. Lutz looked away and nodded a bit. "Would you like to sit down?" Luciano offered. Lutz nodded a bit again and walked over and sat in the chair next to Luciano. He was so nervous, but he couldn't explain why. He wanted to talk, but the words wouldn't come out. "Derik seems like a good man for taking you and your brother in." Luciano said quietly. Lutz just continued to nod and look down. Luciano looked at him for a few seconds, contemplating something before asking his next question. "Can you speak?" He asked quietly. Lutz's palms were sweating, his face was pink under his hat, and his heart felt like it was going to pound out of his chest.
"Y-Yes" was all he managed to say. Luciano smiled a bit.
"Derik told me your other self and my other self were very close." Luciano said quietly. Without warning, Lutz quickly stood up and walked towards a bookshelf. "Wait, I'm sorry if I said something I wasn't supposed to I just..." Luciano sighed quietly. He wanted to hit himself at the moment. After a few minutes of searching, Lutz found the right book and returned to Luciano. He flipped to a certain page and handed it to him. There was a picture taped into the book. Luciano pulled it out and looked at it. It was a young man who looked identical to Lutz, but his hair was slicked back neatly and his eyes were electric blue. When Luciano turned it over, it read Ludwig Beilschmidt, Germany on the back. Luciano smiled and handed the picture back, along with his own.
"Feliciano Vargas, North Italy." Lutz read quietly. He looked down at Luciano for the first time since he entered the room. He handed the picture back to him and sat back down. Unlike before, he couldn't take his eyes off of him now.
"Can you tell me something Lutz? Why aren't you back in your own home, same with your brother?" Luciano asked quietly.
"Our home was destroyed during the bombings." Lutz answered. "We were abandoned by our own people and near death until we found this place. The three of us share a lot of the same blood, so its almost as if we all share citizens." Lutz explained. Quickly, he was starting to open up around Luciano. The two talked for hours in the library. When Derik came to tell them it was late, they lied and said they would sleep in a few minutes. They ended up talking until the first rays of light filtered through the window. When they noticed, they laughed together.
"You know, I should at least get a few minutes of sleep." Luciano laughed. Lutz stood up and held a hand out to him.
"Fine then, pansy, I will show you somewhere that you can sleep." Lutz pulled him up and guided him upstairs without letting go of his hand. He opened the door to one of the guest bedrooms.
"I usually sleep in here. Your companion is probably already asleep, I should hope, and it would be rude to wake her." Lutz said with a smile. "You can sleep with me for a few hours." he said as he walked in and closed the door behind them. Luciano took off his shirt and aired it out. Lutz plugged his nose and laughed. "Well I can tell you haven't done much bathing on your travels." Despite the smell, he couldn't stop staring at the other nation. His muscular body was completely scar free, like a canvas without paint. He felt his face turn red and his pants beginning to tighten.
"Shut up, I was lucky I even made it here." Luciano's face turned a light pink as he threw the nasty piece of fabric and Lutz. The two of them laughed and got into bed.
"First thing when we wake up, you are taking a shower." Lutz said.
"No promises." Luciano smirked as he turned away from him. Lutz smiled more and closed his eyes.
"Good morning Luciano." He laughed quietly.
"Shut up and sleep." Luciano laughed with him.
The sun was high in the sky by the time they were woken up. Derik sat in between the two of them with a bell. He ran it as loudly as he could. The two men screamed and fell out of bed.
"Well, it looks like you two got well acquainted last night." Derik said with a smirk. The other two blushed dark red and looked at each other, then at Derik.
"Excuse me old man, but we are still wearing pants. It's not what you think. His partner had already gone to bed and I didn't want him to wake her and-" Lutz's excuse were cut off by Derik.
"Oh yeah yeah, sure I believe you." He said sarcastically as he walked towards the door. "By they way, your breakfast got cold so i fed it to the dogs. Lunch is in one hour." Derik cheerfully skipped through the door.
"I'm sorry about him. He is... different." Lutz said as he scratched the back of his neck. "Come on, you need to take a shower, you smell awful." Lutz smiled.
"No, you smell awful." Luciano said grumpily. He already hated mornings enough, embarrassment was the worst thing for him at the moment. Lutz took him to the bathroom to get cleaned up.
"Here is a towel, the water is still working here. The Austrian citizens are rebuilding their society, and have made great progress thanks to that weird old man." Lutz said as he turned on the water. "So, are you sure you don't need anything else?" Lutz said as he turned around. He blushed dark red when he saw that Luciano was already undressed.
"No, thank you." He said as he slipped into the shower. Lutz stood in the middle of the bathroom, still in shock.
"You um-... you aren't very shy are you?" Lutz said quietly. Luciano poked his head out of the curtain.
"Did you say something?" He asked.
"N-nothing!" Lutz said quickly as he exited the bathroom. A few minutes later, Derik came in with some fresh new clothes for him. Luciano was disgusted by the brown water that ran off his skin. He had no idea that he had been this filthy. In fact, he had never seen himself clean. Ever since he was reborn, he was always covered in mud or dust. After much scrubbing and rinsing, the water finally ran clear again. He stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. The mirror was fogged up, so he couldn't see his reflection. It couldn't be too bad right? He put the clothes on and used a comb to fix his messy hair. Finally, he was ready. He walked down the stairs to the dining room.
"Wow, you look much better than before." Derik said with a smile. "I could just eat you up." He said with a flirtatious smirk.
"That tuxedo looks very nice on you Luciano." Gilen said reassuringly. They were the only two who could speak. Lutz sat in a state of shock, as if he had seen a ghost. Luciano was an entirely different person now. He was stunning, like a diamond that had just been cut, cleaned, and shined.
"Where is Rosita?" Luciano asked when he noticed she wasn't there.
"She is currently cleaning up the same way you just did." Derik answered. Luciano gave a slight nod and walked over to sit next to Lutz. It was just like the night before. Lutz was far too nervous to say anything, and he felt like a fool for it.
"So Lutz... what do you think?" Luciano asked. Lutz stared at him for a few moments before quickly leaving the room. Luciano watched him go, confused and upset by his actions.
"I'm sorry, but my little brother has trouble with... emotions." Gilen said with a slight chuckle. Derik let out a burst of laughter. Tears stung his eyes and cramps shot through his stomach because he was laughing so hard. Luciano stared at them confused for a few minutes before realizing what was going on. As quick as he could, he ran after Lutz, calling his name.
Lutz laid in bed. He didn't know what had come over him, he just knew that he had to get out. Maybe he should just go down and talk to Luciano? No, because he ran away. Luciano didn't want to see him, he was a coward. Lutz sighed into his pillow. Though the pink cheeks and sweating had gone away, his heart had never stopped pounding from the night before. What had come over him?
"Lutz?" Luciano said quietly as he opened the door. "Did I do something wrong?" he questioned. Lutz shook his head. He couldn't even look at him without becoming a nervous wreck. "Can we talk then?" Luciano asked quietly. Lutz nodded his head and sat up a bit. Luciano walked in and sat next to him. "Why did you run?" He asked.
"I-... don't know." Lutz said quietly.
"Did I say something to offend you?" Luciano asked. Lutz shook his head again. "Can you at least look at me so I think you're paying attention?" Luciano requested. Lutz looked up at him. The sweating and pink cheeks accompanied his pounding heart once again. "Lutz... Why did you run?" Luciano asked quietly.
"Because I-..." Lutz started, but he couldn't say it. Luciano leaned forward waiting for an answer. A volcano was beginning to form inside Lutz. It was about to burst at any moment. He quickly hid his face again.
"Please tell me the truth Lutz." Luciano said, scooting a bit closer. Lutz looked up at him for only a few seconds before their eyes met. Instantly, Lutz grabbed his cheeks and pulled him closer. Their lips met passionately. Luciano felt his cheeks and lips burning at the touch. When the kiss was broken, Lutz stared at him silently.
"I have been wanting to do that since I first saw you." Lutz whispered. Luciano gulped a bit and scooted closer to him.
"Y-you know, that kiss kinda caught me off guard... Do you think maybe we could... I don't know... try again? I-I think I'm ready now." Luciano asked. Lutz laughed quietly and nodded. The two leaned towards each other like magnets and kissed sweetly in the middle. Luciano felt Lutz wrap his arms around his waist, so he did the same around his neck. They shared the passionate kiss until they heard the door creak behind them. The two turned around and saw Derik watching from the door.
"O-Oh hi you two... I'm going to just... go tell Gilen that I won the bet. BYE!" Derik said quickly as he sprinted down the stairs. Luciano hid his face in Lutz's chest out of embarrassment. Lutz just laughed it off and held him.
"You get used to him." he said quietly, kissing Luciano's head.
"Well it's a good thing I'm not staying." Luciano mumbled. Lutz felt his heart shatter.
"But... I thought you two were staying for good." Lutz said sadly.
"No, only to rest, then we need to keep searching for more nations." Luciano explained. Lutz held him tighter.
"Please don't leave. Stay here, with me, I know its not much but... but at least it's a home." Lutz said quietly.
"We can't stay here Lutz, I'm sorry. This was just a rest stop for Rosita. We planned that we would stop somewhere for a few days and look for any nations, which we found, then we would leave and go looking some more, besides, I already have a home in my capital. My older brother told me that my other self's house survived. Once I am done with my travels, I am returning to me home... I'm really sorry." Luciano said quietly.
"I know it sounds crazy Luciano considering that we just met and all but, I don't want you to go. I-I..." Lutz stopped himself before he went too far. He just held onto Luciano tightly, not wanting to ever let go.
"Come with us." Luciano said to break the silence. "I don't want to leave you either, but we can't stay here. We have to keep moving and eventually return home." Luciano said quietly. He looked up at Lutz with his brilliant magenta eyes. With Lutz however, he didn't need to even use his eyes. Just asking anything of him was enough. He would follow Luciano to the ends of the earth and to hell and back if he had to.
"Okay, I will go with you two." Lutz said with a slight nod. He kissed Luciano's forehead and smiled.