# Dreams of A Vague Reality 02 #

Second chapter! The first three/four chapters will be relatively short; because they're introducing the characters. Originally they were all going to have the same feel as Prussia's, but that would've gotten boring. So they're all different.

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"And in the end

I guess I had to fall

Always find my place among the ashes,"

Lithium- Evanescence

"So...the 'products' you promised me, they are...a month late, si?"

The man's eyes were wide, fearful, the whites of then a sharp contrast against the sickly and disgusting yellow-grey of his marked skin. If one looked closely you could see how horribly skinny the man was, like he hadn't seen the sunny side of an egg for years. His clothes were ragged and he looked, frankly, like a homeless bum. Maybe he was homeless. It's not like it would come as a surprise.

But it wasn't like anyone in this dark place cared about what his residential state was. The room was large, luxurious, and the smell of cigars and illicit substances filled the air to an almost choking degree.

It was a good thing the people residing here either were addicts or were simply used to the smell.

"I-I'll bring it to you soon, I p-promise!"

Cold, disinterested eyes, a colour that was neither green nor gold but a chaotic mix fixed on the dishevelled man. In a sharp contrast to the man on the floor, the one he was bowing down to looked bored, almost like royalty on the fancy chair he resided upon. A scowl was permanently stuck onto his rather pretty face, and he would've been quite attractive if it wasn't for the fact of where and what he was. Dark glasses were perched on a set of silky brown hair, with one strand making a peculiar curling shape. He was quite thin, but not awfully so, and his frame was covered by a black suit, without even a speck of white to keep the darkness at bay.

"It's already a month late, bastardo. Do you really think you're going to be able to bribe your way out of this?"

"I-I'll go now and f-find more, sir! P-por favor!"

A snort made the sickly-looking man flinch away, looking confused. The brunette waved to a guard, and a bang resounded through the building as a scream of pain was ripped out. The rest of the room was silent as it went on, and then the man gestured again and it was cut off with a choked whimper.

The Italian stood, a huff escaping him as he stepped forward to kick the body hard, hearing a sickening squish against his boot. He wrinkled his nose at it before turning away.

"Find me a new supplier. Or you all die as well."

There was a silence as he stalked away, still scowling. He'd drag as many people down as he needed to, the whole damn mafia, just to make examples of his control again. He didn't give a shit about lives; they were useless unless they served him some ultimate purpose. He'd kill them all to satisfy himself. That was simply who he was.

A twisted smile crossed his lips for a split second.

And they never did serve him for long.

"Would you like anything else, sir?"

"...no, that's fine, bella. Grazie."

Lovino Vargas felt an unsettled feeling in his stomach as he glanced up at the secretary from his phone. He took a sip of the coffee he had been given, and smiled evenly at her as she turned away and walked back down the hall, her heels making a slightly irritating clicking noise.

He sighed and rested his chin in one hand, wondering why he felt nauseous yet again. It had been happening on and off lately, and he had no idea why. The coffee was hot, and it made a pleasant burn down his throat as he swallowed.

He couldn't believe he'd been suckered into this.

"You might make some friends, Lovi! They said there were four applicants, maybe you won't beat up at least one of them," the Italian muttered in a slightly mocking tone. Antonio needed to keep his nose out of other people's businesses. Lovino didn't need the money; he was well off seen as his grandfather had left behind a fortune and a mansion that he and his brother had inherited. He didn't even need to work.

And yet he was still here, on his best friend (and old babysitter)'s orders. Normally he would've just ignored the Spaniard off of the bat, but he had been promised fresh pasta with tomatoes from Antonio's garden, and he figured he'd be able to put up with three other people for the promise of food.

It was that damn tomato bastard's fault.

"I'll strangle him when I get home," came the dark mutter as he checked his text messages, crossing his legs loosely on the uncomfortable plastic chair he was sitting in. He was never, ever showing up on time for an interview again. Scratch that, he was never going to another interview full stop. He was bored, and he wanted this over with. The golden-green gaze flickered over the lit screen. One new message.

Sent at 9:34pm

Tomato Bastard; Loviiii are u there? :3

; No. I went to the amusement park.

Tomato Bastard; awwww Lovi why wasn't I invited?

; Sarcasm, bastard. Jesus fucking Christ.

Tomato Bastard; meanie. why did u change my messenger name?

; Because you're a bastard.

Tomato Bastard; meanie. :'(

; You keep saying that but I still don't care.

Tomato Bastard; r u having fun?

; No. No one's even showed up yet.

Tomato Bastard; didn't the thing start at 930 tho? it's 945 now.

; You think I don't know that?

Tomato Bastard; eh...there's no one there? at all? :/ weird. they said there were four people applying.

; Well there's the secretary but-

As he looked up again he realised with a chill that there was someone else in the room, sitting across from him. Lovino froze in his seat, wide-eyed in his shock. How fucking long had they been there?!

Holy shit.

He glanced back down at the screen of his phone, trying desperately to pretend like he wasn't staring. It wasn't like he cared, he was just...surprised. How could someone have been so damn quiet?

The blonde was reading something, probably a magazine. It had a picture of a hockey player on it, which he didn't particularly care for. His eyes were hidden behind glasses, the light reflecting off of them to hide his expression. He seemed pretty normal, what with the elephant-sized red hoodie and the faded skinny jeans. Was he American...? He looked like he might be. Lovino scowled. Americans were damn annoying. He wasn't dealing with him if the blonde was as annoying as that Alfred guy he'd met a while back. Actually, come to think of it, this guy kind of looked like Alfred...were they related? He shifted in his seat, wanting to say something to the other man but not finding the words to break the ice.

"Mr Beilschmidt, it's fine!"

Both Lovino and his Alfred doppelganger looked towards the door as a loud, annoying voice rang through. Lovino narrowed his eyes. It was fucking ten at night, who was so obnoxious they'd make a racket like that at this time? It was stupid, but he could see an amused little smile on the blonde's face. He seemed quite curious as well as to who this incredibly irritating (already? Yes.) person was.

As the door swung open he first saw the receptionist, a strange sort of smile on her face that sent a chill down his spine. It was that kind of feeling that something was terribly, terribly wrong even though you knew that rationally everything was fine. It was the type of uncertainty associated with the unknown, and Lovino felt his scowl dissolve into something that was more of a bothered frown. His gaze slipped away from the secretary and glanced at the blonde again, who didn't seem bothered at all. Was he seriously the only one that felt that?

"Well, this is everyone for today. Our last applicant, a Mr...Bonnefoy, couldn't make it today, and as such we'll only be going through the basics today," the woman said as she sat on a chair in front of them and folded her hands neatly.

Couldn't make it? This was a job interview, wasn't it? Was it even possible to do that? Lovino's eyes flickered to the man sitting down beside the blonde, grinning at him, and felt his frown deepen. Even though the albino seemed friendly, it looked like he was nervous about something. Almost like he felt that...darkness...as well. Or maybe he was just worried because he was half a fucking hour late. Lovino huffed and turned his attention to the woman, turning off his phone and ignoring the buzz in his pocket from texts he was getting. It was probably Antonio again.

"Um...excuse me?"

The attention in the room turned to the blonde, who looked down at his hands with a faint blush on his expression. "Eh...what exactly are we doing? It wasn't exactly clear on the advertisement," he said finally, his voice nearly inaudible. Lovino raised an eyebrow. Actually, he'd been worried about that too. Why had he been roped into this when they didn't even specify what they wanted from him?

"Well...you're here to test a few things for us," the woman replied.

"Like what?" Lovino interjected.

"You'll have to ask my boss that, I'm afraid. I wasn't disclosed that information."

"What do you mean?! So we're supposed to just show up without knowing what we're actually doing?!"

"...basically, yes."

"And how do you expect me to agree to that? Ma che sei scemo?! "

"Yes. I'm sorry to tell you this, Mr. Vargas, but you've already been accepted. If you truly want to resign, the paperwork will be...quite large, I'm afraid."

What Lovino didn't realise- and what the secretary knew- is that the fate of the three men gathered, and the fourth as well, had already been decided. The path had already been paved and was now concrete. The moment they'd picked up that piece of paper the road of their lives had been bent, and now there was absolutely no turning back. The sinking feeling in Lovino's gut was building, and at a glance to the albino he also looked bothered, while the blonde next to him had already faded from his attention.

The dice had been rolled.

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Translations;

Si- Yes (Italian)

Bastardo- Bastard (Italian)

Bella- Beautiful (Italian)

Grazie- Thank you (Italian)

Ma che sei scemo- What are you, nuts?! (Italian)

Names;

Lovino Vargas- S. Italy/Romano

Antonio Fernandez Carriedo- Spain

Alfred F. Jones- America