Aw, look. It's a wittle chappie. X3

Warning: Angst, mentions of death, sad stuff, mention of OCs.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN HETALIA. I have fun manipulating their characters, though

Gnaw

As soon as Alfred was out of the bathroom, he leaned against the wall in the hallway and shook his head. He wanted to go back in, say he forgot something or whatever it took to have an excuse to be close to Ivan again.

Stop, Alfred told himself. You're such a moron. He's just looking for a fuck, why do you think he came in while you were showering?

Ignoring the little voice in the back of his mind that insisted Alfred's thoughts were not true, he decided to search for his daughter. Talking to her, at least, would give him a reason to be away from Ivan for a while. It took some time, but he eventually found Red sitting alone in a back room on her cot. As soon as he opened the door, she said, "Well, don't knock, come on in. I'm not getting dressed or sleeping or anything."

"Sorry," Alfred said meekly before closing the door behind him and walking across the room. "Um… I just wanted to check and see how you were doing."

"Sounds like I should be checking on you." She turned a page in the book she was reading.

"I'm fine."

"Right." Red set the book down, knowing she wouldn't be able to concentrate on the text with Alfred talking. "There's another reason why you're here. Spill."

Alfred hadn't come to Red with the intention of bringing up the subject, but it floated as a constant presence in the back of his mind nonetheless. He decided sitting down would be the best position in which to deliver the news. He walked over to the cot and took a seat, not remembering the last time he'd sat at the end of Red's bed. Wanting to suspend the conversation he meant to have, he examined the book she had set down.

"Animal Farm?"

"Yup."

"Isn't that kind of… depressing with all the other shit going on?"

"Not entirely," Red informed. "It's entertaining to connect the dots with reality, as horrible as it is. Besides, this copy here is one of a kind. I hear all the others have been burned. Everything's burned, really. They say that's what fuels the Organization's furnaces. Thought I'd just take the initiative and commit it to memory, though the pattern of totalitarianism isn't all that hard to predict. That and it keeps me aware of what I'm up against and opposed to submission."

"Whatever you do, don't let Ivan see it."

Red scoffed. "As if. Valuable copy, remember?"

The silence stretched on for a full minute before Red sighed and said, "If you have something to say, Alfred, say it. I have the evening gathering to attend in a half hour, and it will be all the more unpleasant if I can't have a quiet smoke beforehand."

Alfred chewed his lip. "Do you… really have to smoke so much?"

"Alfred."

Alfred sighed and supposed there could be no more digressing. "Red, a few weeks ago I felt—"

"You don't have to say it."

Alfred paused to stare. "Say… what?" He hoped Red didn't already know what he was about to say, but then it would be easier on his part if she did, as morbid as that sounded.

Red was staring at Animal Farm where it sat on her pillow. The spine was wrinkled and worn with use. "Penny. I know she's gone." Alfred didn't know he'd drawn a quick breath until Red lifted her eyes to him. "I tried as much as I could to get assigned to the mission to track her, but in the end the Overlord sent some other captain. It didn't take long to find her. She was probably on her way here, the stubborn, noble dumbass. They had a party to congratulate the captain who'd captured her with all of the other captains invited. Her body was brought out as evidence to his triumph. We were all obligated to walk by her, spit on her. I didn't, though. I overturned my wine glass on her face, and they all cheered as if I had degraded her in some way. She liked wine, but not mine. Or so she claimed. I always caught her sneaking some from my casks. But I never said anything. We both knew, but we never talked about it. There are so many things we never talked about." Red paused to take a breath and exhaled deeply. "I miss her."

Alfred didn't know what to do. Comforting Red was the sort of thing that was always puzzling to him. She didn't like to be held or touched or condoled, and Alfred understood her reasons. Doing so would only coax out negative emotions that none of them could spare at the moment and only serve to remind of how much they had lost in so little time. So Alfred just sat there, wringing his hands, and wondering if he should continue delivering the bad news.

"Montie's dead," he said, wanting to get it over with. "Ruby, too. But we saw Wynston. He's alive and well."

Alfred studied her face for a moment, seeing her swallow. "Shame," she finally responded. "Ruby was a good dog."

Alfred could tell that Red was trying her best to push the thought of another sister dead to the back of her mind. Addressing it was something she was not yet prepared to do.

Five minutes of silence passed before Alfred thought it fit to leave Red to her thoughts. He could sense his presence was making her uncomfortable; if he knew his daughter well enough, it was because she was becoming increasingly unable to suppress her emotions, to keep them from showing on her face. As of then, it was blank, and Alfred didn't waste any time getting up and leaving—but not before pressing his lips to her forehead.

No words were exchanged; the atmosphere created between them was far too fragile to break. Instead, Alfred left the room without so much as a 'goodnight,' shutting the door without a sound as he went out. Once outside, Alfred let out a heavy breath and realized he was shaking. He did his best to calm himself, to banish sorrow-tempting memories from his mind, before returning to his room. Matthew was already asleep. Francis was gone, probably to bathe, but Arthur was nowhere to be found. Alfred assumed he had gone off to scope out the bunker or speak to some of the squad, but in the back of his mind he knew very well where Arthur went. Francis's absence along with his was enough to confirm it. Alfred, however, would not acknowledge it. The envy he would feel because of it might make him do stupid things.

Alfred lay down on his cot and tried to sleep. It was only when Ivan returned to lay in his own sleeping bag at the foot of the cot that sleep finally found Alfred.

No translations

A Word From the Writer: Are you getting the sense that there is perhaps something... more between Red and Penny? Good, 'cause there is, but that will be expanded upon later.

And, wow, this is weird. Makes me feel like I'm giving a half-assed post because it's so tiny, haha. But, honestly, I could find no place for this bit. It was a little part squashed between two big parts, that and I'm kind of trying to stall. Anyway, I think you'll like next chapter. I've been stalling on the events of next chapter as well for the majority of the fic. Well, go on, have a look. *waggles eyebrows*

*Oops! Forgot to mention that Ruby Red (the dog) was named after Red.