Thanks to fishstick1999, NekoRyuuKo and ScandinavianTrash for reviewing.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.
Polmania: Warm Life and Cold Death
Vlad sighed, returning to the abandoned castle he called home after a long night of hunting. The sun was almost peeking over the horizon, and he knew that he didn't have much time.
He walked inside, noticing, not for the first time, how cold and desolate it was. He lost his coven a long time ago, and he didn't have the heart to make another one.
Fortunately for him, he was not alone.
He was tackled by a smaller form, one that would have been considered human to the naked eye, but he knew better. The other smelled of smoke and ash, and it was a scent that sent vampires running, the smell of something that could kill them enough of a deterrent.
Vlad was used to it.
"Yay!" Feliks said. "You're back. Like, I was so worried."
"I was just out on a hunt, Feliks," Vlad said. "Nothing to worry about."
"But, like, what if Hunters got you, or other vampires decided to take your territory?"
"Then I will call you and you can burn them to a crisp," Vlad said, returning Feliks's hug.
Vlad was cold, a creature of death, while Feliks was warm, unbearably so, and full of life. Not to mention, they weren't even the same species.
Vlad was a vampire, a creature born from darkness, death and decay. He was one of the unholiest of creatures. Feliks, on the other hand, was a phoenix, a creature born from fire and which represented life and warmth. He belonged to one of the purest species in the universe.
By all rights, they shouldn't be together.
Vlad had found Feliks as an egg, which hatched immediately after the discovery. Like all birds, Feliks imprinted on the vampire, and refused to leave Vlad alone.
It didn't take Vlad long to realise that phoenixes grew fast, and they became big. And for many reasons, Vlad couldn't take a giant bird with them everywhere he went. So he devised a plan which allowed Feliks to assume human form.
And then Vlad started to see just how clingy the firebird could be.
It had taken some time, but Vlad eventually learned that once a phoenix reached their first adulthood, they became independent creatures.
Vlad had confronted the phoenix about it, and the firebird responded by capturing his mouth in a kiss. That was the first time the warm life and cold death had touched each other that way.
It had taken some time for Vlad, convinced that he didn't have a heart, but eventually he realised that he loved Feliks as well.
For a long time, Vlad had been depressed, wondering why he was still in existence. He couldn't say he was alive, so he was in existence. But when he and Feliks got together, his existence had gained meaning.
He couldn't imagine it without the phoenix.
"I'm tired," Vlad said, breaking the hug. "I want to go to sleep."
"I'll lie with you," Feliks said. "I promise I won't be too hot."
It had taken a while, but Feliks had adapted to Vlad's nocturnal lifestyle. Vlad had always felt guilty about it, since Feliks was meant to bask in the sun, but he was grateful for the gesture, especially since he would have done the same thing, had it been possible for him to adapt to daytime.
"Alright," Vlad said, and Feliks smiled.
The two of them had taken an abandoned bedroom for the days when they decided to sleep in the same bed. The curtains were thankfully still there, and were thick and dark. Sunlight wouldn't be able to bother Vlad.
The vampire climbed into the bed first, followed closely by the phoenix. Vlad smiled when he felt Feliks summon his wings in order to wrap around him like a comforting blanket, and he started drifting off.
To the outsider, Vlad would seem to be the stronger, the one that protected Feliks. But the phoenix couldn't die, while the vampire could, so Feliks was the one that protected Vlad.
And that made him feel warm in a way he didn't think possible.
The prompt was: 'Imagine your OTP as a phoenix and a vampire. How do they deal with their differences?' Naturally, this was the first pairing I thought of, and I had been waiting for this request.