Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 9

Normally, Vlad enjoyed philosophy. But as the lecturer spoke about the Greek philosophers, he found his mind slipping. The lack of sleep the previous night wasn't doing him any favours. Even after he'd gotten to bed after the scare in the kitchen, his mind couldn't steady in order to go to sleep. He was tossing and turning for a good two hours (he also wondered if Arthur would blame him for wanting to destroy that grandfather clock) before he could drift off. And before he knew it, his alarm woke him up to remind him that he needed to make breakfast for the three of them.

At least he didn't yawn. He didn't think the lecturer would appreciate it if he yawned during the class.

He was relieved when the class was over, and he made a note to buy himself some coffee. He stretched out, wincing when he heard a few clicks. And when he thought about his shift at the café later that night, he felt a cold hand of dread grabbing him. Luckily it was a Friday, and he could go to sleep early that night. He also had Saturday off from work, so he had the choice between catching up on his sleep and preparing for the next week's work.

One thing that he knew he could be proud of was that he hadn't fallen behind on his work yet.

"Rough night?"

Vlad turned his attention to the boy sitting close by. He had soothing blue-green eyes, and his face and brown hair made him look almost generic. However, Vlad could see in his aura that he was far from generic. Still, he appeared friendly enough.

"Bad dreams," Vlad said, deciding to leave it at that. "So, where are you from? You don't sound British."

"I could say the same about you," the other said. "But to answer your question, I'm from Lithuania. Toris."

"I'm Vlad, from Romania. So, have you met the Kirklands yet?"

Toris's smile fell and his eyes widened a bit. He looked around, before he leaned closer towards Vlad.

"What are you?" he whispered.

"Sorcerer," Vlad whispered back. "You?"

Toris hesitated. Vlad sighed, before he grabbed Toris's wrist. The other jumped, though it appeared to be surprise instead of pain, and he didn't jerk his arm away.

"I know that you mean no harm, so you don't have to worry about me reacting badly to what you are," Vlad sighed. "You're the third person I said that to this week."

"…You'll have to forgive me if I want to avoid sharing something like that," Toris said. "I trusted someone. The wrong person."

The pained look on Toris's face told Vlad that he would be better off leaving it at that.

"Sorry," Vlad said. "I'm tired. My discretion isn't at its finest."

Toris cracked a smile. Vlad could usually use humour to diffuse most awkward situations.

"Then I guess we have to get coffee in you as soon as possible, huh?" Toris asked. "I'll come with you, if you'd like. And you're the first Eastern European I met here so far."

"And we need to stick together, don't we?" Vlad asked, grinning. It would seem he was making another new friend.

The two of them made their way to the campus cafeteria, where they each got a cup of coffee. They found an empty table to sit down.

"So, what brings you all the way to England?" Toris asked, sipping his coffee.

"I come from a small town, and I wanted to see a bit more of the world," Vlad said. "Plus, I managed to win a scholarship, so I wasn't going to let the opportunity go to waste. And what about you?"

"Like I said, wrong people. I ran into someone with ties to the Kirklands, and they arranged for me to study here. I'm not completely sure what I want to do with the rest of my life, but I at least have the opportunity."

"Then how did you end up in Philosophy?"

"I figured that it would at least keep my mind busy while I figure things out. I also took a Mathematics course and basic Accounting. Like I said, lack of opportunity. What about you?"

"Psychology. I want to know how the mind works, and maybe, eventually, I want to see if I can put that knowledge to good use. Become a therapist or something along those lines."

"That sounds pretty good. So, um, how did you know that I'm… you know?"

"Your aura. The more tired I am, or the dizzier I am or anything along those lines, the less control I have over my ability to see auras. Just so you know, I wasn't deliberately invading your privacy."

"That's okay," Toris said. "I know that you had no intention of doing something like that. I'm no stranger to having your abilities go out of control."

Vlad beamed, glad that he was making a new friend. He felt a poke against his head and looked up, seeing Lukas with his own steaming cup of coffee.

"New friend?" Lukas asked.

"Da," Vlad said, before turning to Toris. "Toris, this is my housemate, Lukas. He's like me. Lukas, this is Toris. We have Philosophy together."

"Um, nice to meet you," Toris said, looking between the two of them nervously.

"So then, I'm assuming you're not a mundane," Lukas said, taking a seat between the two.

"Y-yeah."

"He doesn't really want to reveal what he is," Vlad interrupted. "Is that alright with you?"

"Considering how outnumbered we tend to be, I can understand. Of course, if you're something dangerous, then we'll need to know that too."

"My amulet didn't react, so I think he's safe."

"You shouldn't rely on that thing so much," Lukas sighed. "Someone could still hurt you. And did you forget about last night?"

Vlad winced. While he didn't share the details of the dream with either of his housemates, and none of them had seen him after they'd all gone to bed, he knew that Lukas referred to the uncomfortable presence that he had felt.

Toris merely sipped his coffee. Vlad suspected that he was curious, but he was polite enough to not ask any questions. Since he was hiding his own things, Vlad suspected that Toris knew where to draw the line.

"So, any idea where Arthur is?" Vlad asked.

"No idea," Lukas said. "It's not my job to babysit you two."

"I just thought it would have been nice for him to join us. So, what's your next class?"

Lukas grimaced.

"Worldview for History students," Lukas said. "So far, it's not much fun."

"Oh, I've heard of the Worldview subjects," Toris said. "Most fields need to have at least some philosophy."

"I wouldn't exactly call it 'philosophy'," Lukas groaned. "Our first bit of homework was to read two contrasting accounts of the same event, as is written in two different history textbooks of two different countries."

"That sounds rough," Toris said, wincing. "Why do you have to do something like that?"

"Because history is written by the victor," Vlad said. "Also, people tend to retell a story in a way that would place them in the best light possible. Just imagine what this would do if these accounts were taught in school, and what kind of propaganda could be slipped in. How much was omitted, how much was exaggerated, how much was outright changed… Understanding this can help you. You're majoring in History, so you need to know things like this."

Lukas stared at him for a long time.

"You know, I can't get you figured out," Lukas said. "One moment, you come across as foolish, irresponsible and childish, and the next, you say something that's both mature and wise."

Vlad wrinkled his nose.

"I don't know if you were insulting me or complimenting me," he said.

"Point is, I see your point," Lukas sighed. "Still, it wasn't fun."

"Homework rarely is," Toris said, smiling in sympathy.

…

Feliciano smiled as he looked at the painting. He'd worked on it the entire first night and much of the first day, and he'd waited afterwards for the paint to dry. It was finally done. He could roll it up and take it to Vlad. Hopefully, Vlad would accept his apology.

He'd only gone to 'report' to his grandfather the previous night. It was basically just that he hadn't learned anything new, which wasn't too farfetched. His grandfather even said that it would be best if Feliciano only reported when he discovered something potentially useful. Having to hear 'nothing new' the whole time could be frustrating and a waste of time.

Of course, he knew that he would have to give his grandfather something interesting. If he believed that Feliciano was a useless spy, then Romulus would send someone else. Someone that would cause Vlad harm. Or Romulus could decide to approach Vlad himself, and Feliciano didn't want to think about what would happen if Romulus and Vlad were in the same room together.

He wondered, if he could explain to Vlad about his grandfather and how dangerous it could be for Feliciano, whether Vlad would be willing to help him think of things to say to Romulus. But for the sake of safety, they would have to discuss it when they were away from Gupta. Feliciano didn't quite feel comfortable around Gupta. He didn't feel comfortable around any of the others, not even his brothers.

Feliciano checked the time and winced. It was still daytime, so he couldn't really go deliver the painting to Vlad now and apologise. He would have to wait until an hour after sundown, just in case. At least he knew where to find Vlad.

He found that he was feeling both excited and nervous to see Vlad again. He was hopeful that Vlad would accept his apology, but afraid that Vlad would reject it. But more importantly, he just wanted to spend time with Vlad again. It was strange. He hadn't really felt that comfortable around anyone else in a long time.

And he hoped that things would go more smoothly between them, now that Vlad knew what he was. Feliciano didn't have to hide that part of himself anymore, and Vlad was alright with him being a vampire. Not a lot of creatures felt comfortable around them, even though they only really preyed on humans.

Feliciano yawned, before he checked the time again. He had been neglecting his sleep in order to prepare the gift for Vlad. His body was demanding him to rest. The alternative was to feed, and he couldn't really do that right now with the daylight.

With one last look towards the canvas, Feliciano searched for a comfortable spot to sleep. He didn't really have a bed there, but he did have a few couches and cushions. He curled up on one of the couches and immediately fell asleep.

…

Vlad took a sip of his coffee before he went to fill another order. The cost of the cup would come from his pay, but he didn't care. He really needed the caffeine.

He knew that it wasn't the amount of sleep he got that bothered him, but rather the quality of the sleep. And as the day dragged on, his desire to sleep only grew. By the time they had to go to their shift at the café, it was all Vlad could do to keep his eyes open.

He felt Gupta scrutinising him and he shook himself. He noticed someone sitting down at one of his tables and quickly grabbed a menu. It was only when he was close enough that he saw that the person who sat down was Feliciano.

He was still hurt after finding out that Feliciano had essentially been spying on him, and he figured that the forced smile on his face showed it. Feliciano still wore a smile for him, but Vlad could see a flicker of fear.

"Good evening, Feliciano," Vlad greeted. "The usual?"

Feliciano's smile fell before he nodded.

"Si," he said. "But, before that… I have something for you. It's to apologise for… you know. I hope you like it."

Feliciano handed him some sort of tube. He opened it, seeing a rolled-up paper or something. As he unrolled it, he realised that it was in fact a canvas. And once he saw the painting, his breath hitched.

He recognised the bridge. He had crossed it almost every day for most of his life. He recognised the buildings on the other side, and Feliciano had even managed to get the cracked stone right in front of the bridge.

Did he tell Feliciano what his hometown's name was? He couldn't even remember.

"I hope it's alright," Feliciano said. "I worked off a picture I found on the internet."

"You made this?" Vlad asked, astonished. "It's… It's incredible."

Feliciano beamed.

"I thought you might be feeling homesick by now, so I figured you'd like something like this," he said. "Um, there's one more thing."

Vlad stared at the piece of paper that Feliciano slid closer to him. He carefully picked it up and started to read.

I'd like to speak with you somewhere private. I need to explain a few things. I can't really discuss it right here or now. I'm not the only one my grandfather asked to keep an eye on you. Could I meet you tomorrow at your place, and then we can go somewhere safe to talk?

Vlad looked up, seeing the desperate look on Feliciano's face. It could be a trap, but if Feliciano was serious about other vampires watching him too, then it might be a good idea for Feliciano to lead him somewhere safe. And so he nodded his head, figuring that Feliciano didn't want anyone else to hear them. Feliciano smiled in relief.

"Do you know where…?" Vlad started.

"Si," Feliciano interrupted, his eyes darting around. "Don't worry about that."

Vlad shook his head, before he went to get Feliciano's coffee. But now that the subject had been raised, he couldn't help but look around the café, trying to see if he could spot anyone that might have been spying on him. It didn't help that he didn't know what he was supposed to be looking for.

He'd placed the canvas inside the tube again and put it with his things before he went to prepare Feliciano's cappuccino. He wondered how long it took Feliciano to paint it. The painting was truly amazing, and Vlad almost felt as though he could step inside the canvas and be back home.

He made a mental note to call his family the next day.

Vlad brought the cappuccino to Feliciano, and the Italian's face lit up into a smile. Vlad couldn't help but smile as well.

"So, what exactly have you been doing the last few days?" Vlad asked. "Did you spend all that time working on the painting?"

"Not all of the time," Feliciano said, stirring his coffee. "I had to wait for the paint to dry at some point. I did try to figure out what to say to you. Hopefully I didn't mess up too badly."

"No, I think you're fine. So… What did you do the rest of your time?"

"I… I did some reading. So, what have you been up to? How're your studies?"

Vlad couldn't help but feel that Feliciano had dodged the question. However, there was a nervous flicker, as though Feliciano didn't want to go into much detail about what he had been doing, and so Vlad left it at that.

"It's not too bad," he said. "Though, if the homework at the beginning of the term is this bad, then I don't want to know what it would look like when exams are coming up."

"I think it would be a good idea for you to work ahead, if you can," Feliciano said. "I think you might get in trouble if you fall behind, so being ahead is your safest option."

"Thanks. So, does that mean that you did the university thing too? I've already met two other beings at the university, so it seems that a lot of you like getting an education."

"No," Feliciano sighed. "It sounds fun, though. And I wouldn't mind going for a degree in art or something."

"Yeah, you're pretty talented. Is that something from when you were human, or did you perfect the skill since then?"

"I was an apprentice to an artist. But, when my grandpa decided to turn us, I couldn't do it anymore. He used to love art when he was human, but became convinced that artistic pursuits are a waste of valuable time and potential. He still buys art, but to him it's nothing more than a status symbol. I can't really paint or sculpt or anything when I'm with the coven, so I have a studio apartment where I can do all the things I want to do. But I still need to be with the coven."

Vlad had a feeling that Feliciano was telling him this to let him know that he had very little choice in the things he did. He felt a bit sorry for Feliciano.

"So, your sire is your actual grandpa?" Vlad asked.

Feliciano nodded.

"After his wife died, he started becoming afraid of death, and searched for immortality," Feliciano said. "Unfortunately, he found it, at the cost of his humanity."

"I don't think it's entirely accurate to say he lost his humanity," Vlad said. "After all, humanity can be very cruel. I think it's best to say that he lost all his good qualities, or the qualities that make a person decent. Is that a fair assumption?"

"…You're not wrong. And my brothers… Especially Lovino. He's a lot meaner than he used to be. And Marcello isn't the same as he used to be. He's a lot colder, and more callous. Compared to them, my grandpa considers me a failure."

Vlad winced. Considering how nice Feliciano was, he could only imagine what kind of person would be someone his grandpa could be proud of.