Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 16

Alistair dropped Vlad off at the campus again, and then he drove off to do some research. Vlad had no choice but to go ahead and try to go on with his normal life, and that meant that he had to try to focus on his classes.

That didn't go so well. Luckily, none of his lecturers took note of that. By the time classes were over, he was seriously considering boycotting his shift at the café.

"Maybe I should call in sick or something," Vlad said. "You can drop me off at home and tell Gupta that I'm sick."

"Well, it's too late," Arthur said, parking the car. "We're already here."

Vlad sighed as he followed Arthur and Lukas into the café and towards the locker room. He shuddered a bit when he walked past Gupta, but he chalked it off to subconsciously feeling guilty about his earlier words.

A few minutes later, the three of them were doing their work as usual. They had gotten into the routine, and Vlad had no trouble getting into the flow of the work. He even got a few compliments from girls and guys alike, which was a bit strange for him.

It was after the first hour that Vlad started to feel unwell. A customer had to repeat an order three times, and there was a fuzzy quality to his vision. A cold sweat started to coat his skin, and he was sure that he could feel his last meal clawing upwards.

Vlad took a moment to rest in the kitchen. He leaned against the counter, a glass of water in his hand. He took slow sips, trying not to aggravate his stomach. Lukas entered and was immediately on guard.

"Vlad, what's wrong?" Lukas asked, rushing to his side.

"I should have called in sick," Vlad groaned.

Lukas frowned, before he placed his hand against Vlad's forehead. Vlad flinched at the contact. It felt almost painful.

"You're warm," Lukas said. "I'll tell Gupta that you're not feeling well. Go in the changing room and rest for a while."

"But…"

"No. Something's happening to you, and we can't take any chances. It might be…" Lukas lowered his voice, "the curse."

Vlad pursed his lips.

"You might have a point," he said. "I… I'll just take five or something."

"I'll also ask for you to take tomorrow off," Lukas said. "You really don't look good."

"You know, you're not helping my confidence," Vlad joked. "But… Da. I don't know what's going on, but I'm really starting to feel sick."

The two looked up when the door swung open, and Gupta walked in. The moment he entered the kitchen, Vlad felt a spike of pain through his head and a surge of nausea in his stomach.

"What's going on here?" Gupta asked.

"Vlad's…" Lukas started to say, but Vlad didn't wait. He was starting to feel really sick.

He ran to the employee bathroom and knelt at the porcelain altar. He didn't know that he'd eaten that much, and, asides from the bile, he was sure that there was an extra taste. When he was finished, he leaned back and saw something red among the vomit, but he didn't remember eating or drinking something red.

He shuddered when he realised that he had been vomiting blood. It was just a little, but it was enough to make him consider going to the doctor. Or perhaps he should find out whether or not it was a natural illness first. It wouldn't help if he went to the doctor and there was literally nothing that they could do.

Vlad wiped his mouth and flushed the contents before he stood. He flinched when someone touched his shoulder, and he was worried when he realised that it was painful. He turned around to see Gupta watching him, looking sympathetic.

"How long have you been feeling like this?" Gupta asked.

"I… Today," Vlad said. His stomach reeled again.

Gupta squeezed his shoulder, and though it was light, he couldn't help but wince at the pain.

"I'll take you home," Gupta said. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to keep working when you're feeling like this. Take the next two days off as well. Give yourself time to recover. And I would recommend not going to your classes."

Vlad nodded his head. He supposed that it would be best to take the time to recover. But the thought of staying at home with whatever was in his room made him feel uncomfortable.

He only delayed a bit in order to rinse his mouth. But when he went to the sink, he froze. His face was staring back at him, though it wasn't his face. He didn't have black hair, though he would believe that he had dark circles under his eyes and that he was pale.

He looked just like the Impaler's son. His ancestor.

"Is everything alright?" Gupta asked.

"I-I'm fine," Vlad stammered, snapping out of his trance. He quickly rinsed his mouth and washed his hands before turning back to Gupta. "I-I just need to get changed. A-are you sure about taking me home?"

"Of course. I can't allow one of my employees to continue working when he's feeling sick. And besides, we can't risk you infecting any of the customers if it turns out that what you have is contagious."

Vlad could see the point in that. He nodded his head before looking back towards the mirror. His reflection had returned to normal, but he still couldn't make sense of what he had seen earlier. Could it just be a matter of him being stressed and tired?

He slipped out of the bathroom and made his way to the changing room. He changed out of his uniform and carefully folded it in his locker. He wondered if they would need to wash the clothes now, just in case.

Vlad looked up when the door opened, and Lukas was standing there.

"Are you going to be okay?" Lukas asked.

Vlad could only shrug.

"Gupta gave me some time off to recover," he said. "I'm not complaining."

"When you get home, you need to get to bed immediately," Lukas said. "The only reason why you wouldn't is to get a cup of tea. Arthur said there's some ginger tea in the cupboards."

"Is there any type of tea that he doesn't have?" Vlad smiled weakly. "Thanks. I'm also just going to take a quick shower. If… If Feliciano shows up, then just tell him that I went home, okay?"

Lukas hesitated before he nodded. Vlad sighed, before he grabbed his things.

"I'll see you at home," Vlad said.

"And you better be in bed," Lukas added.

Vlad swayed a little as a wave of dizziness washed over him. Lukas moved closer to him, but Vlad shook his head.

"I'm fine," he said. "See you later. If I'm asleep, then see you tomorrow."

Vlad went to the main area of the café, where Gupta was speaking with Arthur. Gupta nodded to Vlad when he noticed him, and Vlad noticed the car keys in his hand. Arthur turned towards Vlad as he approached the two.

"Go to bed when you get home," Arthur instructed.

"I already got the lecture from Lukas," Vlad said. "I think I might also have a look at that ginger tea. I'm still feeling a bit nauseous."

"In the tea cupboard, in the upper-left corner. You may want to wait for it to cool down a bit before you drink it. The ginger can be rough on the throat."

"Thanks."

Gupta was beckoning for him to leave. Vlad followed the older man, feeling another wave of nausea, but thankfully it didn't seem as though he was destined to lose anything else. He didn't think he had any more to lose in his stomach.

…

Gupta glanced over towards Vlad, who was curled in upon himself. He'd instructed Vlad to show him the way to their house, which wasn't too far away, and which Gupta already knew the location of. He just didn't want to look suspicious.

He'd made an important discovery regarding some of the spells that surrounded Vlad: they were protection spells. And Gupta realised that he would have to take a break from trying to peel away the layers of magic that surrounded the Romanian. He had a sneaking suspicion that he was the one that made Vlad sick.

Gupta's capacity for mercy had died a long time ago, but he knew the dangers of magic being interfered with. And if not for the fact that Vlad could be important, then Gupta couldn't find it in himself to feel guilty about all of this.

Then again, he could use this opportunity to whisk Vlad away. He could lock him up somewhere and learn Vlad's secrets at his leisure. Or he could hand Vlad over to Romulus so that the Italian could do whatever he wanted with the Romanian teen. And if Romulus decided to turn him, then Feliciano would have fewer problems when he decided that he wanted to finish mating with him.

The only reason why he couldn't go through with it was because Vlad's housemates would realise that he had never arrived home, and that Gupta would be the one responsible for his disappearance. And as a mage himself, he didn't want to take that chance. He would decide if it was necessary to take Vlad, and then wait for the ideal opportunity.

"Here it is," Vlad said, interrupting Gupta's thoughts.

Gupta parked the car and Vlad got out. He turned back to smile at Gupta.

"Thanks for the ride," Vlad said. "And… sorry about everything."

"Just get some rest," Gupta instructed. "And you might want to consider not going to class tomorrow." Vlad looked hesitant, and Gupta narrowed his eyes. "That's an order, understood? Or I'm going to dock your pay, since you're not really sick."

"D-da," Vlad stammered, understanding the threat. "I-I'll take it easy tomorrow. Um, goodnight."

Gupta watched as Vlad entered the house. Perhaps he needed to avoid peeling away the magical layers around Vlad for a while. At least until the boy's system could recover.

And then he had the difficult task of explaining things to Romulus.

He gripped the steering wheel as he drove away. He hated having to be submissive to the older vampire, just because he was his sire. If there was a way to break free, then he would gladly take it.

That was why he hoped that there really was some powerful secret to Vlad. If he could take advantage of it, then he could finally be free. He just needed to find out what it was, and how best to utilise it. And he highly suspected that there was something about Vlad. Something important.

As long as Vlad trusted him, then Gupta would always have an opportunity to search further.

…

Feliciano debated with himself for a long while before he decided that he would go to see Vlad. Not only would it make his grandfather happy, but it would also keep Vlad from getting worried. And besides, Feliciano wanted to see him.

He was still trying to figure out whether or not to tell Vlad of their growing bond. Would Vlad even believe it? After all, this wasn't something that vampires generally discussed with anyone, especially not humans. Not even humans that were far from ordinary. But it also involved Vlad, and if he could sense the signs from his end, then he needed to know. And perhaps, if Vlad wanted to, he could put a stop to it. After all, he was a human. He wasn't supposed to mate with Feliciano.

When Feliciano entered the café, he immediately made his way to his regular table. Before he sat down, however, he realised that Vlad wasn't there. His scent was there, but it had faded, meaning that Vlad hadn't been there for a while.

"Um, scuzi?" Feliciano called out to Arthur as he was passing by. "Where's Vlad?"

"He's sick," Arthur sighed. "Gupta took him home. So, are you going to order something or did you just come for Vlad?"

Feliciano felt a surge of panic when he realised that Vlad would be alone with Gupta. He had no idea what the Egyptian would end up doing to the Romanian, but considering Gupta's interest in Vlad, and all of the other things that had been happening to him recently, it didn't bode well. Feliciano immediately stood from the table.

"I-I'll go check on him," Feliciano said. "I'm… I'm worried, you know?"

Arthur narrowed his eyes, and Feliciano shrank back. Arthur leaned closer to him.

"Asides from spying on him," Arthur said, "what exactly is it that you intend to do to Vlad?"

"I… I don't want to do anything to him," Feliciano insisted. "I-it's just… I like him. A-and… He treats me nicer than the others do."

"And then what? What would you do if Vlad has to move on with his life and you aren't a part of it?"

Feliciano flinched. His chest ached, and he knew that it wasn't just because of Arthur's harsh words. He didn't know what he would do, and the thought of Vlad wanting to move on without him was painful. But Feliciano…

"I don't know," he whispered. "But… For now, I'm going to try to help him as much as I can. And if he ends up hating me and wants nothing more to do with me… Then I'll… I'll try to respect his choice."

Arthur stared at Feliciano before he sighed, shaking his head.

"If Vlad ends up getting hurt because of you, then I will deal with you myself," Arthur said. "Vlad would be the last person you end up hurting."

Feliciano bit back the squeak. He'd been threatened enough times to know what a sincere threat sounded like. And so he nodded his head, before he turned and left. He needed to see Vlad. He needed to make sure that Gupta didn't hurt him.

He was about halfway to Vlad's house when he passed a car. Gupta glared at him, the suspicion as subtle as a pool of mud. For once, Feliciano didn't shrink back under the gaze. For once, Feliciano stared at him calmly and levelly.

Arthur hadn't been alarmed, which meant that Gupta hadn't been gone for too long. There wouldn't have been too much time to do something to Vlad. But Feliciano knew from experience that the members of his coven knew how to act quickly, and so he continued on his way, his pace just slightly faster. He didn't run, or else he would alarm the humans. But he wanted to. He wanted to be with Vlad as soon as possible.

Finally, after what felt like too long for Feliciano but which couldn't have been more than ten minutes, he arrived at Vlad's house. Feliciano took a moment to calm himself before he went to the door and knocked. He only had to wait about half a minute before the door opened, and Feliciano's eyes widened in alarm.

"Are you alright?" Feliciano asked.

Vlad looked awful. His skin was practically glowing, that was how pale he was, and the dark circles around his eyes made him look almost skeletal. Vlad smiled, though it was very weak. Feliciano couldn't imagine how Vlad had gotten like this since he saw him the previous night.

"I figured I'd be seeing you," Vlad said. "I suppose you must have gone to the café." Vlad sighed. "Come in."

Feliciano entered. His eyes remained on Vlad as the other closed the door, before he leaned heavily against it. He took a few breaths before he pushed away.

"I was making some ginger tea," Vlad explained, as he led the way to the kitchen. "I'm mostly dizzy and nauseous. Could be worse, I suppose."

"I'm sorry to say this," Feliciano said, "but you look deader than I do."

Vlad chuckled, before he groaned. His hand flew to his mouth, but after a few moments he pulled his hand away again.

"I have no idea what's causing this," Vlad said. "But it sucks. And it keeps getting worse and worse."

Feliciano made a mental note to ask Gupta about what he'd done to Vlad. And then… Feliciano didn't know. He wasn't usually aggressive, but Vlad just brought out that side of him.

Vlad swayed a little, and Feliciano caught him. Vlad took a deep breath before he pulled away. They were almost at the kitchen. And when they entered, Feliciano ushered Vlad to the table and went to tend to the tea himself.

"I'm glad you came," Vlad said. "I don't think I could have managed on my own."

"I'm happy to help," Feliciano said. "Um, so… could you find something out about… are you cursed or not?"

Vlad didn't immediately answer, and Feliciano checked to make sure that Vlad was still conscious. Vlad sighed, before focusing on Feliciano.

"Arthur's brother looked, and he told me that there's definitely some magic involved," he said. "He described it as a net of spells. Some of them were passed along my bloodline. And… Most of them turn out to be protection spells."

"Protection spells?" Feliciano repeated. "But… I don't understand…"

"Feliciano, I know you can't say a lot about your coven. But… Please tell me what exactly that mage of yours is doing. Because Alistair said that someone has been messing with the protection spells, and some of the spells in me can attack me or the people around me. And undoing those spells could kill me."

Feliciano dropped the cup that he'd intended to hand over to Vlad. The two of them jumped, and Feliciano could feel the liquid on his trousers. He ignored the shards of porcelain.

"What did you say?" Feliciano whispered.

Before Vlad could answer, he started to violently cough. Feliciano hated the wet sound, but then he smelled something that made the situation worse.

Vlad was coughing up blood.