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karukaikashi · 6 years

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Gift for @keekry

I’m so sorry I’m late! This took me a little longer than expected. Anyway, I hope you enjoy your request for a coffee shop AU that dips into urban fantasy (more like PLUNGES into it).

Title: Blue Moon

For: @keekry

@spamano-secretvalentine‘s 2018 exchange

Author: @karukaikashi

Rating: PG for some violence

Summary: Antonio owns his own coffee shop in the city, but his community is rocked by a sudden increase in lycanthropy.

Words: 3,475

Blue Moon

Antonio’s usual flow of customers began to wane as it neared the usual closing time of his cafe. His shop was part of a college district and stayed open later than most. It was a popular spot for the local clientele and usual flow of students, who appreciated a cup of coffee at all hours of the day, even after the sun had started to go down. Antonio had owned the shop for several years now and was well known around the neighborhood. He stayed in an apartment just above the shop, so it was no trouble for him to roll out of bed early in the morning and ready himself before going downstairs to open up his business and help others start their day with a cup of that strong black elixir.

Some people joked that Antonio’s coffee was enchanted- those who tried it rarely wanted to go anywhere else, though that could also be because Antonio’s privately owned coffee shop was one of the few that had survived against the competition of well-established chains. His customers told him that they preferred to support his small business, and the owner was grateful for their loyalty. Without their patronage, he wouldn’t have been able to continue this ideal arrangement of living above his workplace and doing the things he loved, which included interacting with his customers and giving them a positive start to their day. As happy as Antonio was with his life, however, he couldn’t deny that part of him was still somewhat lonely.

The owner of the shop was a friendly man, and his charming personality was part of what kept his customers coming back. He was on a first name basis with many of them, but their friendship was superficial in that the coffee shop was the only place he ever saw them. They would come, talk about the weather or some current event, drink their coffee, and go on their way. It was something that Antonio had accepted and had no complaints about. In the sea of familiar faces, however, there was one man who stood out to him, the one he always looked forward to seeing the most- his old friend, Lovino. The two had attended some classes in college together, and Lovino had always been good company for him; even though some people were surprised how well Antonio got along with the other considering that their personalities were so different. Lovino could be grumpy and abrasive most of the time, but Antonio saw the caring side beneath his tough exterior and liked to think that he brought the better side out of the other. Lovino had frequented Antonio’s cafe for quite some time after it had opened, but lately, the coffee shop owner hadn’t seen very much of him at all.

Antonio sighed as he thought about his old friend. Lovino’s absence had been unusually long, and Antonio often thought about the last few times he had seen him and whether there could have been something that he had said or done to make him not want to return. Maybe Lovino had just grown tired of spending too much time and money here? Then there was the more paranoid voice in his head that worried that something had happened to him. The news stories were full of reports of people going missing since lycanthropy had started to spread around the city. The government was doing their best to keep the number of new werewolves under control and the information about them classified, but the more things were on a need-to-know basis, the more citizens felt that they really needed to know. Tonight was a full moon, so the patrols would be out again. Antonio watched uneasily as a few police officers walked past his front window. He knew he should probably lock up early, but there was a chance his few late-comer customers might still try to swing by, if the full moon curfew didn’t deter them from grabbing their last cup of coffee for the day.

Antonio had just finished cleaning the last of his equipment when the sun finally went down. The chairs were stacked and the floor was clean, but when the cafe owner turned to switch off the light that usually stayed on at the front of his shop, he was surprised to see someone standing right there on the sidewalk. Antonio blinked, unsure why someone would be risking being out this late when it was very possible they could get in trouble for being outside after dark. He took a few steps closer to the door and cocked his head, trying to get a look at the figure’s face. It was when the other person finally turned to look back at him that Antonio realized it was someone he already knew. Jumping in surprise, he scrambled to open the door.

“L-Lovino!” he stammered. “What are you doing out here so late? It feels like forever since I’ve seen you!”

His visitor seemed just as startled as he was, though Antonio was sure he must have expected the cafe owner to react this way.

“Antonio! I…I didn’t mean to bother you when you were closing up, dammit.”

“Don’t be silly! Hurry up and come in before the patrol comes back,” Antonio insisted, grabbing him by the arm and reeling him into the cafe.

Lovino hissed something under his breath but came without much resistance, allowing Antonio to close the door once they were both back inside the cafe.

“Can I fix you something to drink?”

Lovino gathered himself up and shook his head before observing the cafe that Antonio had so neatly kept in order.

“Didn’t you already clean everything up? I didn’t come here to make more work for you, bastard. I just…wanted to make sure- hmph….nevermind.”

Antonio looked at him curiously.

“You didn’t come here for coffee? Then why…? Oh! I know!”

Lovino winced, his face turning red with embarrassment at the thought that the true reason for his visit had been discovered. Antonio, however, was too oblivious to pick up the signs.

“You’re hungry!” the cafe owner concluded. “Well, I don’t have much left that hasn’t been out all day, but you can have one of these bagels. You’ll have to try one of the savory ones. Here!” He went back to the counter and grabbed one of the bagels off the pastry shelf. To his surprise, however, as soon as he approached Lovino, the other hastily backed away.

“Fuck no! I don’t want that.”

“No? But it’s cheese and garlic! I thought you liked that kind of thing. Would you rather have an blueberry bagel?”

“N-no! Just-! Look, I didn’t come here for food or a drink. This place just…happened to be on my way and I just wanted to make sure that everything- That none of those fucking werewolves…were coming around here.”

“…You were worried about me?” Antonio finally asked, once it seemed the other wasn’t going to be able to admit anymore.

“I just heard a lot about the attacks,” Lovino snapped. “It’s been mostly small places like this. And you’re the only one who works here, so…I thought it might not be safe.”

Antonio put the bagel he had been holding away and turned back to face Lovino, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the counter.

“So why haven’t you been around here before? Like I said, it’s been forever since I’ve seen you. I was starting to think that maybe I’d done something to offend you.”

“I-it’s not like that!” Lovino stuttered. “I’ve just been busy, dammit. I would’ve come around if I hadn’t had so much other shit to do.”

“So you found a job, then? I remember you said you were looking for one, the last time I saw you.”

“I guess you could say it’s something like that,” Lovino answered quietly.

Antonio studied the other man for a moment. His old friend was acting a little more withdrawn than usual. Lovino had never been very open with him, but over time, the other man had seemed to grow more relaxed around Antonio. Now he was acting as if they were strangers again, two students on the first day of classes who didn’t know each other very well at all. His old classmate’s face seemed a bit pale, and the nervousness Antonio was finally aware of was unusual in that the cafe owner couldn’t figure out what was causing it. He frowned in concern and walked closer to his friend.

“I hope you’ve been alright? Are you happy where you are now?” he questioned, trying to coax more details out of him.

“I’m fine. Sorry, I shouldn’t stay,” Lovino sighed. “I have to go back to work. I’ll- try to come back again soon.”

“But, wait. Hey, Lovi-!”

It was too late. As soon as the other man exited through the door, he disappeared into the night. Antonio stepped outside in front of the shop and looked around, but there was no sign of him. The sight of the patrol’s flashlights whipping in his direction made the cafe owner quickly duck inside once again. He had no choice but to hope that Lovino really would come back. Antonio had so many more questions, but somehow he knew he wasn’t lately to get any answers soon. Heart heavy with disappointment, he finished closing the shop for the night and turned off the lights.

–

Weeks passed. Antonio kept the shop open past his usual closing time just in case Lovino happened to show up late again. After several days of this however, he reluctantly began to accept the fact that his friend wasn’t going to be coming back. The cafe owner just couldn’t get the thought of him out of his head and how Lovino had looked the night he had seen him. Was the other really okay? Was he happy with his new job or stressed about how busy it was making him? Antonio just hoped that he was taking care of himself and that he would be able to see him again- at least some day.

It was near the end of the month when his usual crowd of customers seemed to be buzzing more than usual, from more than just the coffee.

“Did you hear about the blue moon?” one of his lady customers asked him.

“‘Blue moon’?” Antonio repeated. “There’s a second one this month?”

“Yeah, the patrols are supposed to be even more intense tonight. I heard the police are redoubling their efforts to track those werewolves down and stop the attacks. Every month this problem gets worse, and this month, we have to deal with it twice.”

“Well, stay safe tonight, then! I’ll have to close up early,” the cafe owner responded as he handed his customer her coffee.

There were more mumbles around the cafe as people discussed the curfew and what they needed to get done before they were bound to their homes. Antonio was once again grateful that he had no commute to worry about. As soon as the day was over, he could lock up and just go upstairs to relax for the night.

As the day stretched on, his thoughts drifted back to Lovino again. The last time he had seen him had also been during a full moon. Would he come back again, just to make sure Antonio was okay? He remembered their college days, how sometimes his classmate would wait for him to get out of his later classes just so neither of them had to walk alone in the dark through some of the sketchier parts of campus. His daydreams earned him a burn on his hand as he was preparing one of his last customer’s coffee for the day.

When sunset came, Antonio began cleaning up the cafe. He ate one of the leftover bagels as he worked- no point in going out to eat if the curfew as going to be enforced even more strictly tonight. He turned on the radio and switched the station so that the voice of a concerned news reporter was replaced by some relaxing jazz. As the cafe owner began to hum along, he noticed something in the corner of his eye. Standing by the window was a man in a large black coat. Antonio stopped what he was doing and stared in disbelief, feeling a sudden sense of déjà vu. Could it be Lovino? The other was turned away from him and hard to see as the sky had already faded from red to dark blue. It was already so far past the time when most people would risk being outside, but then….Lovino hadn’t seemed to care much about the curfew before. The figure lingered close to the cafe for just a moment. Then, they just left.

“W-wait!”

Without hesitation or the smallest consideration for the potential consequences, Antonio hurried to follow the person out the door and into the night. There were no flashes of police lights or any other sounds on the quiet street except for each man’s footsteps. Antonio ran as fast as his feet could carry him, shoes tapping against the sidewalk as he called out to the other again.

“Lovino, hold on!”

The figure turned to face him, and Antonio stopped abruptly in his tracks. The one he was pursuing wasn’t who he thought it was. And suddenly, Antonio began to regret ever stepping outside his door.

The stranger’s face began to shift as Antonio stared at him, wide-eyed. He had never seen this kind of transformation before. Though his better senses told him to turn around and run back to the cafe, he found he couldn’t move. He was frozen in fear, totally transfixed in watching the man’s face before him that slowly grew more and more hair as his lips drew back to reveal a large set of sharp teeth. The human face turned into a long snout as the moonlight hit it. The large coat that had looked baggy on the figure before began to shift and stretch with the changing shape of the other man’s body. Antonio finally had the consciousness to take a step back, his heart pounding in his chest as he quickly began to panic. A snarl from the fully transformed werewolf in front of him was the last thing it took to finally get both of his legs to move.

As Antonio turned to run, he could hear the panting and grunts behind him. The creature was quickly able to overtake him in just one leap, and suddenly Antonio was screaming and falling towards the ground, landing on the pavement with a painful thud. The arms he had stretched out to catch himself were bent by the weight of the werewolf landing on his back. He was so sure that it was over, that the next part of the attack where the werewolf bit into him would mean death or, maybe worse, his own fate to be one amongst these creatures- but the pain he expected never came. In an instant, his assailant was shoved off his back but a powerful and just as formidable force. Facedown on the sidewalk, Antonio couldn’t see what had saved him. He only heard the struggle going on behind him- snarls and growls and cries of pain. His own breath was coming out ragged after the wind had been knocked out of him. Clumsily, Antonio brought himself up onto his hands and knees and crawled away from where the brawl was taking place. There was one final yelp before his attacker’s body fell limp. The new figure was hunched over him, holding the body close, though this person was turned away from Antonio, and all the cafe owner could hear after that was a wet slurping noise that continued until the new figure seemed to jolt with realization and drop the werewolf’s body on the floor. When his savior finally turned around, Antonio couldn’t believe who he was looking at.

“L-lovino…?”

His old friend was battle-worn, his clothes ripped up and his hair a mess. There was blood on his shoulder and around his mouth- and when Lovino gaped at him, Antonio could see that at least the blood on his lips was not his own. Hastily, Lovino wiped at his mouth with the back of his sleeve, hiding his fangs from sight.

“Antonio…you fucking bastard. What the hell are you doing outside?!” he demanded.

“I-I thought you were- That he was…” Antonio stammered in return, trying to process what all of this meant.

“You could have died, dammit,” Lovino snapped. “Look, the cops are going to be here soon. Did it…did it hurt you?”

“A little,” Antonio admitted, rubbing the sting parts in his hands, which he had used to break his fall, “but you saved me before it could- Before I was-”

He didn’t expect the tears that began to leak from his eyes as his nose stung. He was both relieved and heartbroken- happy to have been spared but overwhelmed by what he was now learning about his friend.

“How long since-?”

There was a long moment of awkward silence.

“Since I became a fucking vampire?” Lovino scoffed finally. “Not long…a few months. I got turned when I was coming home from a job interview one night, and now the police use me to hunt down these bastards during the full moons. It’s usually just a once-a-month gig, but it pays well enough…Get off the floor if you’re not hurt, dammit. It’s not like I’m gonna bite you.”

He stretched out a hand to offer it to Antonio. The man looked at it warily and then back up at his friend again. The face he saw was a familiar one- though bloody. It was still his friend in there, the one he had been longing to see. His hesitation didn’t last much longer, and Antonio even managed a smile as the other helped pull him onto his feet.

“I didn’t think I would see you again,” he breathed, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, “and now I know why you haven’t been coming around…but it doesn’t have to be like that, right? We can still hang out at night when you’re not-? When you’re not working?”

Lovino averted his eyes as he let go of Antonio’s hand.

“You’re not afraid of me like this? I thought maybe you wouldn’t want to see me if you knew. Most people are more freaked out by vampires than they are of werewolves, and I can’t go inside anywhere I’m not invited. The police make me wear this tracker.” He pulled his tattered sleeve up to reveal a bracelet around his wrist. “They’ll know I just fed. You should get out of here if you don’t want to get busted for breaking curfew.”

He was about to turn away when Antonio took a hold of his arm. Lovino looked at the other in surprise.

“I don’t care what you are,” Antonio told him. “When you came to my shop last time- I was just so happy to see you! I wish I had known why you disappeared. I’m sorry if you felt like you couldn’t talk to me about it.”

Lovino looked down at the ground uneasily.

“So much is different now,” he answered. “It’s hard to think about anything just going back to normal, dammit. Even just having a cup of coffee with you.”

Antonio loosened his grip and gave Lovino’s hand a small, reassuring squeeze before letting go. “You can still come to my cafe anytime. And I won’t even offer you anything with garlic.”

“You’re sure about that?” Lovino huffed, though he relaxed enough for the tip of his fang to be visible as his lips curled up.

“Absolutely,” Antonio told him with a grin. “You’re welcome anytime.”

There wasn’t time for much more conversation before the beams from the flashlights of the police shone in their direction. Soon, they were surrounded by patrols and investigators who examined the werewolf and questioned both Antonio and Lovino. It turned out Antonio’s attacker had been a werewolf that they had been tracking down for a long time, one that had already claimed more than a fair share of victims. The cafe owner’s cooperation during the questioning was able to get him out of having to pay a fine for breaking the curfew. Lovino did his best to back him up as much as he could, and in the end, they were finally allowed to leave. Antonio and his old classmate took their time saying goodbye and went their separate ways in the promise that they would meet again soon. This time, Antonio knew it was true.

The End

#@keekry #spamano secret valentine #spamano secret valentine 2018 #spamano #hetalia #hetalia fanfic

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karukaikashi · 7 years

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[Fic] Dandelion Seeds

Title: Dandelion Seeds

Characters: Romano, Spain

Rating: T

Words: 5151, one-shot/complete

Summary: Lovino, a boy who can speak and understand any language, is trapped in a camp for children with super powers for everyone’s “own protection.” However, when he meets Antonio, a boy with mysterious powers of his own, he finds that escape might be more probable than he realized.

Now you can read it on A03!

Note: Written for @litsy-kalyptica in our Spamano Secret Valentine event. The prompt was for an AU with an angsty/fluffy childhood theme, so I decided to go with giving them superpowers. Enjoy!

Dandelion Seeds

“You don’t have to stand there and stare. We can talk, you know.”

Lovino frowned at the silent boy standing near the wall of the courtyard, watching him. He was a skinny thing, maybe only two years older than himself, with short brown curly hair and large, curious green eyes. While most of the other children were huddled together in the grass nearby, this was the only one who had approached him. It wasn’t uncommon for them to stick to their own groups. The children here spoke a variety of languages, and most of them couldn’t communicate well with each other. Lovino crossed his arms and waited for the newcomer to say something. He was cranky enough at being stuck in this chair with his crutches that he couldn’t even enjoy the privilege of being outside for once. He was a troublemaker and had gotten into enough fights during his first week that his caretakers restricted how often he was allowed around the other children. Usually he was locked away in his own room, out of sight, but since his circumstances had changed, here he was, out in the light of day at last, though it wasn’t nearly as glorious as he had dreamed it would be.

“I know,” the other boy answered finally. “I heard you can understand anyone. You’re Lovino Vargas, aren’t you?”

Spanish. Somehow Lovino knew, even if the language didn’t make a difference to him. The adults around here all spoke English, but that didn’t matter to him, either. Meanings were meanings, and he could make himself understood as well as understand anyone who spoke to him.

“That’s right,” he answered cautiously. “It’s my power. I’m…” He tried to remember the word. “-omnilingual.”

The stranger grinned as if it was some kind of joke. Lovino only scowled back at him. He didn’t like how the other boy pretended to be so cheerful. Everyone else here was scared, homesick, and confused. They were all far from home and trapped in the hands of strangers, with no indication that they would ever see their families again. Their only crime had been being different, and Lovino hated to be reminded that his “abnormality” had been what had imprisoned him here.

“That’s a useful power,” the other boy told him. He put a hand under his chin and stared down at the ground, considering. “Do you want to see mine? Here, watch this.”

He knelt down next to a budding dandelion and touched it. The flower wavered under his touch, its green stem bouncing against his finger. In a few seconds, the plant had grown taller and the flower had opened up to reveal layers of soft yellow petals, all bunched together. Lovino’s eyes widened slightly as the flower aged further, finally turning into a fluffy white ball of spores. The other boy plucked the dandelion from the ground and blew the spores in his direction. The seeds broke free from the flower and floated past Lovino, swept away by the wind.“Pretty cool, huh?”

Lovino snorted, pretending to be unimpressed. “So you can grow some weeds? So what? If anyone catches you using your powers out here, they’ll lock you up, you know.”

“They don’t care if I just grow some plants. Besides, you’re using your powers right now, too.”

“That’s different!”

The other boy shrugged and studied Lovino, making the younger boy squirm grumpily. He didn’t like not being able to stand up or walk around. Well, he could, but he didn’t want to. Using the crutches took too much effort, and he decided he would much rather stay where he was than hobble over the uneven grass with nowhere to go.

“What happened to your foot?” the curious boy asked.

“I fell,” Lovino answered flatly. “I was…” He took a cautious look around the courtyard and lowered his voice. “…climbing. From up there.”

The other boy raised his eyebrows and dropped into the same whisper, his eyes shifting up to the second-story windows as he spoke.

“You really tried to climb down from your window?”

“There was a tree!” Lovino snapped, his voice growing louder and indignant for only a moment. “I-I wasn’t being stupid or anything. See that over there? I thought I could climb down from that. My room is right where that window is. I grabbed one of the branches, but it snapped.”

The other boy looked in the direction Lovino had indicated, giving a small nod. “It is just a little too short to climb down,” he acknowledged, “but even if you had made it without getting hurt, there’s an electric fence around the field outside his building. Even the trees near that wouldn’t have been big enough to help you get over. I’m sorry you hurt your leg, though.”

“It’s sprained,” Lovino huffed, “and they said I’m lucky I didn’t break my ankle. The only reason they let me out here now is because they know I can’t run away or go anywhere now that I’m stuck like this.” He stared at the other boy for a moment. Though Lovino had been mostly shut indoors, he had watched the courtyard often, and this newcomer’s face wasn’t familiar to him at all. “Who are you?”

“My name’s Antonio,” the stranger answered cheerfully. “I’m new here.”

“What’s with the dumb smile? You’re stupid for ending up here. Just because…because you can grow some dumb plants. You shouldn’t have shown anyone you could do it!”

For the first time, Antonio’s smile dropped. His vibrant eyes seemed to darken, and he shifted his gaze away, making Lovino feel strangely guilty. He was used to lashing out. It made him feel better, most of the time, to watch someone else look hurt rather than focusing on how bad he felt himself. He hated that he had ever revealed his powers to anyone. If he had just kept his mouth shut…If he had just pretended not to understand- then he might still be at home far away from this camp. It was easier for the younger kids, he thought. They didn’t understand as much about what was going on. The adults would feed them lies, promise them their parents were coming back, and they’d believe them. Lovino was only eight years old, but he was much too smart for that. Antonio had to be, too.

“I didn’t know,” Antonio answered finally. “I thought- it was just something fun I could do. I didn’t think I’d get in trouble for something like this.”

Lovino was not the kind to apologize without some reluctance, but he softened his tone slightly after that. It wasn’t worth getting into another fight. This kid didn’t even look like he was interested in fighting at all, which bored Lovino. He got annoyed when other kids acted more mature than him. “Whatever,” Lovino grumbled. “It’s not like we can do anything about it now. But when my ankle heals, I’m getting out. If you’re smart- you can come, too…Just don’t slow me down.”

“I’d like that,” the other boy answered, his face lighting up again. “I hope you get better soon.”

—

The way the children at the camp were treated reminded Lovino of cattle. Some of them, the ones with more dangerous powers, had to wear collars around their necks. If they misbehaved or attacked the caretakers, they were shocked with just a push of a button. Most of them knew better than to try anything- the ones the adults couldn’t control were taken away. Lovino never saw where they went, but once they were gone, they never came back again.

It was hard to imagine that anything like this had been allowed to happen to them. That they could just be taken from their homes without warning as if they were a danger to their own families. Lovino had never used his powers to hurt anyone, but the chaos that his country had turned to was unrecognizable compared to how he had thought the world was supposed to be. Was anyone looking for him now? He didn’t even know where he had been taken. All he knew was that it was far, far away from his old home, and everything seemed foreign to him. Even the food they served was different from what he was used to, and half the time, he didn’t even know what was on his plate.

Lovino was used to eating alone. He picked at some mysterious white mush as he leaned over the table, holding his chin in one hand. His crutches were balanced next to him, and his sigh was the only sound he added to the mumbling and anxious whispers of the children at the tables around him. Then, there was a plop of a tray landing across from him, and Antonio sat down to join the younger boy at his table, completely uninvited.

“What do you want?” the eight-year-old asked grumpily.

“To eat with you,” Antonio answered. “If that’s okay.”

“It’s not,” Lovino grunted, shoving his own tray of food forward so that it hit Antonio’s. The older boy frowned and held his tray steady.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, stupid. I just…hate this gross food. It sucks, and I’m hungry, but- like hell I’m gonna put that in my mouth.”

“Yeah, it is pretty terrible,” Antonio agreed, even as he prepared to take a spoonful into his own mouth. Lovino made a face.

“How can you eat this crap? It makes me sick just looking at it.”

“No choice,” the other boy answered simply. “Unless starving is an option. I’d rather not do that.” He swallowed. “It’s kind of cold in here, isn’t it?”

“It’s always colder in here,” Lovino huffed. “It makes the food get nasty faster. As if it can taste any worse.”

“I’d rather be back outside again,” Antonio hummed after a moment of thought. “Will they let us do anything else for fun, later?”

“Maybe,” Lovino replied indifferently. “You can read or play games inside. Sometimes they try to teach you some junk. But who cares? We’re not in school. This is just a jail for kids that don’t know how to pretend to be normal.”

“How long have you been here?” Antonio asked the younger boy. Lovino only shrugged.

“Five, maybe six months? Enough.”

“That’s a long time. I just came here from Naples. My family was on vacation.”

Lovino snorted. “You should’ve stayed in your own country. Not every place is getting their kids rounded up.”

“Spain is no better,” Antonio answered. “But we have a group working to get rid of the safety camps.”

Lovino stared at him. “No one’s getting rid of them. People out there…are scared of us.”

“Most of them know it’s not right to keep kids locked up like animals.”

Lovino was quiet, pensively flattening his food beneath the rounded edge of his spoon. He was nervous and irrationally angry. If it was so wrong, why hadn’t anyone come for them already? Why did they have to be kept here while some stupid adults tried to decide what to do? “You really think someone will come get us out?”

“I know they will,” Antonio replied optimistically. “They just need to find where we are. I think once they do, places like this won’t exist any more. We can all go home. Wouldn’t that be great?”

Without warning, Lovino knocked Antonio’s food onto the floor. The entire cafeteria went silent after the loud, echoing clatter of metal on linoleum. Within seconds, the caretakers had them surrounded, and they hauled the younger boy away to his room, crutches and all. Lovino still hadn’t taken a bite of his lunch, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to get away before he put too much hope in the words Antonio was saying to him.

–

Curfew at the camp was strict. Every room was locked and no one was allowed outside. For Lovino, the nights were the worst. Sometimes he would dream he was back home in his own familiar bed with his toys and his favorite posters on the walls…the walls he had grown up within, not the prison he found himself in now. Even in his dreams, he was desperate to believe it was real, that he hadn’t really ever left, but he would always wake up confused before remembering where he was and how he had been taken away.

They had come for him on a night just like this. Snatched him from his home, even though his grandfather had said they couldn’t. They won’t take you away, he had told him. I won’t let them. The school had his name, but he was protected. He wasn’t going to disappear like he had heard some children had. Lovino still belonged to his family…Did his grandfather miss him now? Was his brother, who had been lucky enough to be born without powers, happy he finally got all the attention? Lovino hadn’t always been very warm or friendly to either of them…Maybe it was better that he was here.

Lovino was lying in bed lonely one night when he started hearing screaming down the hall. The sound made him jump, and he could feel goosebumps tighten over his skin as the voice cried and begged. The sobs brought back memories of his first night here. I just want to go home! Please…just let me. I promise! I’ll be good! Please…He pulled the blankets tighter around himself and put his hands over his ears, trying to block out the wailing. Finally, it stopped, but when Lovino allowed himself to relax again, his pillow was already wet with his own tears. He couldn’t bring himself to accept the idea that he might be trapped here forever, surrounded with sounds like these. It was just such an overwhelming thought…

Voices murmuring in different tongues passed his door in the hallway. If they had been louder, Lovino would have had no trouble understanding them, but as it was, the voices were too quiet and only drifted further away. There wouldn’t be anyone else checking on him until morning. The boy closed his eyes, trying to fall back asleep, but the cries still haunted him. Even though the room was mostly silent now, Lovino couldn’t help but notice small sounds, some creaking, some thumping. It made his skin crawl. Then there was a clattering noise that made him freeze in fear. It sounded like it was coming from the ceiling- rats? He couldn’t imagine anything else fitting in those vents. The boy whimpered and pulled the covers over his head. For a long time after that, the air seemed to hang dead with silence.

Lovino wasn’t sure exactly when he had drifted off to sleep again. He had been dreaming of sitting outside in the grass, free from his crutches and the walls of his prison. He felt the green blades beneath his fingertips and plucked a dandelion out of the ground, twirling it between his fingers. This kind of freedom was something he had taken for granted before, and he appreciated it now, even though a part of him was sadly aware that it would not last. For a while he was alone, and then the distant voices of other children drifted closer- German, English, Japanese, Arabic, Italian…Even in his dreams, he knew what they were. He opened his mouth to call to them, but then, there was a rapping noise, small urgent and repetitive clangs that confused him. Lovino pulled his lips back, brows furrowing, and then, within that instant, he opened his eyes to find himself back in his room again.

His mind acknowledged that what he had been seeing before had been a dream, and he felt his heart sink at the thought, the tightness of the bandages around his ankle reminding him that he was anchored to this place. Sighing, he resigned himself to going back to sleep, when suddenly, the noise came back. It was coming from the window, all the way across the room. Lovino gasped, pushing himself further back on the bed. Still, the soft, quick knocks on the glass persisted. The boy froze in fear, wondering what on earth could be trying to get into his room. Maybe a bird had landed there and was responsible for the tapping? A squirrel, Lovino thought. It has to be a squirrel. But he had already broken the tallest branch of the tree with his fall. There was no way anything could have climbed up that far. Finally, mustering up his courage, Lovino dragged himself from the bed and hoisted himself up onto his crutches, pushing himself in the direction of the window.

What he saw when he pulled back the curtain made his jaw drop.

“A-Antonio?!”

The boy outside put a finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet. Lovino stared at him, dumbfounded. Outside, Antonio gestured towards the small latch that was keeping the window closed. After a moment, Lovino gave a small, hesitant nod and shifted his weight, balancing on one foot as he opened the window to let the other boy inside. Once Antonio had climbed through, it was easier to see how exactly he had gotten there.

“You…you made the tree grow?” Lovino gasped.

“Yeah,” Antonio whispered back. “I can grow more than dandelions, you know.”

Once Lovino had gotten over his shock, his usual defences returned. “Why the hell did you come?”

“I’m going to get you out of here,” Antonio told him. “I didn’t think it was going to happen so soon…but our rescue team’s ready. I’ve sent them a signal, and now we just need to meet them outside the north fence.”

Lovino was stunned into silence. He sat down heavily on the chair by his desk and stared off at nothing. Was it really possible for them to escape? He tried to imagine what it would be like to be free again, but all he could think of were the obstacles that would potentially stand in their path. When Antonio glanced up at him, however, there was nothing but a look of reassurance lit in the pale light of the moon coming in through the window.

“Don’t look so worried,” he told him. “I wouldn’t try something like this if I didn’t have a plan.” He knelt on the on the floor and began taking the bandage off of Lovino’s ankle.

“W-what are you doing? That hurts!” the younger boy hissed, pulling his leg away, nervous and confused. Antonio was patient, however, carefully holding each side of Lovino’s ankle between his hands.

“I’m trying to help you,” Antonio insisted, “but you have to trust me, okay?” Lovino hesitated for a moment longer before finally giving the other boy a quiet hum in resignment. He really had no reason to believe him- this place was full of lies and deception and fake promises. There was little trust left in the boy. Still, whether driven by fear or his last shred of optimism, there was a hopefulness inside Lovino that allowed him to give into this, as if it was the only choice he had left.

Antonio’s gentle hand pressed over the swollen part of Lovino’s ankle, and soon, the boy felt his body begin to numb. It put him in a sort of a trance as Lovino’s eyes fell half-lidded and he began to relax. He felt as if he was shrinking, though there was no noticeable change…As soon as he came back to his senses, he realized that the pain near his foot had suddenly disappeared.

“I’m…I’m better?”

“You’re younger,” Antonio chuckled. “My powers go both ways…and they work on humans as well as plants.”

Lovino gave him a puzzled expression. He felt like he was meeting the other boy for the first time. Cautiously, he pushed himself onto his feet and stood in an unsteady stance for a moment before holding himself up straight. “That’s…that’s actually useful.” He turned his eyes back to the other boy, who was unwrapping a bundle he had slung around his back and spreading the contents onto Lovino’s bed. “W-what is that? How are you going to help us escape?”

“You’ll see,” Antonio told him. “We’re going to need some disguises. Take these.” He threw a shirt and a pair of pants at the other. It was the same uniform that the caretakers used.

Lovino’s eyes widened. “W-where did you get this? And why the hell do you think it’ll fit me?”

The other boy smiled at him and began to undress, back turned to Lovino. “You’ll see.” He closed his eyes and focused, willing himself to grow faster. Soon, Antonio’s body began to age. He grew inches, then feet higher. His muscles thickened, and hair sprouted from his chest and other parts of his body that had previously been bare. Finally, Antonio was a full-grown man. He took another set of the adult sized clothes that he had laid out on Lovino’s bed and began to dress himself again. When the man opened his mouth, his voice was deep and soothing.

“It’s your turn now, Lovino. If you’re ready…”

Lovino stared at clothes in his hands and at Antonio, an adult who was patiently waiting even if there was a hint of urgency in his eyes. To be all grown up…It was something Lovino had only imagined for himself. He knew it would happen eventually, but he hadn’t even made it to his ninth birthday yet, and he couldn’t quite wrap his head around the idea. “Is…is it safe?” he questioned. “Going out there like that?”

The optimistic expression on Antonio’s face faltered as he looked back at Lovino and over towards the window, where the darkness of the night awaited their escape. “No,” he finally answered, honestly. “I can’t promise that it will be. But if you’re willing to take the chance- I guarantee I’ll do my best to make sure that nothing bad happens to you.”

Lovino took a moment to consider this. It would have been easy enough for Antonio to just say yes, to speed up the process and hope the boy trusted him enough to agree without needing much more of an explanation. The one who had come to save him, however, did not just expect Lovino to accept everything he said without question. He was proving to be much more honest than anyone else Lovino had encountered here.

“Hurry up now,” Antonio told him. “If you’re ready for this…We should go before someone figures out that your room camera’s not working.”

“T-there’s a camera in here?” Lovino asked in awe.

“There was,” Antonio answered, pointing to a corner of the ceiling where Lovino hadn’t even noticed anything hidden. “Every room seems to have one. I disabled both mine and yours after I snuck out of my room and went through the vent in the kitchen. I had to get really small to fit through there.”

Lovino still had many more questions, but he held his tongue for the moment and began to do as Antonio had suggested, removing the clothes that would be too tight to endure the amount of growth his body was about to go through. The boy was beyond nervous, his fingers shaking anxiously as he began to undress. Once he had removed everything, he looked back up at Antonio, who had turned away to give him a moment of privacy.

“I-I’m ready now,” Lovino whispered, holding the adult clothes in front of himself modestly.

“Alright,” Antonio said. “This may feel a bit strange, but don’t be afraid, okay?”

Lovino nodded and closed his eyes, feeling Antonio’s hand rest on his shoulder. As before when the other had healed his ankle, his body went into a trance and numbed itself of feeling anything before slowly beginning to change. He could feel his limbs beginning to stretch as he rose up higher from the floor. Lovino opened his eyes heavily to watch as he grew closer to Antonio’s height. His body went through the same changes his companion’s had- taller, hairier…stronger. At last, the transformation stopped and Antonio’s hand fell off his shoulder. “Welcome to adulthood,” he chuckled, stepping away from Lovino. The newly grown man fumbled with his clothes clumsily, gawking at his own larger hands.

“This is…” he croaked, reaching up to touch his throat, “…different.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Antonio told him, “and once we’re safe and far from here, I’ll change you back. I promise.”

Lovino could only manage a nod, once again feeling overwhelmed. If this was a dream, he hoped he wouldn’t wake up. He didn’t want to find himself trapped in this room again with no hope of escaping or ever seeing the other side of the fence that surrounded the camp.

He dressed himself hastily and followed Antonio back towards the window. The other man carefully supervised him as Lovino used the tree to slip discreetly down to the ground below. Antonio had memorized the path out of the courtyard and held onto Lovino’s hand as they went, leading the way. The younger man felt his heart thump as they weaved their way through the camp, staying close to the walls and out of sight of the sentries. Antonio seemed confident in what he was doing, but his hand gripped Lovino’s so tightly…Lovino wondered if may he was just as terrified as he was. Finally, they made it to the edge of the camp.

Signs near the fence warned of the electricity coursing through it. There would have been no way out for a normal person, but Antonio and Lovino weren’t “normal” at all. As Antonio went to work making one of the trees nearby grow taller, Lovino kept watch, though he was mesmerized by the world that lay on the other side of the fence, just outside their reach.

Suddenly, there was the startling sound of barking, and Antonio grabbed Lovino, shoving him towards the trunk of the tree and boosting him up towards the lowest branch. Though he was stiff with fear, the younger man subconsciously complied, though once he was safety out of reach, he cried out at the sight below him. A large German Shepherd overtook Antonio, knocking him towards the ground. The man screamed in pain as the dog clamped onto his arm and began to thrash, tearing at it.

“A-Antonio!” Lovino watched horrified, his mind numbing in disbelief as he watched the scene below. No, no...He couldn’t let this happen. They were so close! He wasn’t going to let Antonio sacrifice himself for him. “Stop!” He leapt down from the tree and grabbed the dog, though his whole body was trembling and he knew this was likely to end even worse with his interference. The animal, however, did not turn on him or continue mauling Antonio. Instead, its jaw slackened, and it went into its own trance as its body began to grew steadily smaller. Lovino held it still as Antonio rested his other hand on the dog’s head. Soon, it was no more than a puppy sitting on the grass.

Antonio’s arm was bleeding heavily. He cradled it close to himself as his eyes squeezed tightly shut, and, using the little strength he had left, the man began to shrink himself again in an effort to heal himself. As a child once more, he collapsed beside the trunk of the tree.

“Antonio,” Lovino murmured worriedly, reaching over to take the boy into his arms. “Don’t…don’t do this. I need you to help me get out of here, dammit!”

The boy smiled weakly at him. “You go on, Lovino. The tree’s tall enough now. Just climb up and jump over. Ngh…the landing might be rough, but you should be okay. Go now, while you still have the chance.”

“I’m not going without you,” Lovino insisted. “You got us this far…You don’t get to quit now.”

“My energy’s gone,” Antonio answered weakly. “I’m not used to doing that many transformations so close together. Sorry, I didn’t know about the dog…Tell your grandpa I did my best- okay?”

“Nonno? What does he care? This…this is all his fault!” Despite his best efforts, Lovino could do nothing to stop the tears from coming. Even as an adult, he was powerless to stop them. “I’ve been stuck here for so long, and he never even tried to find me. You’re the only one who ever tried to help me, dammit!”

“Lovino…” Antonio’s voice was soft, but kind. His small hand curled around Lovino’s arm. “Your grandpa loves you very much. He’s the reason I’m here. When he couldn’t find you on his own, he came to us for help. I was sent to bring you back home. Don’t you see? He misses you, a lot. I can imagine…nothing will make him happier than to get you back.”

Lovino’s hands trembled, and he sobbed as he held Antonio closer to him. In the distance, he could hear alarms coming from the camp and shouts from the caretakers and guards as the staff began to comb the grounds for signs of where they had gone. “I want to go home,” Lovino choked, frightened.

“Then go,” Antonio whispered. Suddenly, there was a light shining at them from the other side of the fence as the rescue cars arrived in response to Antonio’s signal at last. Lovino squinted at them timidly, but as soon as he had mustered enough courage, he stood, carrying the boy with him. He held onto Antonio as he climbed up the tree again with a great deal of effort, panting in exhaustion and anxiety as he raced against the approaching onslaught of people. The branches creaked beneath the weight of both the man and the boy, and it wasn’t without some lack of grace that Lovino finally leapt down onto the other side of the fence. He shielded Antonio with his body as they both tumbled to the ground. Then, there were hands on him, pulling and herding them into one of the cars just as shots rang out from the prison they had just escaped from.

As they drove away in the car, Lovino had to convince himself again that he was not trapped within another dream. He feared that at any moment, he might wake up and find himself back inside that bare-walled room, far from everything he knew, hopeless and alone, without any chance of ever seeing his family for the rest of his life. The sight of Antonio sleeping against him, however, reminded him that help could sometimes come from where he least expected it. For the first time, he allowed himself to look forward to the future, to seeing his grandfather again, to playing with his brother, to lying in his own bed, in his own room, in his own house. It wasn’t just a dream anymore. He was finally going home.

The End

#spamano #hetalia #hetalia fanfic #aph Romano #aph Spain #my fic

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