Hetalia Angst

Devil With an Angel's Heart

⚠️Trigger Warnings: burning alive, drowning, discrimination⚠️
Characters: Gilbert Beilschmidt (Prussia); Elizabeta Héderváry (Hungary)
Word Count: 493 words

The fire licked at the albino's skin, making him writhe and cry out in pain. His crimson eyes were tightly shut, tears begining to fall as screams of pain ripped from his throat. He asked himself why he had to be cursed like this, why he had to be tortured because of the color of his eyes. The villagers who'd done this to him left him to burn, leaving him to the hunger of the flames.

When he finally found the strength to open his eyes, the one person he didn't expect to see was right in front of him, her form dancing behind the flames that engulfed him. He expected her to laugh, to sneer, to run, anything but douse him in water, relieving at least a bit of the pain and drowning the flames. Coughs racked his body as smoke entered his lungs. He collapsed forward as she cut the ropes that bound him to the wooden post.

His eyes fluttered open, scanning the village around him with blurry vision. His entire body ached and he wished so badly to be normal. When he glanced around for his savior, she had already left, leaving him to the dirt of the streets. Yet, panic once again tightened it's grip on him as villagers rushed over, picking him up. Of course they wouldn't let him roam free. He cried and screamed, terrified as they carried him to the river. The water itself wasn't what scared him, but the fact that it could drag him beneath it's serene surface and he couldn't swim to keep the water from his lungs.

The splash his body made as it made contact with the water's surface made him think. Will anyone come to save me? Will I be forced to drown here? He had since learned the hard way that he could indeed die, but if his body wasn't moved he would wake up the next morning in the same spot. Such was the lesson he found through countless nights drowning and burning. He thrashed around, wanting desperately to escape the cold grasp of the water that only brought him deeper.

Just as he began to lose hope, a hand grabbed his wrist, beginning to pull him up from the depths. He was set gently on the grass, allowing his burning lungs to heave up the water he'd inhaled. The feeling of arms around him made him tense before he realized it was Hungary pulling him into a hug. He leaned into the embrace, clinging to the sweet nothings that were whispered to him in an attempt to calm him down. Everything hurt, but the fact that she cared enough to stick with him made a happy, warm feeling blossom in his chest. Only two words were able to push themselves past his lips, coming out rough and quiet from a mix of the smoke, the screaming, and the water all running his throat raw.

"Thank you."