Title: When I disappear
Author:
traumschwingeClaim: Austria
Character(s): Austria, South Italy, Spain, Prussia
Table/Prompt: Time/7. Year
Word count: 2788
Rating: M (for several reasons)
Summary: Because he wants Antonio for himself, Lovino sees to it that Roderich gets kidnapped. For a whole year full of abuse and despair he keeps him imprisoned.
Warnings: kidnapping, abuse, implied rape, implied sex
Roderich didn't even know what happened to him. He had been walking down a street when a van had stopped next to him. Then, the van's door had opened and strong hands had pulled him inside. It had happened so fast that Roderich didn't even have the time to struggle before he was drugged. Then, everything went black.
When he woke again, he was tied to a post. Someone had removed his glasses or he had lost them. He didn't know but they were missing.
Still, he looked around in the room. It was hot and damp in here and the only light was from some rays though the floor. There was no furnishing, nothing at all. He could only guess that he was in some attic. But where this was he didn't know.
He must have fallen asleep again for he was rudely woken with a slap to his face.
"Wake up, bastard!" a young voice shouted. Then, again, Roderich was slapped.
Roderich opened his eyes. He couldn't see the face of the man before him clearly due to the bad lighting and his missing glasses. What he could see was that the other was young. He was tanned and his hair was of a reddish brown.
"Finally, asshole," the man snorted. "So, what do you have to say to defend yourself?"
"Defend myself? I don't even know ... What have I done wrong?" Roderich murmured. He still had difficulties to think straight. But even his dizzy mind had understood that he was in serious trouble. He had been kidnapped and tied in an empty attic. This couldn't be good.
"You're existing, that's what," the man sneered. He hit Roderich again.
"That's not my fault!"
"But you could have done something." A knife in the young man's hand caught Roderich's attention as it reflected some light from below.
"No," he stammered. "No, please. Don't kill me. Please! I'll do whatever you tell me. But please let
me live."
"See, that's a start," the man grinned. He cut Roderich's shirt open but didn't cut the skin. "I need you to be gone. I want you to be gone. But I loath you so killing you would be too much mercy to be fun. I want you to suffer. I'll make your body forget that you ever had a caring boyfriend."
The knife went down to Roderich's pants and cut them open as well. Finally, he tried to struggle but in vain. The young man simply pressed his feet to the floor with one hand. The knife pressed against the skin of his throat.
"Don't," the man hissed. "You don't want me to cut your precious pale skin, do you?"
Roderich stopped struggling and was released. The knife didn't move, though.
"I wonder what he sees in you," the man hissed. "You're nothing better than any bitch. No, you're even worse, bastard. You don't even do it on purpose. But I'll teach you. You're nothing more than a slut. So be a good whore and open your legs or I'll slit your damned throat."
Too afraid to struggle, Roderich obeyed. He shut his eyes and waited for it to be over. His thoughts clung to the memory of Antonio, his boyfriend. It helped to bear the pain, though it made him feel worse inside. It was like he was cheating on him. Teats rolled down his cheeks but he remained silent. He wouldn't give this man that triumph, at least.
When it was finally over, Roderich slipped down on the floor and laid there, crying. He felt gross, dirty.
"Antonio, I'm so sorry," he whispered over and over again.
"Yeah, you should be, whore," the man sneered. By the sounds of it he was redoing his belt. With a last kick to Roderich's stomach, he left his victim to his tears and pains.
The following days, weeks, months - Roderich had soon lost trace of time since there was always light in the room below - passed slowly and without much variation. Once or twice a day a man looking like a bear brought him some food and water. Occasionally, the young man, who Roderich now assumed to be the leader of a gang or worse, would come to yell at him, to hit him and abuse him.
After some time, he had been untied and was now free to wander around the attic. There wasn't much to see there, though. Only some long forgotten rubbish lay in a corner and there was dust everywhere.
There were also a bucket and an old mattress one of the bears had brought him after he had been untied.
Once, only once had Roderich tried to make notice in the hope someone would hear him and come to rescue or at least call the police. It had earned him a broken rib and several bruises. At least they had called for a doctor, though the doctor seemed to be on of them and didn't speak more than necessary to Roderich. After this, he didn't try to make people outside take notice of him.
As time passed, the young man seemed to get more violent towards him. He also talked more about Antonio. When it had gotten so bad that Roderich feared that he could unintentionally get killed, the young man stopped visiting.
Roderich couldn't say that he missed him. He missed a lot of things locked up in this attic, starting with Antonio, with who the young man seemed so obsessed. He wanted to see his innocent smile again. He wanted to hear him talk about the stupidest things. He missed him so much he could cry non-stop hadn't tears run dry a long time ago.
Spring and summer had passed, he could tell by the temperatures in the attic. It had been spring when they had taken him. A while ago, the attic had been incredibly hot - almost too hot to bear - and airless. He had had difficulties to breathe at some hours. During this time, he could at least tell the difference between day and night, for the night was cooler and the air breathable. And now, the days had gotten cooler again as well. A lot of times he had heard rain patter against the roof lately.
In mid-fall, the young man came for a visit again. He had a smug smile on his face and seemed to be in a dangerously good mood. Roderich flinched away. This couldn't be good.
"Get up and come with me," the young man commanded. "You'll take a shower and get dressed because I want to show you something. Don't even think about doing something funny. I won't leave you by yourself."
He waited at the door for Roderich to follow him. His steps unstable from the long time in such confined space, Roderich staggered after the young man down a narrow staircase and through a hallway to a cramped little bathroom. Some clothes and fresh towels laid on the floor. Just like the hallway, everything in this bathroom looked old and barely used. This fitted the impression Roderich had had of the house. Nobody actually lived here.
"You got 20 minutes," the young man announced before he closed the door and locked it from the outside.
Immediately, Roderich stepped into the shower. The water was warm. He couldn't say that he had expected this. It was a relief to be finally able to shower again. To wash away the dirt from his body. At least the dirt on his body. After he was clean again, he stayed inside the shower for some more time and simply enjoyed the warm water on his skin. When he felt like he had showered for about 15 minutes, he stepped out. He didn't dare to be not ready when the young man returned. He might have been in a good mood but to Roderich it seemed like only malice could come from that mood.
He toweled himself and then inspected the clothes. Clothes! How had he missed clothes. It felt like an eternity since he had worn anything for the last time. His hands shook as he took up the pants and then the shirt and dressed himself. It felt so good. Yet he wondered how long it would take before they would be cut off his body again.
As the door was opened again, he was fully dressed and sitting on the rim of the bathtub. His eyes were closed. Standing for a long time did exhaust him quite much and he was tried now. When the young man entered, he opened his eyes again.
"Follow me," the man commanded. "We'll go downstairs. There you will stay in a room and watch. You'll make no noise or I will make sure you won't ever have the chance to make a noise again. But since I don't trust you bastard, I'll gag you and leave one of my men with you. To ensure you will watch. To finally break you." They had walked down the stairs into a small room, furnished only with a chair. There was some sort of window in one wall, just as big as a dressing mirror. The chair was facing towards the window through which a room looking like a living room could be seen. "Sit down," the young man commanded. "You see, today, I’ve invited your … ex-boyfriend Antonio over." His smile turned a little wicked at this word.
Roderich felt a sting to his heart. Ex-boyfriend? Did that mean Antonio, the one person he missed more than anything, for whom he had tried to endure this to one day meet him again, had stopped searching, waiting for him? His feet gave way and he dropped on the chair. No, this couldn't be. This simply couldn't.
"He has been dating some else for quite a while," the young man went on, smiling his wicked smile. "Me. And now he finally wants to visit me at home. Seems like he's forgotten you, jackass. Nobody's searching for you, bastard. They've all just long given up on you. Poor little whore, all think you're dead. Even your dear Antonio. But don't worry, I'll take care of his grief just fine."
And with this, he left. Roderich stayed on the chair, staring at the floor. He couldn't muster even the strength to look up as someone else entered this room, nor as he was gagged from behind. The person had to tilt his head up and made him look through the window just as the young man entered the room on the other side with … Antonio.
Roderich's heart skipped a beat.
His boyfriend - he still couldn't think of Antonio as his ex - looked like he had always done. Or would have if Roderich hadn't known him so well. He had a sad air around him. But on the other hand, he was also smiling at that young man like he had only smiled at Roderich before. Tears started rolling down Roderich's cheeks, dripping on the floor.
Through the window, he could hear every word that was spoken in the other room.
"I'm glad you finally invited me over, Lovino," Antonio said as he sat down with the man on the couch. Roderich shook with silent tears. They were cuddling. To him, it was proof enough that Antonio had really stopped searching for him.
"I wanted to be alone with you," purred the young man … no, Lovino. "As I said, I want to lick your wounds. I'll make you forget and take care that your smile will never stop again. I won't leave you. Ever."
With this, they kissed. Roderich tried to turn away from this sight but he couldn't, his head was held in position by strong hands. So he could only close his eyes. Soon, he wished to be able to close his ears as well. He didn't want to hear these moans. He didn't want to hear Antonio's husky voice whispering the name of someone else. He didn't want to hear his dear dear Antonio scream in pleasure because of another man.
Roderich didn't know when it was finally over. Nor did he know when or how he had gotten back into the attic. He didn't notice for a long time that he was lying on the mattress and shook with tears. He didn't care anymore. All he wanted was for this to be over. He wanted it all to be over, one way or another. He didn't care anymore whether he died in this dusty attic or saw the sky above him again.
Starting that day when he had seen Antonio, Roderich had stopped eating. He would have stopped drinking as well but he couldn't force himself to do so. It was the only way he saw to end this all. He wanted to die.
Every other day, someone came and tried to make him eat at first. As this didn't work out, they changed the water to some weird drinks which smelled horrible and tasted like puréed meals. When he would not drink those, some of Lovino's men would make him. He didn't stand a chance.
Like this, fall passed and it got cold in the attic.
They brought him sheets and blankets but there was no heating and so he still froze. He didn't care about this. He couldn't really feel it. It was like it was felt by somebody else or like his head was filled with cotton.
Like this, the winter passed and eventually it became warmer again.
~~~
He had a good feeling when he entered this house. His unit had observed it for some days now and they knew that there was no one inside at this hour of day. Still, some of his fellow policemen were right at his heel to watch his back.
Gilbert was glad they had received this lead. He had been searching for his brother's friend for a whole year now. Ever since he had heard about this. And then his best friend Elizabeta and his buddy Antonio had asked him to look for that man as well.
It hadn't been easy at first. There were no witnesses, no traces, not even a single lead. It was like the earth had opened up and swallowed this man whole. Eventually, Elizabeta had stopped asking, as well as his brother. Even Antonio had stopped to call him every day and ask after half a year.
And then suddenly, Antonio had started seeing someone new. That had been in fall. It had taken until January before Gilbert found out, whom. This had been the first lead. His boyfriend vanished into thin air and only a few months later, he started dating a Mafioso. The infamous Lovino Vargas. Okay, to most people, he was a good and innocent civilian who had never done anything wrong, but Gilbert knew that he was suspected of quite a few major crimes. This was when he had started searching all hide-outs of Vargas he knew about.
Which had taken him here. Together with his colleagues, he searched the ground floor and then the rest of the house. Every room was empty. There was no one there, they couldn't find any hidden room or prisons either.
He had just sent his men away, as he noticed a concealed door at the end of the hallway on the top floor. Carefully, slowly he opened it. His weapon held in front of him in his outstretched arm, he climbed the staircase. There was no noise from above.
The attic was empty, save for some rugs in a corner of the room. He carefully looked around to make sure there was no one hidden to attack him out of the darkness. Then, he changed his weapon for a flashlight. He wanted to examine the rugs.
As he sneaked closer, a dreadful suspicion rose inside his heart. The rugs looked awfully like a human body. As he stood only a few steps away, the light of his flashlight pointed on the rugs, this suspicion was confirmed.
Please, please, please, let him be still alive, Gilbert prayed silently.
He got down to his knees next to the body. His hands shaking, he pulled the dirty blanket away and felt for a pulse. When he found it, he was indescribably relieved. Thank god he was still alive…
Gilbert picked Roderich up. He was so incredibly light. Gilbert carried him down the stairs and to the ground floor, out of the house.
"Help!" he yelled. "I found someone. We need help! Call the medics, quick!"
The whole time until the ambulance arrived, Gilbert held the unconscious Roderich in his arms, pressed to his chest.
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