A/N: Hello~ Yet another fanfic of mine inspired by a song, this one from one of the Kagamine twins. For a song about a fear of time, I thought: what better fandom than one about people stuck in a time loop? I hope you enjoy, and please let me know what you think!

Chronophobia

I sloppily tore the flickering image that is always next to me into many tiny pieces,
You know, even if I close my eyes, it's always still by me.

I dislike everything about time,
I do not care for it one bit
I would never care for it at all, in all of my living eternity.

~Chronophobia, by Rin Kagamine~

Italy jerked awake, gasping as if he'd been submerged in water for a very long time. Blinking quickly, trying to get his bearings, he looked around the room. The last thing he'd seen were contorted faces of pain, red spattering the walls, screams permeating the air... Then, in a flash, everything faded to white. Opening his eyes now, he knew where he was, as much as he did not wish to be there- did not wish to repeat this all over again.

But, he had to try one more time.

As expected, he awoke to a plethora of eyes upon him.

"Are you alright, Italy?" Germany questioned, placing a gentle hand on the Italian's shoulder. The younger Nation shied away from the touch, curling into himself, still feeling the pain from mere minutes ago. However, his body quickly caught up with his mind and soon relaxed, knowing he was perfectly safe for the time being. The red-haired boy attempted to put on a wide smile, though it failed to reach his eyes.

"Yes, yes, I'm okay!" he replied, locking eyes with each Nation around the table for a brief moment. If he hadn't experienced this same scenario dozens of times before, he would have been uncomfortable with these confused stares. A silence blanketed the room, no one quite willing to break it.

"Sorry, I fell asleep... again," the Italian said with a chuckle, knowing that, as usual, it was his job to lighten the mood. In a gesture of personal apology, he squeezed Germany's knee as the attention of the other Nations fell away with a chorus of tch's and eye-rolls.

"Do try and stay awake for more than ten minutes, will you?" England snapped, annoyed. For once, his temperament was completely warranted; it was during his speech that Italy had fallen asleep in, after all.

"Sorry; I'll stay awake, I promise!" The red-haired boy flashed a smile, and just like that, the issue was over. England resumed his speech, and everyone else directed their focus back to the Brit. The only one still distracted was Italy himself. And, of course-

"Are you sure you're okay?" Germany whispered, leaning in close. "Did you have a nightmare?"

A choked-off, strangled chuckle escaped Italy's lips before he could stop it.

Typical Germany, the Italian thought, glancing at the blonde at his side, always deceptively observant.

"I'll be fine," Italy assured him. He grasped Germany's hand underneath the large, round desk and squeezed it tightly, ignoring the increasingly concerned furrowing of the other man's brow. The Italian gave a heavy sigh, adding to himself, "We'll all be fine."

This time, I'll make sure of it.