The Rain's Sentinel (Hetalia x reader) (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

Chapter 2

     "Sorry about the mess." He said, sweeping aside some discarded shoes with his foot as you lingered near the doorway, "Make yourself at home"

     "Uh, don't worry about it." You muttered.

     Arthur had disappeared around the corner by the time you added your own shoes to the pile, so you took a moment to get a bearing on your surroundings. Picture frames tastefully lined the front hallway you found yourself in, an artsy contrast to the discarded shoes and neckties at your feet. Though, can you judge a man for wanting out of his work clothes at the soonest opportunity? Upon closer inspection, the man you'd trusted to not kill you was in most of the photos hung in some way or another; formally posed with two other blondes, standing in front of a mountain range, red faced with glasses in the shape of the number 2000 among slightly blurry new yearsers.

     "Ma'a-uh, miss?" He poked his head into the hallway and you snapped to attention. "Would you like some tea?"

     "Oh, uh... sure, thanks." You stammered."Alright then," He smiled, "I'll be in the kitchen."

     You weren't fond of tea, but declining his offer felt rude. After all, he had done you a tremendous favor by letting you in at all. Once you made your way into the kitchen, you found Arthur examining various packages of tea. "Let's see," He said, with a glance your direction, "We have green, black, earl grey, and chamomile."

     "I'm fine with whatever you're having." You said. He nodded, gesturing toward his small, two-chaired kitchen table. You sat down. "So," He set the boxes down on the counter behind him and produced a kettle from an adjacent cupboard, "I can call you an Uber, or perhaps get you a bus ticket if you're a ways away... Whereabouts were you headed this late?"

     Uh oh. You had hoped such a question wouldn't surface, however inevitable it was. Truthfully, you had no clue where you were headed. Certainly not home, after the events of the previous evening. "Oh, uh..." You muttered. You desperately tried to think of an address. Any address. Quite frankly, you'd settle for an excuse at this point. But the longer you sat there looking panicked, the worse you appeared to the very kind gentleman who was busying himself turning on the stove. "Well..." You continued. But there was no more time to be bought.

     You expected him to turn to you with anger at your failed response. Perhaps even toss you outside, since you were clearly some troubled child on the run from God knows what. But his eyes held only concern after his innocent question was met with an uncomfortable silence. "Oh, dear. You do have a place to go, right?" He said tentatively.

     "...Kind of." You lied. Is it a lie if it's that nonspecific of an answer? Regardless, He didn't buy it. He furrowed his brow and turned away to retrieve some mugs from his cupboards. You stared at your hands, trying to think of a way to get out of this. Admitting you had been banished from your home for arbitrary reasons was more than a bit embarrassing, but the alternative was potentially far worse. This man was well within his right to turn you over to the police or child services, where you'd end up right back where you started. "I don't need an Uber or anything. I can walk, it's fine." Was what you finally came up with. A mug slid across the table into your hands. "Nonsense. It's far too cold for that. And dangerous." He said, as he slid into the chair opposite you and took a long sip of his tea, "Now, are you going to tell me why you 'kind of" have a place to go? Where are your parents?"

     You supposed there was no way around the truth. Lying to his face felt far too guilt-inducing. "My mom kicked me out. I'm not sure where I'm headed." You said quietly. You watched the steam curl in the air above your cup, avoiding his gaze. "Now why would she do such a thing?" He asked, setting his cup down with indignance. "Her fiancé doesn't like me. He wants to have his own family with her, I think." You had no clue why you were sharing this with him, but regardless you felt the words simply falling out of your mouth. "I'm surprised they didn't kick me out sooner. It's been a long time coming."

     Arthur tapped his fingers against his cup, deep in thought as you continued, "I don't really know where my dad is, so that's a bust."

     "Well, this simply won't do." He suddenly took a crisp sip, "You can stay in my guest room tonight. We'll get this sorted out tomorrow."

     You were very taken aback by this. "Oh, no, I couldn't." You stated, "That's not necessary-"

     "Nonsense. It's far too late for a young woman your age to be wandering around. I'll, uh, make you something to eat, and you can get some rest, and tomorrow we can see about...erm... further arrangements." He faltered mid-sentence. Being paternal and authoritative wasn't exactly something he was used to, as a single man in his 20s. "Are you sure? I'd hate to put you out." You asked. "Y-yes." He replied. It was dawning on him that it probably looked quite creepy to insist this young girl stay with him, but his conscious would not allow the alternative.

     You breathed a sigh of relief at the thought of not returning home or being out in the cold. "Thank you so much. I'm (y/n), buy the way." You said.

     "Arthur. It's my pleasure." Arthur smiled, "Now, let's get you something to eat. I imagine you're quite hungry."

Here we have it guys! After months of waiting, I've finally cranked out a second redone chapter. Once again, for any inquiries, or for a copy of the original work (chapters 2-3 are missing, unfortunately, but i'll be sure to save the others!), or just to chat, my DMs and email are always open :)