Hetalia Reader Inserts

Request: England x Veteran!Reader (Male)

England (Arthur Kirkland) x Veteran!Reader (Male)

Families chatted happily under the warm rays of the sun with the smell of the ocean in the air. The sound of happy families significantly calmed down his nerves as he fiddled with his sunglasses and adjusted his hat to further cover his face from the sun. It felt nice to be surrounded by happy people after years of terror and unexplainable horror. "(Y/N)" a familiar, yet oddly different voice called out to him, and he looked up at the form hovering over him. A calm smile took place on his face at the sight of his long-time ally "Hello Arthur." The sight of Arthur always made him calmer, but at the same time, it could bring up unwanted memories. Arthur took a seat next to him under the shade and (Y/N) smiled fondly at the sight of the English male drowning himself in sunscreen. 

Arthur looked over at him and sent him a playful glare "Don't judge me. I burn easily." (Y/N) shook his head and laughed lightly "I'm not judging you. I understand, but it's a bit funny." Arthur frowned before sighing slightly "Yeah it kind of is." Arthur looked at (Y/N) out of the corner of his eye as he finished applying his sunscreen. If it were anyone else who had made the comment, especially that French frog, he'd have killed them, but (Y/N) was different. Arthur could never bring himself to harm his friend that he had gone through hell with. "What made you want to come to the beach?" Arthur curiously asked, turning to properly look over at him. "I think I just wanted some fresh air" he commented, uneasily glancing over at Arthur "I've been at home too long." "Good choice" Arthur stated, watching (Y/N) with affectionate eyes.

The sound of a gunshot rang through the air followed by a distant scream. (Y/N) felt his muscles freeze up and his body turned cold as undesired memories took front stage within his mind. Images of fallen soldiers lying dead or dying in muddied trenches and the sight of disfigured comrades in pain appeared in his mind. He could distantly hear the screams of his fellow soldiers and the constant sound of gunshots in the air. The yelling of his commanders barking orders followed by the yelling of his friends when they were shot or a bomb exploded slowly filled his ears. "(Y/N)" a soft firm voice called out and he blinked in surprise. "Arthur?" He muttered questioningly. The image of an Arthur dressed in military gear gradually changed into the image of an Arthur dressed in his swimsuit with a blob of sunscreen on his freckled nose. "(Y/N)" Arthur repeated, connecting his green eyes with his friend's. 

The panicked look in his eyes reminded him of the struggle the two had experienced under the gloomy French sky surrounded by immeasurable amounts of pain. "You're shaking. Are you having an episode?" Arthur softly asked, running a soothing hand up and down his arm "Make sure to take deep breaths." (Y/N) listened to his advice and focused on his breathing. The laboured and panicked breathing slowly calmed down alongside his racing heart. He briefly became aware of tears on his cheeks, but Arthur gently wiped them away with his thumb. He looked over at his friend and saw an expression of pure concern.

Arthur shifted closer to him and ran a soothing hand up and down (Y/N)'s back while whispering gentle assurances. "Arthur" (Y/N) quietly mumbled, and Arthur paused in his actions to listen properly. (Y/N) moved closer to his companion and grabbed onto Arthur's shoulder for a sense of stability "Thank you." Arthur's expression of concern morphed into a gentle understanding one. "You've done so well after all that happened" Arthur commented with a small smile "I'm proud of how far you've come." "Really?" He questioned, the pain in his chest mixing with something warmer. "Of course!" Arthur exclaimed, but lowered his voice as he continued "It's normal to have episodes like this. I used to have them a lot too." "You?" (Y/N) interrupted, staring at his Arthur in disbelief as the heaviness on his chest gradually disappeared the longer he conversed with him. 

Arthur nodded with a serene smile "It takes time, but I believe you can do it." Despite his uneasiness, (Y/N) nodded and smiled shakily at Arthur "Thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for everything." "You're welcome" Arthur lightly replied. Arthur placed his hand on his and squeezed it affectionately. The two remained silently seated in the shade and turned to watch the people around them with matching blushes decorating their cheeks.

Notes:

Requested by: BestIrishTwat

Set in the early 1950s, so basically a few years after WW2. 

The sound was a firework, but I've heard some people can mistake it as the sound of a gunshot.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is very serious and is common within Veteran's. The PTSD experience is based on a personal experience, so I apologize if it's different from what others have experienced. Everyone is different when it comes to remembering traumatic experiences

I know I used the word friend, but the two have a crush on each other, however, due to the sensitive topic I wanted to be lowkey about it 

The 'his Arthur' part is very intentional 

Prompt: Regret + Butterfly. Regret symbolizes the dark and scary past, and the butterfly symbolizes the bright future

This is the second update of the day. I still have two more requests to upload, but I'm going to upload them (2p!Italy and 2p!Romano) tomorrow in order to space it out a bit because I feel like four chapters on one day is a bit much 

I hope you enjoyed this