Once Upon A Time | A Hetalia x Reader

Chapter 24: The Danish Puffin

"(Name), love," I heard Arthur calling from behind the door. "Breakfast has been made. Come along now or else all the food will disappear."

"Are you trying to call me fat?" I heard Alfred's voice, but he seemed more fainter, indicating his distance from the room.

"Did I mention you?" replied Arthur, whose voice hinted a savage mood.

Alfred didn't seem to reply.

"See you soon, poppet," Arthur told me. "I'll be in the kitchenette if you need me."

"I remember when he first held his first knife," Alfred's muffled voice seemed to say in a dramatic way.

"I should've used my chance for something other than cooking." Arthur growled.

"Yeah, either way would have killed me."

"What do you mean by-" Arthur suddenly paused. "-why you little-"

Suddenly hurried footsteps made contact with the floor, its sound fading away as another pair of footsteps doing the same actions as the former. I stifled a small laugh, seeing how such a sibling-like relationship can end to this...this weird moment.

My smile didn't leave even after I left my small room. The floorboards creaked and seemed to have been leaked with water as always, its forever smell of seawater never fading. Honestly, I could've sworn a part of me said that I was motion sick, but seeing how I wasn't all that affected with my surroundings, I would have said otherwise.

Nonetheless, I journeyed throughout the narrow hallways to finally arrive nearby the main area where the crew, friends, and I ate our meals.

Suddenly, Mr. Puffin came to view.

"Oi. Get out of my way, peasant." he scoffed, waddling around. I scooped him into my arms and giggled, his little frame squirming under my grasp.

"Let me go!"

"Did I manage to have the opportunity of saying how cute you were?" I cooed, hugging it a tad bit tighter, but tight enough so he could at least breathe.

At least he stopped squirming.

"Just...just let go of me, will you?"

"Where's Emil? I thought he was with you. I'm sure you wouldn't want to leave poor Emil by himself."

"He's somewhere..." Mr. Puffin mumbled grumpily. "Now let me go!"

"No. Let me bring you to him." I said, grinning. "Bring me to your leader!"

Although before I gone farther than where I was now, a voice perked up from behind, "(Name)? What're you doing here?"

I whipped my head, eagerly turning my heel with Mr. Puffin possibly complaining about so. I was face-to-face with Mathias, who grinned back at my current state.

"Hey, kiddo-"

"-I'm not a kid!-" I butt in.

"-what'cha up to?"

"I'm going to look for Emil. Care to help me on such a task?"

I quickly averted my gaze as the boat ascended from its side for a moment, awaiting for a response. As soon as I gained eye contact with Mathias again, he was already capable of agreeing, and nodded his head rapidly in a child-like way.

"Of course," he said. "It's nice playing secrete-and-go-discover*. Especially since I'm the #1 champion of said game-"

"-Y're wrong."

Behind Mathias was Berwald. He seemed to be gazing down at the former heatedly, as if it were to prove that he was the secret-and-go-discover champion of the entire 4 kingdoms of the two neighboring countries. Or world, if you'd like to put it that way, or further more.