So it's not really my thing to start one story while I'm still trying to finish another, but this just came to me about my own studies abroad in Germany and I have to get it down before I forget! In this story, Erika is Liechtenstein and Laura is Belgium. Abel is the Netherlands.(human names were never assigned but using "Liechtenstein" and "Belgium" is impersonable to me). So please enjoy this may be a one shot.
The tension in the car was heavy, and Erika had so much to say just not enough words to say it. She was learning a new foreign language and decided to study abroad on a whim, because Gilbert had always wanted her to, because she now could. She was so horribly exhausted from her trip, and even more emotionally exhausted.
Laura was her new host sister, and she was absolutely gorgeous. Her short blonde hair seemed to fall perfectly, despite her protests that she "just woke up". Abel was her host brother, or so she presumed, because Laura had only said that she lived with her brother, no parents involved. And Abel certainly seemed old enough to take care of them both. Abel was a man of few words, but he seemed to love Laura deeply, and he seemed gentle despite his rough exterior.
"Do you like shopping?" Laura asked happily turning around in the front seat to face Erika. Erika was about to speak her native tongue, but then stopped herself and carefully worded her reply inside her head so as to not sound stupid to her new host family.
"Yes, I like it a lot," Erika offered. She wondered if she said it correctly, and she bit her lip waiting on Laura's reply.
"Great! We can go tomorrow after you've rested," Laura cheerfully replied.
"Thank you very much," Erika replied graciously. So far so good, she hadn't messed up anything yet. Or to her knowledge she hadn't. Learning how to say things in one language and a bunch of vocabulary words is completely different than trying to convey how you really feel on a whim without any thought. Expressions Erika knew in her native tongue were not known in her new home, and vice versa.
When Abel had pulled up to the house, which upon a second look was actually a duplex. Erika took notice of its' cheerful demeanor and how it was nestled behind the safety of a house in front of it. It was late summer, and in a week she'd start her new school. A new home, and a new school. It was hard to take it all in. But still, she was happy with her decision to study hard and to study abroad.
"Abel will take your stuff for you, I'll show you to your room," Laura touched Erika's arm in a polite manner as Erika was climbing out of the car.
"A-are you sure? I can take it if Abel doesn't want to do it," Erika looked uneasily to Abel, who was already opening the trunk to their little BMW.
"I've got it," Abel mumbled in reply. Laura smiled and nodded towards her brother, who was already unloading Erika's bags with a purpose.
"Thank you," Erika quickly added once she got past the initial shock of his kindness. Laura motioned for her to come along, and Erika walked up the brick stairs to their little home. Laura held open the door for Erika and Erika nodded in thanks. She walked into the house and found a tiny hallway that opened to the living room and an entrance to the kitchen was on her right. She wasn't sure where to go, so she turned to Laura for direction.
"Here, I'll show you around and then I'll show you where you'll be living," Laura started up the marble stairs next to the living room and Erika followed, after peeking her head in at the living room. There was a TV and a not worn out, but a very loved and used couch with a recliner perpendicular to it.
The upstairs was tiny, Laura pointed to a door to the right of the stairs. "This is my bathroom," she pointed to a room directly beside the bathroom, "and this is my room." She pointed to a room to the left of her bedroom, "That's the office, or library as we like to call it," she giggled and continued left to point to another door. "Next to the library is my brother's room, and next to his room is the junk room,"
"Junk room?" Erika asked, she thought of how the words translated directly into her native tongue and she wondered if it had a different meaning here.
Laura giggled, "Or the room where we put everything we have no idea what to do with," Erika nodded, finally understanding what she meant.
"So let's go to the attic, but we like to call it the loft," Laura winked at her and took the stairs next to the junk room. The wooden stairs squeaked under her weight and Erika wondered quietly why the stairs hadn't broken yet, but she followed nevertheless.
Laura motioned to the room, which had a TV with a couch and bean bag chairs surrounding it with a game console and two racks full of DVDs and games next to the TV. There appeared to be a bathroom in the corner of the room, judging by the open door of course.
"This is where I hang out with my friends," Laura told Erika. Then she motioned to the open door, "and that's my brother's bathroom." Erika nodded, not knowing whether to say "cool" or something else to show her pleasure at getting a full tour of the house.
"So now I'll show you to your room, it's the basement, I hope you don't mind," she started to bound down the stairs and Erika rushed to follow her.
"We wanted you to have your own floor where you could do whatever you want, but I hope you don't mind if the washing machine and drier are down there, we had nowhere else to put them," Laura took flight after flight of stairs very quickly, and Erika tried to keep up with her. Soon they were on their way down to the basement.
Erika stepped onto the tiled floor of the basement and waited for Laura to speak again. "This is your room," she pointed to a bedroom. "And next to it is your bathroom. The washer machine and drying machine are in the room directly in front of us. Feel free to do your laundry any time you want, we won't charge you," she smiled, obviously pleased with her joke. But the lighthearted joke appeared to be lost in translation and Erika just nodded.
"Thank you so much for letting me stay here,"
Laura smiled touched Erika's hand, "I'm so happy you're here! I've always wanted a sister," Erika was so touched by Laura's words, because she too never had a sister. She only had a brother like Laura, but he had long since grown up and she was much younger than him.
Abel came stumbling down the stairs, trying to balance Erika's bags in his arms.
"Oh Abel! Right on time! I just showed Erika to her room, would you put her bags in her room?" Laura opened the door to Abel and motioned for him to walk in. Abel grumbled and did as he was told; Erika noted that Abel always listened to his sister, even if she was younger than him.
Erika entered her room for the first time and she saw the large window that let in light and she could see a path with trees by the house. She approached the window and looked out of it, she then turned around to take in the rest of her room. There was a full sized bed with a purple comforter on it pressed up against the wall. A book shelf was next to the—now her—bed and it had a lamp on it.
Laura plopped herself on Erika's bed. "So what do you think? Do you like it? I wasn't sure if you liked purple, and if you don't like it we can go buy you a new one," Laura awaited Erika's response excitedly. Erika had to think of a reply before responding.
"Yes, I like it a lot. And I like purple, so don't worry about it," she gave Laura a smile, which Laura returned.
"So I was thinking tomorrow after we go shopping we should meet my friends at the mall so that you meet some people. Sound good?" Laura was bouncing on the bed with excitement.
Erika nodded, "I'd like that a lot, thank you so much for thinking of me," Laura squealed and jumped off the bed. She gave Erika a hug and when she pulled away she had her hands on Erika's shoulders still.
"This is going to be so much fun!" she beamed. Then she dropped her arms and looked at Erika's bags on the floor. "Well I'll leave you to unpack. Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes—Abel's already on it—but if you don't want to come up I'll totally understand too," Laura waited to Erika's response, and something about her anticipation made Erika realize that she couldn't refuse such a nice girl.
"Dinner sounds great, I'll be up as soon as I'm done," Erika assured sure.
"Great! If you need anything, just let me know," Laura was already almost out the door by now, and when she was out the door she closed it behind her. Erika could hear her bounding up the stairs even from the basement.
Erika took a look around her new room and saw a wardrobe in the corner and a chest of drawers to put her clothes in. On the chest of drawers there was a TV and a TV guide, Laura and Abel had really thought of everything when they decided to host her. Erika sauntered over to her bags and opened a pouch with purpose. She pulled out a picture frame and set it on her book shelf next to her bed. She gazed upon the picture for a moment nostalgically before deciding to return to the rest of her bags, so that she wouldn't have to unpack later.
She was nervous about making friends, and she was nervous about her new home. She knew that the culture was totally different than that of what she was used to, and she didn't know what to expect.
She unpacked her laptop and her cellphone and charger next and then continued to unpack the rest of her belongings.
Maybe not an entertaining start to the story… But this is how it is when you first come to a host family's home I'll post a second chapter along with the first chapter so please don't let this turn you off to the story! And as some of you may know, I'm a sucker for crack pairings! 3 just a heads up but some Hetalia character's personalities just flow so well together… Can't help it.