Hello all! This is a drabble that came to me when I was watching the weather report on Hurricane Sandy. I noticed on the Doppler radar that D.C. is right in the middle of the worst of the storm. Then I logged onto Facebook and what did I see? A pic of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Despite the storm, THE SOLDIERS GUARDING IT HAVE NOT LEFT THEIR POST. Instant respect, I kid you not. God bless them.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.
Charlie grumbled about idiotic stepbrothers under his breath as he trekked through Arlington National Cemetery. Honestly, what was the git thinking? After he'd been gone for two hours Charlie had started getting exasperated, which peaked when he saw the umbrella still in the stand at the house. Now, only sheer stubbornness and experience kept the wind from ripping his own umbrella from his hands. He'd gone looking all over Washington D.C. for its personification, and was just ready to get back in the house owned by his stepfather with a fire and some hot chocolate, but he wasn't going back without his moronic stepbrother.
Finally, he spotted the familiar, wild blond hair that not even the pouring rain could flatten. Increasing his pace, he was soon level with his stepbrother and ready to give him an earful. "George Washington Jones, what the bloody hell do you think you're doing-"
"Shh." G.W. cut him off, his blue eyes not even looking at him. Enraged, Charlie opened his mouth to snap at him, only to fall silent when he followed his gaze.
A small distance away was the familiar white marble sarcophagus of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A single soldier very carefully paced in front of it with measured, careful steps, his dark uniform likely soaked through. As Charlie and G.W. watched, the man came to the end of the strip, and, with deliberate, precise movements, turned and switched his rifle to his other hand before starting the march again. Instantly understanding, Charlie sighed. "At least come under the umbrella, Git."
"I can't." G.W. responded, "I know it's stupid, coming out like this in a hurricane, but there's no way I can leave these guys to stand in the rain alone, at least for a little while. No matter what, they are always guarding the Tomb, and I can't think of any other way to say thank you. Dad and I take turns in weather like this: we'll both take one shift, standing with about the same protection as them, for a few hours. I've caught more than one cold this way, but I'm not stopping this anytime soon. So I'm not leaving until Dad shows up for his turn."
The American fell silent, and Charlie contemplated him for a moment. Sighing again, he slowly lowered his umbrella, closing it with some struggle. It was useless anyway.
The silent vigil continued, and the soldier marched on, unaware of the blue and green eyes keeping watch on him while he did his duty.
Done. Everyone, please keep these amazing people in your thoughts and prayers (if you pray) during this storm, along with the safety of those on the East Coast of the US.