Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. Do I even have to put this anymore? Oh, and guess who learned how to put in horizontal lines?
She was going home! Between the excitement of seeing her friends again and running around to see everything she wanted to one last time, Evelyn's last week in London flew by. She had tried to get Arthur to come out and run around with her, but he had a bunch of emergency calls from work and was always gone at crazy hours.
The American girl sighed to herself as she pulled the warm cookies from Arthur's abused oven. She wasn't sure if Arthur performed voodoo rituals in it or had had an unwanted furry visitor invade and Arthur caught him in the stove and cooked him? That was just gross and she rather regretted thinking it. Though it had been true she had to have the oven self clean itself before she could even think about baking in it.
She placed the cookies on a plate and shoved them on the table; someplace the Brit wouldn't see initially but would find by the end of the day. It was a small gesture of her appreciation of what Arthur had done for her. And at least the poor man would have something edible in his home that was homemade and not takeout.
"Evelyn, Evelyn? We need to leave if you're going to make it through customs in time for your flight."
"Don't worry, Artie! I already put all my luggage in your car." Evelyn answered coming around the hall to meet Arthur.
"Yes, well then," He pulled at his sleeve anxiously. "Shall we be on our way?"
"What's the hurry? I'm already packed! I have like," she looked at her bare wrist. "Five minutes." Arthur gave her a blank look.
"We would be safer to leave earlier."
"But, but...just go start the car or something, yeah, let it warm up! It's bad to start a car in the winter and just go without letting it warm up."
"It's not winter nor is it cold enough for that to be necessary." He went to move around her only to have her step in his way. "Evelyn, what did you do to my kitchen?" His tone dropped into the parental warning, the one all children know and learn to fear.
"Pleasepleaseplease! Just five minutes and it will be clean."
"If we're late it's your fault."
"Don't worry, a hero's never late and I'm a hero!" Arthur's face contorted and he abruptly left. I'm the hero? Real smooth Evelyn real smooth. Evelyn mumbled mentally to herself as she turned back to the kitchen.
Arthur gritted his teeth. It was the end of the week and he had promised to take Evelyn to the airport. He really wished he could take it back. He should have only promised transportation to the airport and not that he would take her. That way he could say goodbye to her in the safety of his home, let the taxi take her away then drink himself into oblivion.
He was rather proud of himself for his control this week. He hadn't touched a drop of alcohol since the night he had decided to give her the passport. Of course he wasn't going to think about that evening. He had woken up in the attic curled up in a crate full of old newspaper clippings. From the taste in his mouth and the conditions of the clippings he wasn't sure if he had torn them up in a fit of rage or had eaten them in a fit of drunken hunger.
"Evelyn, Evelyn? We need to leave if you're going to make it through customs in time for your flight." He called out to her. He would be a gentlemen, take her to the airport, bawl like a child while waiting in the cell phone lot to see her plane take off, bury himself in paper work then drink himself to sleep. It sounded like a plan. He was rather proud of this plan.
He was not proud of the girl who minutes before they needed to be leaving had destroyed his kitchen. He was ready to give her a piece of his mind when the words fell from her lips.
"Don't worry, a hero's never late and I'm a hero!" He blanched. He panicked. He fled.
Arthur slammed the door of his tea room leaning his back against the door as he slid down it. Focus Arthur, he told himself. He couldn't lose it know.
He dove for the bookcase on the far side of the room. He scrambled to his feet grabbing the bottle of whiskey hidden behind a stack of books. He hid it from his siblings but it certainly didn't help his alcohol problem. Uncorking the bottle, he held it up only to pause. He was a gentleman and gentlemen kept their promises. He promised to take Evelyn to the airport. Drinking and driving was bad. He put the bottle down slumping to the floor again.
What was he going to do? He was losing his America again. He was losing someone he cared for and for once he was sending them away. Stiff upper lip, he could do this.
"Artie! Artie, I'm done let's go!"
"Coming!" He called out making his way out of the room to meet Evelyn, the bottle left forgotten and uncorked on the floor. Alcohol could wait, wallowing could wait; Evelyn was what mattered now.
Arthur had followed through rather well on his plan. He had bawled a little longer than he had originally planned staying in the cell phone lot after the plane wasn't visible in the sky. He was currently in the bury yourself in work part of the plan.
"Ah, England, so glad I found you. I've been trying your mobile for the last hour."
"Prime Minister," the nation said in some surprise. He glanced at the clock which read half past one; he had completely missed his lunch break. England checked his pocket for his phone irritated when he couldn't find it. "My apologies sir, but it appears I left my phone at home." It was easier to get lost in work when you didn't have interruptions of annoying frogs.
"No worries old chap. I haven't seen you work like this since before your American guest arrived. How is she doing?"
"She went home this morning," England replied. It was all for the best really; he did not doubt his choice in the slightest.
"I see. Well, while I'm here, I wanted to talk to you about the current financial situation." Internally, Arthur rolled his eyes.
That discussion had taken up the rest of the day. Arthur returned home just as the sun was setting over his capitol. He found his mobile resting on the kitchen table a green light on the top alerting him to missed calls.
There were five in total. Two were from the Prime Minister which he had been expecting, but the other three were a surprise. One was an unknown number, but the others were from the phone he had given Evelyn.
He deleted the messages from his boss without listening to them and then checked the ones from Evelyn. He honestly hadn't expected to hear from her once she set foot in America again. After all, as far as she knew, their relationship had been one of necessity: she needed a place to stay and he had the means to provide what she needed. He had done his duty and sent her back into the world. Arthur meandered into his kitchen grabbing a highball glass and the scotch. He felt like scotch tonight. He would start on the cheap stuff once he was drunk.
There was the noise of a crowd in the background and an announcement over an intercom system. Evelyn cursed at her luggage before her message actually began. "Hey Artie. You're probably busy with work or something. I'm in New York right now; I just got my luggage and I have to go catch the flight to D.C. Aw crap, I'm gonna be late! Bye Artie!"
The message ended and a computerized voice prompted him to save or delete it before moving to the next. He deleted it setting his empty glass on the corner and recapping the scotch. The next message began.
Crowd noises similar to the previous message preceded this one. "It's me again. I'm in D.C. and waiting for Jess to come pick me up. Thanks for the ticket again Artie. I'm not flying anything below business class again. Oh, here comes my ride. Later!"
He deleted that message as well abandoning the alcohol to put the kettle on the stove for tea instead. He moved onto the last message.
"Heya, me again. I'm home and I found my phone so I figured I'd give you a call so you'd have this number too. I can actually text using this one. Do you even know how to text? You should really get an e-mail address too. Anyways, I'm back safe and I guess it's getting pretty late over there so night Artie!"
Arthur's finger hovered for a minute over the key to delete the message before saving it. He smiled at the air for a second before grumbling to Flying Mint Bunny at being called an old man once again. He turned back around only to see the fairies happily dancing around the edge of a tea cup they must have moved from the cupboard. The scotch and high ball glass were gone as well.
He continued to talk to Mint Bunny going on about how he actually did have an e-mail address, but it was only used for business. He didn't own an actual computer because Japan had taught him how to access it on his smart phone and why buy two devices when one would do the job?
He studied the new number displayed on his phone contemplating his next action.
"You're going to save it, right?" Min Bunny's chime like voice spoke up.
"Save it! Save it!" came the choruses of little voices as the fairies circled him and danced through the air
Just in case, he thought saving the new number under Evelyn's name. He fell into a peaceful sleep that night after watching TV with the fairies and Mint Bunny. Mint Bunny snuggled into Arthur's unused pillow proud of the former empire for not taking to the bottle in over a week.
A/N:First off, oh my god! I have over a hundred reviews! (does happy dance) Cookies for everyone! The sad part is, I didn't even realize it until my beta pointed it out to me and then I was so excited I had to tell everyone. Y'all are just amazing!
Thank you to my beta. She helps keep Artie in character and expands scenes when I have trouble.
Has anyone read the story I'm co-writing with my beta Keep Calm and Carry a Nerf Gun? It has a spoiler for this story in it, but I think it's one people will like.
Reviews are loved!