Hetalia Oneshots

England X Reader: The Bench

One day, Arthur came to the bench. She usually arrived 5 minutes after he did and he was planning to ask her to go out with him. He was excited, as he hadn't felt this happy with a woman in a while. He sat there, opening his lunch. And then he waited. He waited for a long time.

She didn't come.

He dismissed the incidence as an emergency day off, but she didn't come for the next few days. He became worried. What had happened to her? Was she alright? Had he said something to offend her? He couldn't pinpoint any part of their conversation that he should be worried about. Through their conversations, he learned where she worked. If she didn't show up the next day, then he would have to take drastic measures. She could be in trouble for all he knew.

So he came back the next day. He had his lunch and the same outfit that he had on when he first met (Y/N). He came to the bench, and he stopped. There was a woman on the bench with (h/c) hair. She looked like (Y/N) but she wasn't the same. She had boots instead of sneakers and she had longer hair. Most importantly, she wasn't wearing a green sweater. Instead, she held one in her hands, holding it close to her chest.

Arthur stood there, wondering what to say when the woman saw him. She looked him up and down, looked back at the sweater, and then, back towards his eyes. "You're the man on the bench with the emerald eyes. Arthur, right?" She stood up and extended her arm "My name is (m/n) and I'm (Y/N)'s mother." He took her hand, glanced at the sweater and asked: "Where is (Y/N)?"

"You might want to sit down." She said as they made their way towards the bench. "(Y/N) was a bright and beautiful girl. She would make people laugh and knew when to give advice to people when they needed it. Even I have used some of her advice. However, in her childhood, she developed Leukemia. We didn't have much money to start with, but as a single mom with only one child, I wanted to help her and pay for the treatment somehow. However, she was stubborn. She didn't want treatment. She didn't want a heart monitor. He said that without treatment, she would only survive a couple of months.

She was never reckless. I asked her what she wanted to do for the last few months and she told me 'I want to go to work mom. I want to be normal. Please. Let's pretend I'm okay.' And that's what she did. She made her own lunch and went to work every day. I tried to buy things for her, but she said that she knew I needed to money and to not spend it on her," she almost broke down crying, "She was so selfless, at times too selfless. But she never wanted anyone to pity her. She wanted to be independent. A few weeks ago she came home and she started to talk about this man, 'The man on the bench with the emerald green eyes' and how he was 'the man that always changes'. She would tell me all about him, how she was captivated by him.

Honestly, she didn't trust you at first. She thought you stuck around for pity or to pass the time, but the more time she spent with you...

When she was at her final moments, she told me she wanted me to find you. To welcome you and to treat you as if you were my son. She also told me to give you her sweater and this letter to remember her by," she handed both to him. "Here, this is my number. If you're ever in trouble let me know. I'd do anything for my daughter and if that means helping the one person she loved, I would do it in a heartbeat," she said with a sad smile. She got up and left.

He sat there, deep in thoughts. He needed the day off for this. The woman that he loved just passed away and now he's been given a letter from her. He called his boss and got the rest of the day off. He sat there, his lunch still there, as he stared at the envelope. Finally, calming himself down, he opened the envelope and unfolded the letter.

Hey Arthur,

I'm guessing you know my true story now, huh? Honestly, I'm not sorry. I'm glad I didn't tell you about my leukemia. Because you were the first person to ever talk to me like I was normal. I was a human being, not a broken robot beyond repair. We shared stories, we had laughs and every experience I had with you made me feel like I was worth something. Of course, I could've asked you for money. I could've had you pay for my operations and therapy. But you gave me so much more than that. You gave me love. You gave me appreciation. You gave me happiness. I thought I would always stay the same and you were going to always be the man on the bench that always changes. And yet, you changed me. You changed me into a better person and I needed that more than you know. I love you, Arthur. But don't get too hung up on me or anything. I want you to find someone, move on and live your life. You have so much to live for. Don't give up on yourself, just like you hadn't on me.

From,

The Girl That Finally Changed

Many years later, after he got married and had two children, he came back. Back to the same park, with the same bench. (Y/N)'s mother had long passed away by then, but she died happy, glad to be able to see her daughter once again.

He sat down, at precisely 12:10, with his lunch. He took out a sandwich, a piece of fruit, and a bottle of water. He sat there eating is lunch, in the same spot she used to be. He sat there, with his thoughts, smiling to himself. Of course, he wouldn't forget her, as she had changed his life. As he looked up watching his children play, his husband came up to him.

"Tout va bien pour vous? Are you okay, mon amour?" Francis came up to him and sat beside him. He had heard of the woman, the woman that never changed. It was the first time he came with Arthur to see the famous bench from his stories.

Arthur sighed looking down. He shut his eyes for a moment, collecting his thoughts. He then opened up and looked at his husband. "Yes, I'm alright."

Francis wrapped his arm around Arthur, and Arthur, in turn, rested his head on Francis' shoulder, as he saw their future in joy, knowing his beautiful angel was watching over him in the heavens, supporting him.