Where Thou Art, That Is Home (Hetalia Fanfic, Part 2)

Chapter 139~!

"I'm gonna swim again!" Serenity called as she got her dry swimsuit down from where she'd hung it up in the bathroom the night before.

"Christian, why don't you invite Aila to go with you?" I asked my son, who looked up at me from his book.

"Uh, sure. Mom, what was the number of her room?" he called out.

"232, I think!" Joy answered from the little mini kitchen around the corner.

"Okay, thank you," he replied, sliding to his feet and padding to the door. He picked up one of the room keys sitting on the table by the door and left easily, stepping out into the hallway.

I watched him walk away before the door closed behind him.

'She really is a nice girl' I thought, sipping my tea nonchalantly. 'I just hope he doesn't toss things all around because he can't control his mouth sometimes.'

Christian's POV~

I knocked on the door of the room numbered 232 and stepped back out of politeness. When it opened, Aila was standing there in a T-shirt and jeans, looking a little curious as to why I was there.

"Hi, Chris. What's up?" she asked with a smile.

I had to clear my throat before I could answer. "We-- Serenity and I, I mean --were going to go swimming in the pool downstairs. Did you want to come with us?"

It was practically nighttime by then, so it was unlikely that she would be busy with anything at that hour. And after all, it would hopefully be fun.

"U-Uh, let me ask my mo-- Ah!" she yelped when her mom appeared behind her.

"Haha! Sorry to startle you. Hello, Chris! I overheard you asking her to go swimming with Aila?" she asked, and I nodded.

"Yes, Mrs. Saunders. Is it alright?"

"As long as you return her before midnight, young man!" Mrs. Saunders laughed, and Aila was too flustered to "scold" her at all.

"S-Sure, I will," I answered, though I wasn't really sure what was going on anymore. At least Aila had gotten permission to come swimming with us.

"Should I meet you down there?" I asked Aila, who nodded, still redder than when she'd first opened the door.

"Y-Yeah, that'll work. See you there." She waved goodbye to me and shut the door while I walked back toward my own room.

~

Serenity gasped with delight when the door to the pool opened a little while later. "Hi, Aila!"

She stepped out into the room, her two-piece swim suit looking oddly... Canadian. I knew what their flag looked like, so I recognized it right away.

"That's such a patriotic suit, eh?" I joked from where I sat with just my legs in the water.

"I don't think you're allowed to use that word if you're not Canadian," she retorted in a mock British accent.

"Whoa, we're getting sassy now, eh?" I shot back.

Her response was to push me into the pool with her foot.

I resurfaced and wiped chlorinated water from my eyes and nose. "So that's how it's going to be."

"It is indeed, sir," she replied with her normal voice. She'd wisely taken a few steps back from the edge of the pool.

"I think you need to get in the water so we can fight fairly," I suggested, unable to help the devious little grin I had on my face.

"I don't think I trust that look on your face, though," Aila stated, also grinning. She kicked off her sandals and set her towel down on a table against the wall before she cannon-balled into the pool, sending up a wave that made Serenity laugh.