Nordics X Child!Reader

Many times in his life had Berwald been down this street. Visiting one of his closest friends, Tino, was just part of his daily routine. Today, however, would be one of the few that differed from the rest. Opening up his umbrella as the weather decided to change, just like he knew it would, he began his walk down the now soaking wet sidewalk.

Just as he expected, no one was out because of the rain. No group of boys chasing each other in a game of tag, no mothers watching their children playing at the park, not even a couple sucking face on the bench. The streets were completely barren, save for Berwald. Or so he thought.

For a few minuets now, Berwald thought he heard the tiny voice of someone. A child's voice. He would stop his tread and look around but still no one was out. This continued on until he was just three houses away from Tino's and the voice was much easier to hear.

Berwald once again stopped walking and looked around until he found where the voice was coming from. Directly in front of Tino's house was a tiny figure crouching in front of his gate, almost hidden by the unkempt hedge that surrounded the house. Said figure was obviously a child, but what was a child doing out in the rain and, not to mention, underdressed? From what he could tell, the child was a little girl wearing what was once a white as snow dress that dropped down to her ankles and sleeves that stopped at her wrists. She was bare foot and from the looks of it the dress was thin.

Another thought that came to mind was: what was she doing in front of Tino's house? Also, where were her parents? Surely they must be worried.

She seemed to be poking at something threw the opening of the bars. In addition to her mumbled speech Berwald was able to pick up some giggles as well as a soft yip. That last one was from a dog though which must have meant that she was playing with Hana.

A harsh breeze flew by almost taking the umbrella away from Berwald's grip, and also reminding him that the little girl must be freezing. He continued to approach her and stopped just short of a few feet away from her and the gate.

The little girl glanced up at Berwald once her ears caught the sound of his boots threw the pelting downpour. For a moment their eyes were locked with one another and, as per usual, Berwald expected the small girl to scream or at least back away from him in fear. He seemed to have that effect on people, which grew old quickly, but was something he had learned to live with. However, the small girl in front of him didn't seem the least bit phased by him nor his intimidating physique. He couldn't see a single ounce of fear in her big 'ole (e/c) eyes. He was about to ask her what she was doing out all by herself, but the little girls attention was drawn back to Hana as the white little pup barked happily in recognition of Berwald.

"Doggy! Tee hee!"

Her voice was so soft and sweet it almost made the tall Swedish man smile. Almost. He kneeled down to be as close to her height as possible and adjusted his umbrella so that they were both protected from the rain (even though she was already soaked).

"Where are your parents." He asked, drawing her attention back to him again.

"Dawdaw?" Was the answer Berwald received. He wasn't sure what it meant but he pressed on anyways.

"Are you lost." It didn't sound like he was asking (more like stating) but he was sure the point got across.

The little girls head tilted slightly and again she responded with the unclear answer of, "Fae?"

Maybe she couldn't understand him? She didn't look like she was from around here. If that was the case it would explain her odd choice in clothes but it still didn't explain why she was out in the rain by herself.

"Eyes!!!" She exclaimed. Her eyes seemed to light up as she stood up and pointed her small finger at Berwald's face and then began reaching for him. Her tiny hands making a grabbing motion at something. She reached up to him and, although he was still crouching, it took all she had to reach for whatever it was she was aiming for. Try as she might with tip toeing and jumping her minuscule body could only barely reach his chin.

Unsure of what she wanted, Berwald decided to lean forward far enough so that he could be eye level with the little girl. At last she could finally pull his glasses from his face! Even though she was just a fuzzy image now Berwald could see a toothy smile grow on her lips as she examined the strange thingamajig. Tiny giggles and inaudible speech flowed endlessly from her mouth. It almost sounded like she was trying to figure out what glasses were.

Berwald couldn't figure this little girl out. She didn't seem frightened by anything (so far) and she was so carefree. Easily trusting too which could be dangerous should the wrong kind of person come around. However, I guess you could say these sort if things are typical of young children. Luckily, he was the first to find her.

Another thought that came to mind was the way she talked. He defiantly couldn't understand it but there were certain words he could pick out. This meant she did speak some sort of language to an extent. It sounded kinda familiar but whatever it was Berwald couldn't make it out. Perhaps Tino could?

A second harsh wind blasted by bringing him out of his thoughts and almost knocked him over. Thankfully he didn't fall and also managed to shield the little girl who seemed unfazed by the cold weather. Regardless if she was cold or not she would get sick if she stayed outside. Berwald wasn't completely comfortable just taking her inside but he wasn't about to send her off on her own either.

Despite his obscured vision, Berwald reached out for the little girl and scooped her up into his free arm. Once again he expected some sort of negative reaction out of her, but none came. Berwald passed it off and assumed that she was just to deep in thought as she continued to play with and examine his glasses.

Berwald continued to maneuver her so that she was sitting securely in the crook of his elbow and passed the umbrella to the same hand that was holding her. With his now empty hand he reached for that gate and pushed it open while being mindful of Hana. The little pup seemed to notice the tall Swedes lack of clear vision. She whimpered as he took shaky, unsure steps and decided to run ahead of him and scratch and bark at the front door.

Tino was relaxing on his couch, drinking some tea and reading the paper, when he heard Hana making noise at his front door. "Hana? Do you want in?" He called to her. He set his tea down and put his paper aside as he stood up and stretched until he heard his back cracking. He glanced at the clock and saw it was about noon and thought it odd that Berwald wasn't there yet. Maybe he was busy and would stop by later.

Hana's scratching and barking continued. "Silly girl," Tino sighed but chuckled, "you know where your door is." He didn't mind letting her in the front door but normally she would prefer using her own. He walked over to the door and gasped when he opened it.

"Ber?!" The sight was a bit odd and shocking to the shorter male. His big and burly friend was cautiously baby stepping towards his porch because his glasses were missing from their usual spot on his face. In one arm, he was balancing an unfamiliar little girl, who was holding Berwald's glasses captive for the time being, and in the other he was trying to keep his umbrella from flying away as well as trying and keep them both from being anymore soaked.

"Hang on, I'm coming to help you!" Tino didn't bother grabbing anything before running to assist his friend. He grabs a hold of the arm that is carrying the little girl, and guides Berwald at a faster pace back to his porch. "Easy does it," Tino says as they come to the steps. Taking it on one step at a time, Tino leads Berwald threw the door and shuts it after he and Hana are both inside.

"Good girl, Hana!" Tino reached down and gave the little white puffball a quick scratch behind her ear after seeing Berwald safely to the couch. He made a mental note to give Hana a treat later. Who knows how long Berwald would have been out there if she hadn't come scratching at the door for help.

Tino stood up straight and looked back to his tall Swedish friend. He once again took notice of the little girl being supported by Berwald's strong arms. The little girl was no longer interested in Berwald's glasses, but her new and strange surrounding instead. Her grip was loose and Berwald easily slipped his spectacles from out of her hand without her paying much attention. Thank God there where no scratches on the lenses! A few smudges, but still, better than scratches.

The little girls hands clutched tightly onto Berwalds coat. Her eyes were wide with wonder and astonishment as she took in every last detail of Tinos home. It was almost like she's never seen the inside of a house before.

"Ber, where did you find this little girl? Is she lost or something?" The tiny girls eyes flickered to Tino, and, for a moment, the two just stared at one another. The room quickly became uncomfortably silent (mostly for Tino) and Tino was afraid he had said something he shouldn't have. Could she have understood him? He nervously fidgeted in her never blinking stare. He couldn't help the nervous twitch in his lips, forcing him to crack an uncertain smile.

"Fea-baa!" The little girl giggled at the brown-eyed males odd looking grin. Her squeals and cackling seemed to melt away the little tension that was in the room and helped Tinos odd looking grin shift into to a genuine smile.

"She was playing outside your gate," was Berwalds abrupt answer. "No one was around so it's safe to say she is lost."

"Oh, the poor thing, but she's so brave, too! Just look at that big smile of hers." Tino giggled as the little girl tried to voice even more failed (but at the same time cute) attempts at speaking while releasing her tight grip on Berwalds coat. Her small-chubby hands reached out for him and made a grabbing motion. "Baanbaaa..."

Tino giggled again and picked her up out of Berwalds arms, immediately taking notice at how soaked she was. "Oh dear, your absolutely freezing little one!" And yet she seemed the least bit phase by it. "I'm going to run a hot bath for her. If you're feeling cold, Ber, there's some quilts in the hall closet. Make yourself something warm to drink while your at it!"

"Ah-choo!" The tiny girl sniffled, which urged Tino to make haste to the bath room. He sat her the side of the tub and turned on the water, checking to make sure it wasn't too hot for her. As the tub filled, the girls blackened feet began to kick the rising water, and splash about the forming bubbles. While she was preoccupied, Tino began to unbutton the back of her dress and slip it over her head.

"Funny," Tino thought aloud, examining the rain-drenched dress, "Emil had a gown similar to this when Lukas found him." Now that he thought about it, so did Alfred. As well as a whole lot of others he knew that were like him, including himself.

"Could you possibly be a--"

SPLASH!!!

Lost in his thoughts, Tino failed to notice the water level, and caught the end of a (hair color) blur cannon balling into the tub. Said blur emerged from the water, laughing her head off and wiping the soap from her face, ignoring the fact that she nearly gave Tino a heart attack.

Determining whether or not his suspicions were correct could wait. For now, Tino would just focus on getting this happy little girl clean and warm.