Author's notes: Finally! Here is the USUK brotherly story I promised, Somebody Is Waiting For Us It has been a long time coming as life got in the way of things, including my wedding earlier this month :) This was partly inspired by Disney movie The Rescuers and hence the song title of the same name. I hope that this is worth the wait! Please enjoy the first chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia by Hidekaz Himaruya. I only own the overall plot and the main following OCs: Mother Serenity, Sister Francine, Sister Diane, Janet and Auntie Rosie.
Other notes: contains brotherly grouping with Canada, America and England but also contains USUK as main brotherly pairing. Human AU setting and takes place before Good Birthday Company and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. May contain OOC depending on interpretation.
Somebody Is Waiting For You
Chapter 1: The Orphaned Little Boy
"Stop pestering us, Arthur! We don't want you to play pirates with us!"
"You're too little to play big kids games with us!"
"Go away and play with your stupid imaginary friends!"
Big brothers...why won't you let me play with you? It looks like like fun and my friends aren't imaginary or stupid...they're real! Why can't you see that Unicorn and Brownie are beside me? They want to join in too! Don't turn away...don't leave me here!
"Please stop bothering me, Arthur! I'm trying to work! Stop knocking on my door and leave me alone!"
Daddy...I just want to talk to you what I did today...I've read two whole storybooks all by myself and I've written my very own story like these people do...it's about me having an treasure hunt with all my fairy friends and sharing it with you...I thought you might like it...why are you so angry all the time? Please open the door...why are you not answering?
"Stop coming into the kitchen when I'm busy cooking, Arthur! Oh my God! You are filthy and throw away those nasty weeds right now! Wait there, you're getting a bath. No dinner for you tonight for such a naughty boy!"
Mummy...I didn't mean to make you upset...but these yellow flowers are too pretty to throw away. I thought they will look good in the kitchen...please stop scrubbing so hard...it hurts...
"I told you countless times, Marie, Arthur is a mistake! You should have gone and get rid of him ages ago when I suggested that you have an abortion! We already got three boys and now I got another bloody mouth to feed!"
"Well Mr. Malcolm Kirkland, that's because we didn't use protection! I told you to use it but you said no, so it's your fault! You should force more discipline onto that kid! He is incessant and whiny, keeps on wanting to show me something when I want him somewhere else!"
"It's your job to raise the kids! You're the one who's supposed to keep him away while I'm working!"
"And another thing! I hate coming here to America and why in New York in all places?! We were fine back in England! You ruined everything!"
"I have no choice, do I? It's the only way to keep this family going! To have a room over our heads, to have food on the table and to keep the kids in school! So don't just blame me for everything when you haven't put in any weight to this household!"
Mummy...Daddy...stop fighting...and why are you saying such bad things? Why does my heart hurt? Why are my eyes hurting and filled with water? Unicorn...Brownie...please don't leave me...thank you for your hugs...
"Arthur is a scaredy cat! What a wimp!"
"He's so useless for not being able to swim!"
"Come on, let's be good brothers and 'teach' him!"
No please, big brothers! I want to finish my sandcastle for my fairies! I don't want to go! The water is too big! The water is too scary! It's so cold! Don't put me there! I don't want to go there! I DON'T WANT TO GO! HELP ME! MUMMY! DADDY!
"I told you to watch over your little brother, not drown him, Alistor! That's it, you and your brothers are grounded for an entire week!"
"It's not our bloody fault that Arthur is such a weakling! He's such a baby!"
"Yeah! I wish he wasn't our brother at all!"
"The beach was boring anyway..."
"Will you all just be quiet so that I can navigate out of the highway?! Honestly! One more peep out of you and I will snap!"
Please stop...stop...stop...no more fighting...no more shouting. I don't like the loud noises...why are the lights in front of Mummy and Daddy...Daddy...Mummy, turn around!
The lights are getting brighter!
...
...
My head hurts...my arms hurt...my legs hurt...
Mummy!
Daddy!
Big brothers!
Why aren't you moving?
Why is there red water all around you?
Why aren't you waking up?
Wake up...
Wake up.
Wake up!
WAKE UP!
"May God bless you with sweet dreams, my child..."
Mother Serenity whispered softly as she stroked the child's strawberry blonde hair with a gentle smile on her wise face. She dimmed the tiny bedside lamp to the lowest setting and carefully made her way to the door whereupon she quietly slipped out and closed it behind her. Looking down the corridor, she saw that she had one more child to bless their dreams. It had been her nightly ritual to check up on the children in her care to ensure they had a good night's sleep and it always warmed her heart to see them sleeping peacefully like angels. The other nuns had retired for the night but it was nice to have a piece of quiet solitude. She sincerely hoped that these children who were so sweet and special in their own unique ways would go to wonderful and loving families who could give them the bountiful life they deserved.
But her tender reminiscing was cut as she approached the final door because she heard soft cries coming from within. Her face turned sad, recognizing the hiccuping sobs. She gently tapped the door and the sobs slowly progressed to whimpers.
"Arthur dear? May I come in?"
Taking the silence as a sign of consent, Mother Serenity opened the door and was greeted by a pitiful sight of a little boy with messy blonde hair and tearful green eyes on his wet face. His thick eyebrows were furrowed and his lips were pursed in an effort not to cry out loud. He was clutching a white stuffed rabbit in his arms...ah yes, it was her gift to welcome him into the children's home. Some of the generous church patrons had donated some durable stuffed toys to the home and the head nun found it a worthwhile cause to give them to the new children as gifts to help them settle. The little boy had named the bunny Mr. Fluffles and it stayed with him ever since.
Mother Serenity felt that there was something special about little Arthur Kirkland the moment he stepped into her office to become a resident in the children's home. Janet, his social worker had been accompanying him to help him settle in. It was adorable to see him hiding shyly behind her legs and when she gave him the white rabbit, she was awed at how careful and tender he was towards it. During the time she came to know him and celebrated his fourth birthday, she saw the hints of sensitivity and kindness under his gruff exterior and the sparkle in his eyes practically screamed creativity and imagination. The head nun had initially thought that he came from a loving family that were the victims of a horrific car crash in which he was the sole survivor. Yet the neighbors, police testimonies and the case file compiled by Janet distorted the idyllic vision and broke her heart. She couldn't imagine why the family who brought him into this world wouldn't love this little boy before her...and having survived a horrific crash with no family...it was unimaginable for his three year old self...
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Mother Serenity...I couldn't go back to sleep..." Arthur said as he looked down in shame.
"Oh my child...there's nothing to apologise when something ails you deeply and hurt your heart," Mother Serenity whispered, approaching the bed and sat down slowly. She kept a near yet respectable distance, knowing how skittish he was at times and tilted his chin. Indeed there was a deep haunting sadness swimming in those large green eyes, "Arthur, did you have a nightmare about your family?"
Arthur nodded with a soft hum. The fresh tears he held back finally spilled over his cheeks. Mother Serenity held out her arms open in invitation, silently imploring her charge to come to her. After much hesitation, the little boy crawled over to her and clutched onto her robes. He sniffled and sobbed, finally releasing the pent up cries.
"Hush...let your pain and sorrow go, Arthur..." Mother Serenity soothed the child as she rocked him back and forth.
"They didn't want me to be here...my brothers wouldn't play with me...Daddy seemed busy all the time...and Mummy...I always made her mad..." Arthur cried as the memories of the nightmare returned in full force, "What have I done to make them not like me? I must have done something wrong...I could've saved them! It's all my fault they're not here!"
Mother Serenity's heart ached upon hearing those words. It hurt even more that Arthur really and truly believed in what he said and came to hate himself for being a survivor...no child should experience such trauma and yet Arthur was the unfortunate victim. The head nun said nothing else, knowing that her words of comfort would be interpreted as empty promises to the little boy's anguished state. Instead, she decided it was best to wait until morning to give him gentle counsel and to check his well-being. The nightmares of his past often shook the boy to the core. Sad as they were, they were vivid reminders of the family he once had, other than the sparingly few photographs and the newspaper clipping of the accident he had in his possession. Mother Serenity continued to rock Arthur and hummed a lullaby to soothe his mind until he eventually fell back asleep.
Mother Serenity sighed as she finally returned to her modest bedroom after blessing Arthur's dreams and tucked Mr. Fluffles back into his arm. Tired as she was, she wasn't ready to sleep. Arthur's tears were still fresh on her mind and it briefly made her recollect on the several unsuccessful adoption appointments Arthur had since his arrival in the home. Even though the prospect families were lovely to the little boy, they felt slightly uncomfortable by his exceedingly polite manners and his neutral frowns, which unfortunately gave the misleading impression that Arthur was incapable of showing smiles and affection. Every meeting ended up with Arthur watching the family he met going home with a different child. The first family took in a little girl whose smile was as bright as sunshine and loved her new parents' cuddles. The second brought home a mischievous boy who loved baseball and connected well with his new dad. And the list continued, seemingly outlining every quality Arthur lacked to gain a new family, slowly reinforcing his belief that he was unwanted for who he was...
But Mother Serenity never gave up hope that there would be a family that could see past Arthur's silent and grumpy manner and give him a second chance for a wonderful childhood and receive the love and happiness he rightfully deserved...although he appeared indifferent to each rejected adoption in the presence of the very few friends he had among the children, Mother Serenity was the sole witness of the heartbreak marring the child's face whenever he was safe within the walls of his room watching new families leave from his window. She prayed that it would soon come to an end...making her think back on the latest applicant interested in Arthur.
The Jones family...they seemed to be like any other couple yet there was something charming and warm about them. They already had twin teenage boys but wanted another child in the family. Hopefully they would embrace Arthur for who he was and he in return would see there were others who did love and care for him. Their first visit was appointed this coming Sunday after late morning service. She would need to further read their application to see how they were like. Hopefully by then, her charge would be in better spirits...
Her head swam with better thoughts as she slipped into bed. Tomorrow she had much to do with her fellow nuns for a brand new day when the sun would bath her room in its golden glow...
To be continued...
Author's notes: I hope the first chapter has gotten you all interested in this new addition to my archives. There is more to come and I will aim to update it every week as a regular timeframe :) I welcome any positive constructive feedback and criticism. Kudos to you, my dears!
