A/N: oh my gosh how long has it been? ...

Don't answer that, you're going to make me curl up in a corner and cry.

I AM SOOOOO SORRY that this took so long, but my muse was so utterly utterly dead for this story, and I'll be honest it still kinda is. But I once said that if I started a story I would finish it. So here is the next installment of TDWLU, here for your reading pleasure. Enjoy~

Beta'd by Sora Resi

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"We don't have many clothes in your size, Arthur. So today we're going out to get you some," Gilbert stated. Arthur didn't move from his position on the table, but he slowly nodded.

"I suppose you want me to come." His voice was dry.

"That would be preferred," Francis said. Arthur glared at him.

"Fine."

Francis watched as the Brit slunk back to his room to fetch his inhaler. He looked like he'd barely gotten any sleep.

Rather than take the car out again, Francis decided it would be better for the three of them to walk to a nearby store, and then Arthur would at least be getting some exercise. The Brit made no comment about their chosen mode of transportation, but Francis could feel his eyes on him and Gilbert, cold and calculating.

He and Gilbert ended up walking in front together, with Arthur following behind, dragging his feet, but still moving along.

They could feel the weight of his stare the entire way to the store.

Once inside, Francis had to force himself not to constantly hover over the man. Sure, Arthur's previous living circumstances meant that Francis wanted to watch him like a hawk, two steps behind, but the man was likely to snap in his face if he did that.

Even though the only thing Francis wanted to do was just pull the overly skinny man into his lap and beg him to tell Francis everything that was wrong, those actions would be sorely unappreciated at this stage. Plus, Gilbert would throw a fit.

Francis left Arthur to his own devices and attempted to entertain himself by examining the stored collection of crappy plastic chairs. They were standard, but Francis got caught up in the twists and grooves in the plastic, and having something to do with his hands made him feel less like he needed to hover like an overprotective mother.

Gilbert too, had taken a stance within the store. He was standing, back against the wall so no one could sneak up on him, watching the rest of the people in the building as if they were a threat.

And maybe they were.

Francis had no idea what had happened to Arthur to change him so much. He really wanted to ask, but Arthur was so defensive. He wouldn't appreciate the prying. If Francis was going to get Arthur to trust him again, he couldn't just demand the answers he wanted.

He would have to be patient. Damn.

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Arthur had not expected to be left alone to do his own shopping.

He'd been grateful for the distance he'd been given in the walk to the store, as it had allowed him to put his head back on his shoulders and rationalise the happenings of the day, but once inside he assumed the two would be hovering over is shoulder, either to ensure that the clothes he wanted didn't clash with some bizarre idea of fashion sense, or to make sure the clothes he picked out were dirt cheap because neither Francis nor Gilbert wanted to spend money on him.

He could see the two of them from his place in the store, hovering unobtrusively, but still present, though Francis' staring was a bit obvious.

Even if it made Arthur angry, because he had no idea what kind of game the two of them were playing with him, he was grateful for their attempts at giving him space.

For a single blessed moment, he could live in the fantasy that they might actually care about him.

Oh sure, Arthur knew that entertaining such a fantasy was only going to make the reveal of the inevitable truth more painful, but he couldn't help it. It was so hard to live his day to day life without hope, it couldn't hurt to just indulge once could it?

Besides, once Gilbert and Francis kicked him to the dirt he'd be completely destroyed, and wouldn't have to worry about getting his hopes up ever again.

Therefore it was okay to pretend, just for a moment, that Francis and Gilbert truly did care for his wellbeing and were helping him out just because they wanted to.

And then the moment was over, and Arthur had other things he needed to do.

The clothes he ended up choosing were muted greens, blues, and browns; things that wouldn't stand out in a crowd. They were loose and hung a bit weirdly, but they covered the fact that Arthur could easily count each of his ribs in the changing room mirror, and they made him feel a lot more like himself than the borrowed clothes from Francis.

When he approached Francis with the small pile, the man in question flicked quickly through the price tags, and Arthur waited with baited breath for one of his choices to be disapproved, but nothing happened. Francis just nodded slowly, before taking the pile and heading to the register.

Arthur stood in a bit of a daze as Gilbert approached, taking the long way around a low shelf to avoid taking Arthur by surprise when he approached.

"Found everything you need?" Gilbert asked.

Arthur could only nod slowly.

"Is there anything else you want to do while we're out? Go to a coffee shop or a bookstore or something?"

Arthur shook his head. No, there was nothing he wanted.

He was more that fine with a sparse existence, and didn't want to take up anymore of Francis' or Gilbert's time. Gilbert gave him a strange look, but then shrugged.

"Alright," he said. "Okay."

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At the present moment, Gilbert wasn't really certain what to think of Arthur. He seemed a lot more… mellow than he had at the hospital, but Gilbert didn't know if this was a good or bad thing. It might mean that he was more comfortable in his current environment, or it might mean that he was waiting to explode later.

There really wasn't anything to do except wait until something happened. This was unpleasant, because if Arthur was going to be a danger to himself or anyone around him, Gilbert wanted to know so he could reduce any damage done to any party.

And if Arthur wasn't going to be a danger to anyone, then Gilbert wanted to give him the space he so obviously needed.

Without knowing what the more likely outcome was, it was hard to tailor his actions to best meet the requirements.

But no matter what Gilbert's actions were, it was obvious that Arthur needed space. He kept flinching away from contact, even from people who were not close to touching him, and Gilbert had been almost ready to punch someone after seeing Arthur's panicked face when a man brushed shoulders with him.

Gilbert watched as he inconvenienced himself more than once just to get out of other people's way. Not that this was a bad thing - he'd seen similar behaviour from Feliciano in certain circumstances - but it was so just not Arthur's normal behaviour.

He would almost say that Arthur was behaving like Canada, were it not for the dark glares he sent Francis any time the man sent him a worried look.

It was weird.

Arthur got even more irritated when he and Gilbert went over to stand in line beside Francis. He was constantly fidgeting, and tried to keep as much distance between him and the people around him.

Out of curiosities sake, Gilbert took a half step closer to Arthur.

The man just pursed his lips, but didn't move away from Gilbert.

Another half step.

Nothing.

The woman behind them leaned over to grab a package of gum and breached Arthur's "personal bubble". The man was a full foot away in an instant.

Huh.

Fascinating.

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A/N: Please don't hurt me?

Just send me a whole bunch of reviews that will motivate me to write more of this story.

Also, some self advertising here; I started a story called Tri Alliance which is an Avengers/Hetalia crossover. If that sounds like your cup of tea, go check it out.

Sorry for dropping off the world for so long.

Please review.

~RosemaryBagels