A/N: Hello, there. Congratulations to Ms. Mexico and of course, Ms. Maria Venus Raj.

Also, I hope you read the note at the end. Thanks.

R&R


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Chapter 11

The blonde was skimming through his checklist, he seemed happy for some reason. He looked up and at the sight of him, his lips curved into a timid smile. "Oh. Hello, there. Good morning, Yao," he greeted. His voice was soft, like usual.

The Chinese glanced at him and beamed. "Good morning, Matthew," he replied, a little dryly.

He noticed that Yao was alone. Out of curiosity, he asked, "where's Ivan?"

Of all things... Why ask about him, aru?

"Oh, Ivan? Well, you see, I'm expecting I'll be busy today, so I told him to stay at home," he croaked, voice low and hoarse.

"Oh. Okay..." The Canadian mumbled, shrugging. He watched him; then, a worried look sprawled itself across Matthew's face. "Hey... You look a bit pale. Are you alright?"

"What? Of course I'm fine, aru."

"But you don't look so good. Come here, let me see," he said, stretching out his hand, reaching for Yao's head-that gesture has been happening a lot lately. The nurse spread his hand on the psychologist's forehead. His brows furrowed. "You're warm, Yao. I'd say your fever's around thirty-nine degrees. Are you sure you should even be here?"

Everyone's saying the same thing.

"Matthew, honestly. I don't have a fever, okay? I'm fine," the guilty Chinese defended. "Your hands are just cold. That's all, aru."

"My hands are not cold," he protested. "I assure you, I've never been wrong with these kind of things. Plus, I'm a nurse. I should at least be able to tell whether someone's sick or not."

"Fine. Whatever. But even if I do have a fever, which I absolutely don't, it won't stop me from coming to work, aru. Believe me, I have a ton of things to do," Yao sighed. "Look, I appreciate you worrying, but I'm alright. Really." He glanced at Matthew. "Bye."

"Wait a second," he called. "I still think you have a fever. So, since you don't have time to rest or anything... Hold on," his hand delved into his pocket, then took out what appeared to be a tablet. "Mefenamic acid? Oh no, this isn't it," he whispered to himself. He put it back, and tried again. "Carbocistein? No, still not it. Now where is it...?" Yao stared at him as he groped around. He pulled something out again. "Ah. Here we go. Take this," he said as he gave him a capsule.

"What's this?" Yao asked, taking it and eyeing it curiously. He read the foil wrapper-Paracetamol.

"Medicine," Matthew said, although it was obvious. "To help cool down that fever of yours."

"Oh. Okay, aru. Thanks, I guess..."

"You're welcome. And to think you're sick... It'll be really ironic to be working in a hospital where the doctors themselves are sick," he giggled, smiling thoughtfully.

True.

"Right," Yao said, grimacing at the remark. "Bye and thanks again, aru."

"Bye," he replied, still smiling.

With a wave, the psychologist went on, putting away the capsule in his pocket. He hopped on the elevator and pressed the number 7 button, like he always does. While he waited, he leaned on the wall and stared at his reflection. Unconsciously, his brain started running around again.

I've only taken him to work for a couple of days, but... It seems like I've already spent a whole lifetime's worth of elevator rides with him, aru. He sighed. Now that I think about it, it feels kind of lonely without him here.

Ding

Seventh floor.

He tore himself away from his pondering, stepped out, and started for his office. As he walked down the august hallway, his phone rang. He took it, and glanced at the caller id. Seeing the name, he decided not to answer it, instead, he trotted faster. When he opened the door, as he expected, he saw his secretary on the phone. At the sight of him, the blonde Finn let out what sounded like a squeak.

"Yao! There you are!" He exclaimed. "I was all worried and-good morning."

The Chinese smiled. "Good morning, Tino."

"The director's secretary just called. He said the meeting ended early, so now... He's on his way here," he began. "I suggest you go on in and wait for him." He appeared uneasy at the idea of having the hospital's director-slash-owner paying them a visit.

"Sure. And Tino?"

"Yes?"

"Don't get all nervous, aru."

"What? Me? Nervous? No, I'm not," Tino tried.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever," he said, mildly wry.

With that, Yao trudged into his office, expectant of his visitor. The moment he stepped foot inside, he walked over to the windows and fixed the curtains so sunlight could come shining in. As he took a glimpse outside, a thought tapped him. He remembered Ivan had occupied himself with seeing out the window. Without him realizing it, he was missing the happy Russian already. He went back to his oak desk and slumped in his chair. He stared crossly at the pile of papers that lay waiting for him. Even though he always worked on them, his desk never seemed to run out of tedious paperwork. Heaving a heavy sigh, he took them and stacked them up neatly-his office had to look nice and clean. Thankfully, he managed to clear his desk considerably. Then, he leaned back in his chair and waited.

"Now, what could the director possibly want with me, aru?" He asked himself.

Just as he was about to flop down on his desk for a quick catnap, he heard a knock. This woke him up. He stood up and trod to the door. He prepared himself mentally as he took the knob. He swung it open and there, he found another familiar-looking blonde.

The blonde was Swiss, clad in a corporate suit; this was expected, since Tino already mentioned that he had to attend a brunch meeting with all the other board members. He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't indifferent, either. He just seemed... Serious.

Vash Zwingli.

He wasn't really popular for being a warm, people person, neither was he known for being mean or anything. It's just probably the intimidating air he always has around him, it's the way he talks, and the way he scowls all the time that people don't usually come right up and make friends with him. But, if there's one thing he's known for, it's his relationship with his sister-his precious little sister, Liechtenstein. Other than stocks and shares, she's the only thing he actually seems to care about. In fact, he could sometimes be too over-protective of her that people start thinking he's her father. And even though she's his adopted sister, he never fails to fulfill his obligations as her elder brother.

Vash Zwingli.

His stance, his aura, everything about him spelt respect and authority. This wasn't really surprising, considering the fact that he's quite a prominent man in the business world. He had solid a reputation; he has a few banks in America and in Europe, most of them in Switzerland, and a company that mass-produces high-end guns. Not to mention he owned the relatively new hospital where Yao works in, which opened just four years ago. He hesitated at first, on account of he knew nothing about the medical world, but to his luck, and with the help of a few business consultants, it turned out to be a successful venture. In a span of just a couple of years since its opening, it gained a well-respected image, having international doctors working there, not to mention there have been numerous articles in the newspaper praising the services there. People in and out of the state come swarming in the hospital to have themselves checked and cured.

He scrupled for a moment. He wore a discreetly awkward smile, then pushed through, "good morning, Mr. Zwingli."

"Good morning," he said curtly.

"Why don't you come in?" Yao offered, widening the entrance to let him in. The latter obliged, eyeing the room as he entered. "Please, have a seat, aru," he gestured to the chair in front of his desk. The Swiss did as he was told. Yao situated himself on his own chair behind his desk.

"Dr. Wang," he began.

"Please, Mr. Zwingli, call me Yao, aru." Perhaps he acted a bit too rashly. This earned him an offensive look. "Sorry. Please, go ahead."

"Right... Yao," he continued. "I've looked over the hospital records recently, and I saw that you're the best psychologist we have so far."

Best.

The words rang in Yao's head again and again, like a defective CD.

"And because of that, I came here to ask you a favor." His voice forced Yao's brain land back to earth. With a questioning expression on his face, Vash explained, "I want you to take a look at my sister, Liechtenstein. You see, she's been pestering me lately about how she wants to see a psychologist so badly. But when I ask her why, she doesn't really give me a decent answer. All she says is that she's facing a really big dilemma. And I've never seen her so serious about something before." He faltered for a second, but quickly picked up, "I don't know what I should do with her, so I thought I'd let her see a doctor. I wanted the best for her, so I came to you."

"Oh. I see..." Yao trailed.

"You think you can handle that?" He asked, almost taunting, as he smirked.

Wow. I never imagined he smirks, too, aru.

"I... Of course, Mr. Zwingli." He still couldn't get over the 'best' thing.

"Alright. So it's settled, then," he said. "When do you think she could start?"

"When?" Yao repeated. "Hmm... I'd have to check that with my secretary first. If you could just wait for a moment, aru." He stood up and headed for the door. "I'll be back in a second. I'll just ask him."

"Sure. Thanks."

Vash heard the door shut closed. His piercing green eyes shredded the room intently, taking in every detail of it. If the objects in there could only melt, they would've turned into puddles at his stare. He glimpsed at the outside; he saw a wall of bright, light blue with a few swishes of white cotton. It was then that he realized how big the building really is. It was only the seventh floor, but all he could see out the windows is the sky. No buildings, no houses, no people, no nothing. Just the sky.

It's nice here... It makes me want to stop thinking for once. I bet Liechtenstein would like it here, too.

"Mr. Zwingli, Tuesdays at ten and four, Wednesdays at four, and Saturdays at two. Those are free slots, aru," Yao said as he came in. His words snapped Vash away from lingering deeper into his thoughts.

"Oh. Right. I... I think Saturday would be fine," he said.

"Okay. I'll reserve that later, aru." Yao retook his post behind his desk. "So, are there any more things you want to discuss about?"

The Swiss looked at him. It seemed as if he was asking the same question.

"Well, I don't think so..." He uttered. "I think that's all."

Yao nodded. "Okay, then, aru." He thought for a second. It took him a couple of minutes to shake off the 'best' thing. "Mr. Zwingli, let me mention something," he began. "One of my professors in college always preached about how adults aren't supposed to give in to every single request a child makes, aru. Now, I know how important your sister is to you, but just because she asked to see a psychologist doesn't mean you should readily comply to that. You know, sometimes, kids do that just because they want the adults to pay more attention to them." He sighed. He souned like he was going psychologist on Vash. "But, if bringing her here seems to be the best option, then, I have no right to go against that. Yours is the final decision, after all, aru." He simpered. "Just a tiny piece of advice," he added.

To Yao's surprise, he saw a smile gently spread across the Swiss' face.

"Interesting," he said. "I'll keep that in mind."

Vash stood up and positioned himself in front of the speechless Chinese. He stretched out his hand, and said, "I should get going now. It was nice doing business with you."

Yao was perturbed. He took the other's hand and shook it. "My pleasure, aru," he said promptly. He stood up and escorted him to the door. "Umm... Bye."

"Good bye," he said, skillfully suppressing a grin. Before he completely turned to leave, he glanced back at Yao and said, "one last thing. Call me Vash."

Yao couldn't help himself. All he could do was gawk after him as he left. The sound of the door clicking closed pulled him away from totally spacing out; he blinked away his thoughts and withdrew to the sanctity of his chair. He leaned back lazily and gazed at the ceiling. He redirected his vision to the clock that hung gloomily on the wall. Like he has been doing since that morning, he heaved a sigh.

"It's almost lunch, aru..." He breathed. "I'm not hungry yet."

He stayed like that, his head being blank. He his neck and face gradually grow warmer; he felt the atmosphere's temperature drop. He chose to close his eyes and take a short nap, which he failed to have earlier. The clock chiming twelve was not enough to wake him up.

...

"Da, how refreshing."

He stepped out of the bathroom. A towel was dangling dangerously around his waist; water dripped happily from his shiny silver hair. He took and held up the clothes that lay on his bed, smiling gratefully as he put them on. Oh, if Yao could only see him, he would've been pleased with himself for choosing the right stuff for him. When he finished fixing himself, he headed straight to the living room and sank down the couch, squirming around until he found a comfy spot where he settled. Unknowingly, his consciousness slipped away, with the sound of the clock's ticking lulling him into peaceful slumber.

...

"Hmm... I wonder why he still isn't even peeping out... And it's half past twelve, too," Tino thought aloud as he worried quietly. "What do you think?"

"M'ybe he's b'sy," Berwald answered. He sat comfortably on the Finn's chair as the smaller blonde paced. "Why dn't you ch'ck on h'm?"

"Good idea." He went to the door and knocked. "Yao?" He called. "I'm coming in, okay?" He came in and saw the Chinese sleeping on his chair. "Umm, Yao? Could you wake up now?" Tino tapped him lightly. "Come on, it's time to wake up now..."

Yao stirred. "Mmm...?" He found his secretary hovering over him, anxious. "Tino? What...?"

"You were sleeping. I hate to wake you up, but..."

"It's fine. Thanks, aru." He stretched.

"You haven't eaten any lunch yet, have you?"

"No, not yet, aru," he yawned.

"Why don't we get you something to eat, then?" The blonde insisted.

"No. I wouldn't... I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah. Thanks, anyway. You go on and eat with Berwald now, aru."

"What? How d'you know?"

"Well, it's hard to forget when I see him waiting for you every lunch."

"Right... Well, I'm going." Tino blushed a bit. Before he turned away, he reminded, "Raivis Galante at one, okay?"

The unusually exhausted doctor smiled. "Okay, aru."

Yao watched him leave. He folded his arms across his table and wearily rested his head on them. He remained as is, letting time stroll by casually. He stayed that way until someone lightly knocked on the door again.

"Come in, aru," he said. When he spoke, it felt as though his throat was being scratched. It was awfully painful. As he held up his head to see who it was, the child he was waiting for appeared, his violet eyes glimmering in dampness. "Raivis," Yao said as he helped the boy to his seat. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes..." He sniffed with a nod.

_Ho~hum_

"Umm... Arthur?" Peter began as his grip on his brother's collar tightened.

He was riding on Arthur's back, slightly ruffling his neat suit. Peter made him promise that morning, and although the older blonde knew it would ruin his suit, he gladly obliged. They were in the lobby, heading to Yao's office for Peter's session. The young women that saw them grinned; it was quite a rare but undoubtedly adorable sight to see.

"Yes?"

"Could you keep a secret?"

"Why, of course I can. Why do you ask?"

"Well because... I wanted to tell you my latest secret," he said, his voice filled with contained excitement.

"Oh, really, now? And what might that be?"

"Wait. You promise to keep it a secret? Just between us?"

"Of course."

"You have to swear." He let go of his brother's collar and held up his hand with his pinky sticking out in the air. "Pinky promise."

Arthur smiled reminiscently at the gesture. "Alright. I promise." He took the child's pinky with his own. "Now, what's your secret?"

"You have to keep quiet about this, okay?"

The Briton sniggered at earnest amusement. "How can it be called a secret if neither of us is going to keep quiet about it?"

Peter thought. "You're right. well anyway, here it goes." He took in a deep breath and said, "you see... Yesterday, I had-I finally had..." He gulped and mirthfully chirped, "I finally had my first kiss, Arthur!"

He thought again. He must've heard wrong. "What did you say?"

"Not so loud!" Peter hushed. His warning was louder than Arthur's question. He had an innocently happy smile on his face. One hand over his mouth, he whispered, "I said, I had my first kiss yesterday!"

"What? You had your first kiss? I-Wha-Who was it?" Arthur was honestly surprised. He didn't expect that from his little brother.

"A kid. I met him yesterday in 's office-"

"Him? You mean, he's a boy?"

"Yeah!" He giggled. Arthur was going to open his mouth to say something, but Peter continued, "like I was saying, I met him yesterday. He said his name was Raivis. He was crying, and I couldn't figure out a way to make him stop so I kissed him. And it actually worked! Then after that, I left him alone in the waiting area since I had to come in doctor Yao's office." He smirked mischievously. "And you know what, Arthur?"

"I... What?"

"I didn't know kissing was fun."

"Peter!" He scolded, but eventually got cut off.

"How come you never told me about your first kiss?"

"I... What?" He uttered. He turned a bright shade of red as he recalled his first kiss. It was a terribly good thing Peter couldn't see his face, or else the kid would tease him.

"Well? Aren't you going to tell me?" Peter prodded.

"Peter," he hesitated, "you know, first kisses aren't usually talked about. And, aren't you a little too young to be talking about those kind of things?"

"No, I'm not! Come on, tell me! I won't tell it to anybody, I promise!"

Well, sure Peter keeps all of his promises, but... He wouldn't dare tell the kid that his first kiss-and his first love-was the child's psychologist. It'll be as embarrassing as hell. He gulped. He can see it now: no doubt, Peter would tease and irritate him to no end. And God knows how annoying he can be when he wants to.

"Ah, here we are," he said, hopeful to change the subject. They were just a couple of steps away from Yao's office. "Now, why don't you get down?"

"But-!"

"Hello, there, Peter," Tino greeted warmly as they entered.

Lucky for Arthur, Tino was enough to distract him.

"Mommy!" The child exclaimed as he came running into the inviting arms of the Finn. "I missed you!"

"So soon?" He giggled. Somehow, being called his 'mom' sank in smoothly, that it sounded very natural. He was actually starting to like being addressed that way. "You were just here yesterday," he added, cradling Peter in a soft, gentle embrace.

"Of course!" His voice was muffled since his face was buried in the older blonde's chest.

Arthur smiled as he watched the two.

"Alright, then. Now, be a good boy and do what Dr. Yao tells you, okay?" Tino told him.

"I promise!"

Peter gave the Finn a final hug and went back to his brother. With a nod and a grin, Arthur steered the child into the waiting room.

"Of course," Yao said as he ushered his little patient out of his office. "Since you said one o'clock was more convenient, I've arranged the schedule that way, aru. So I'll see you on Monday again, okay?"

"Okay," Raivis said, his face free of tears. "Bye, Dr. Yao!" Receiving a wave from the Chinese, he smiled and turned to leave. He saw Peter with a wide grin across his face.

"Hi, Raivis!"

"P-Peter!" He stammered. "H-Hi..."

"Come here, quick!" He took the Latvian by the hand and faced his brother. "Arthur, this is Raivis. The one I told you about," he said, enthusiastic.

"Told him about?" Raivis trailed in almost a whisper.

"Oh. Hello, there. Pleased to meet you, Raivis," the Briton said, reaching out his hand. It was quite odd; he didn't find meeting his brother's first kiss amusing or anything. "I'm Peter's brother, Arthur Kirkland."

"Hi... I'm Raivis Galante. Nice to meet you," he said as he shakily took Arthur's hand.

"Peter," Yao called, beckoning him. "Come on, it's your turn now, aru."

"I'm coming!" He looked at Raivis and said, "well, I guess I'll see you again some other time." And to his brother, "don't be late, okay?" Without waiting for any answers from the two, he took off, frisking jocundly into the room.

Just before Yao completely disappeared, he caught a glimpse of Arthur. The Briton beamed and waved at him. He just answered with a smile, one without warmth or feeling, then he closed the door. The happy look on the Briton's face slid off, being replaced by one of remorse. He sighed and decided to leave. His mind was too occupied with repenting that he took off, not regarding the Lett that watched him gravely.

"I... I guess he still hates me..." He rumbled to himself as he marched to the elevator. He rode it down, until it reached the lobby, where he got off. He had already planned to wait for his brother until he finishes his session.

The fuzzy-minded Briton began to walk aimlessly, letting his feet take command. He only blinked when he noticed that he was already outside, strolling in the garden. He spotted a bench near the rose and iris patches, and sat there. He leaned back and stared at the flowers, who in turn, stared back at him. In the background, he heard a voice drift, singing a song. The tune was familiar, and so was the voice. Though, he didn't bother to take a look at who it was. His brain was telling him to stop all thought process, and reboot afterwards. Suddenly, he heard the singing come to a halt.

"Mind if I sit here?"

Even though he was already depressed, he still held on firm to his pride as being a gentleman. The Briton reluctantly looked up. At the sight of the newcomer, the dentist, he instantaneously took up a more respectful stance.

The dental physician suppressed a chuckle.

"Oh... It's you. Go ahead," Arthur spoke, inching near the edge of the bench to accommodate him.

"Thanks," Alfred said as he sat down next to him. "I didn't expect seeing you here. And I hope you don't mind me saying, but, you look worse than yesterday. Did something happen again?"

Arthur glanced at him. His brain managed to resume functioning, although not entirely. He still couldn't get the thought of what happened out of his head. "You say I look worse than yesterday?" He scoffed. He sighed again then let it go. He admitted he wasn't in the right state to get angry, or retort, or even to respond. He didn't even have the mental strength to argue.

"Well, yeah. But if you don't want to answer that, then, you don't have to," he caught.

Arthur didn't say anything. Instead, he just gazed blankly at the flowers that vainly fluttered about. Alfred noticed this.

"You know, I was the one who suggested putting roses here." Arthur gave him a curious look, so he continued, "I was going to pull out one of Liechtenstein's teeth when she told me she wanted to put a garden behind the hospital. That's when I suggested to put some roses. Oh, that's right," he said thoughtfully, "Liechtenstein's the hospital owner's sister, by the way." He gazed at the flowers, then smiled at the Briton. He was surprised to see Arthur was staring at him, but his face seemed quite indifferent.

"Really..."

"Yeah."

"I like roses," Arthur stated, somewhat apathetic. "Especially really, really red ones."

"Really?" Alfred asked, as if he couldn't believe what he heard. "Well, if that's the case, then..." He stood up and squatted near a rose bush. He spotted a nice, big one-the reddest he could possibly find-and reached out for it. The other blonde just watched him, nonchalant. The American did his best not to wince when a thorn planted itself on his finger. He tugged on the rose and succeeded on procuring it. Then, he brought it back to Arthur. "Here you go."

He held the rose a few inches away from the other's face. The gesture finally ripped the Briton away from his daze; he took the liberty of carefully taking in what was happening.

"I... What... Is this for me?"

"Well, I don't see anyone I'd rather give it to," Alfred said, almost deadpanning.

"Oh. That's... I... Thank you," he said, taking it. He saw a trickle of blood on Alfred's finger. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"Nope." He motioned to his little cut. It was stinging a bit, but he wouldn't say that, naturally. "This is just a scratch. Nothing to worry about."

"Oh. Umm... Alright, then." Oh, God, he was starting to forget that he was supposed to be a gentleman. "Sorry about that."

"Nah, it's fine." He was happy to give him a flower, even if it costed him a small cut.

"If you don't mind me asking, umm... Why do this?" He kept the flower over his face, partially covering his nose. The light blush on his face was emphasized when he did that.

"Why?" The dentist repeated. "I dunno... No, wait-that's not right. Well, you know, it's actually 'cause..."

Am I ready for this?

He faced him. "Okay," he took a deep breath and said, "I know this might come as a shock for you, but, I have this feeling in my gut that's telling me I just have to tell you this..."

The Briton had a hunch where this was going.

"Listen," he took another deep breath and attempted, "I like you, okay? I'm guessing this is what Francis always talked about, the love at first sight thing." He suddenly realized what he just said. "W-Wait! I'm not really sure if this is love or not, but trust me, I'm positive that I like you. A-A lot," he stammered. He couldn't look straight at him after saying that.

Arthur stared at him. He never expected anything like that. Alfred was right. It was a shock. A huge shock. To think, he was already bombarded with the news about Peter's first kiss, he didn't think he could handle another thing hitting him by surprise like that.

Alfred looked up through his glasses with puppy dog eyes. "Are... Are you mad?"

He couldn't move his lips too well. "I... I'm not..."

Both of them felt cold water in their hair.

Rain.

"Take cover!" They heard someone scream from a distance.

They both scurried hurriedly into the building. They were both wet, but not as much as the others, who were soaked.

.

..

...


A/N: I'm pretty sure you all heard about the hostage crisis recently. Truthfully, when I was watching the news, I couldn't breathe right, my hands and feet were cold as ice, and fuck, hell knows how infuriated I was. I was so damn frustrated with what I was watching, I didn't notice I was already cussing my mouth off. *sigh*

Condolences to the families of the victims who were killed in the incident. To Hong Kong and its people, as a humble member of my race, I give you my sincerest apologies.

That's all I have to say.

Bye.

25 August 2010

2236H