Thanks to cAnd13ThEheTaLiaN, Carina Sicily, Yaoi-Is-Life-and-Love, apurehetalian and an anon for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 34

Wednesday came swiftly. Lovino figured that the reason for the time speeding up was because he had something else to do now.

Gupta brought homework with him the previous day, and Lovino reasoned that it was at least something to keep his mind occupied. No matter how much he liked reading, there was such a thing as too much of a good thing. Besides, he didn't want to get yelled at by the teachers on his first day.

Ms Hassan had explained to him that they had checked the results of his aptitude test on Tuesday morning, and it was generally agreed that he would drop the Economy class he previously had, and he would take Consumer Studies in its place. English Literature was still an option for him, and if he promised to put more of an effort into History, then he could keep that subject as well. That just meant that he had to make up the credits in CS.

Consumer Studies was basically a glorified Home Economics. It consisted of a theoretical portion as well as a practical portion, the latter of which was usually cooking or sewing. Ms Hassan informed him that their school only did the cooking part. Still, the subject wasn't too easy.

Lovino figured that the subject would be useful, should he decide to continue living for a long time. He didn't delude himself into thinking that he would find anyone to love him. He was prepared for life as a bachelor. But at least he would know how to take care of himself.

He looked up from the textbook, which was his desperate attempt to catch up on the subject he's never had before. The nurse came in, and she had a huge smile on her face that actually only served to make him nervous.

"Good news," she announced. "Doctor says that we can release you due to good behaviour. Well, not completely release you."

Lovino frowned in confusion, and she produced a key that he knew very well by now. She uncuffed his ankle, and to his surprise, released the other end of the cuff as well.

"At least now, you don't have to ask for help when you want to go to the bathroom," she explained.

His eyes widened when he realised exactly what it was that the nurse was telling him, and he beamed in delight.

"Grazie!" he exclaimed.

She smiled warmly at his joy, before making her expression firm.

"Of course, this doesn't mean that you're allowed to act recklessly," she said. "We're trusting you. Don't betray that trust. Like I said, you don't want to be sent to a special clinic."

He winced, before glancing towards his books. No, he didn't want to lose access to them.

"Si, I understand," he said.

He didn't add that he wouldn't be stupid enough to attempt suicide in the hospital. That was probably the last place he should try if he had any intention of it being successful.

…

"So, when can we meet him?" Vlad asked eagerly.

Gupta sighed. He was glad that the others were so eager, but they had to be a bit more patient.

"Well, the hospital seems to be a bit annoyed by how many visitors he has," Gupta said. "They're allowing it for the most part because of the reason why he's there, but it's clear that the nurse was annoyed when I came by yesterday."

"So, who are the other visitors?" Heracles asked.

"His brothers, his father, and a friend from school."

"Brothers?" Miguel repeated. "Aren't they coming with him?"

Gupta shook his head.

"No, they're not," he responded. "I don't exactly know the story there, but I get the feeling that they're guilty. Like they feel that it's their fault their brother is in the hospital."

The others were silent as they contemplated Gupta's words.

"Well…" Miguel started. "We don't know the full story yet, do we? We only know that he's been bullied pretty badly, and he tried to… you know. And I doubt that he trusts Gupta enough after only knowing him for two days to tell him more of his life."

Gupta nodded his head. He agreed with his friend. It was still too soon. Lovino only saw him as an acquaintance, and there was no way he would trust him enough to share many personal details.

"But that's our goal then, isn't it?" Vlad asked. "Make him comfortable enough to trust us."

"…Does the hospital allow snacks?" Yao asked.

"His father brought him pizza, since he refuses to eat the hospital's food," Gupta said. "You have something in mind?"

Yao nodded.

"I was thinking of making fortune cookies," he said. "Put some inspirational messages in them."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," Heracles said. "But won't he be upset that we know of his situation?"

"…I think I should ask him about it first," Gupta sighed. "At least, I want to warn him. See how he feels about it."

"That might be a good idea," Miguel said. "But be sure to tell him that we're eager to make the transition easier for him."

Gupta nodded his head.

"And what about that friend of his?" Vlad asked.

"He apparently recently transferred to Lovino's old school," Gupta said. "He noticed that something was off, and he… I don't know the exact details, since both of them were pretty uncomfortable with that, but I… I'm pretty sure there was an incident that told the friend that Lovino was in a bad place."

"And instead of ignoring it, he decided that he would try to help," Miguel muttered. "Good friend. What happens to him if Lovino transfers? If he's new himself, then he wouldn't have many friends yet, right?"

Gupta shrugged. He honestly didn't know.

…

Lovino watched Matthew eagerly as the other read through the short story that Lovino had written. It was a story he titled The Fix, about someone living in clear poverty – a single parent, sharing what was basically a room with their two children – going to get their 'fix'. The twist came at the very end when the narrator entered a bookstore, calling it their dealer.

"This is pretty good," Matthew said, smiling at him. "The ending is pretty powerful."

Lovino could feel the corners of his lips tug upwards at the praise. It was the first time someone liked something he wrote.

"Grazie," he said. "I tried to make it ambiguous, so that it could apply to a number of situations."

"I can see that," Matthew said. "Your use of the first-person narrator eliminates the need to use gendered pronouns, making it apply to either a man or a woman. You also make race and nationality unclear, which can also apply to a variety of people."

Lovino nodded.

"I started getting the idea when we did a lesson on why people resort to drugs and alcohol," he said. "The basic idea is, if life gets too difficult, there are other ways to handle it."

Matthew nodded.

"And suicide is also not an option," Matthew said.

Lovino's smile fell, and he averted his gaze.

"I'm not trying to criticise you," Matthew quickly said. "But, like you said…"

"…The thing is, the narrator still has hope for the children's future," he said. "That's one of the main points. They can't afford to die. But, I… I could…"

"You have people to live for, too," Matthew said. "Why don't we try something? Will you promise me that you wouldn't try another attempt for at least a year? If you ever feel that life gets too overwhelming, or that your books are no longer enough… Why don't you try writing? You have a talent for it."

A year. That was what Matthew was offering him. To try to see if things could be better a year from now. Lovino closed his eyes. He'd gone through ten years of pure hell. What was one more?

"…Alright," he said at last. "One year. I'll give it one more year."

Matthew smiled in approval.

…

"I feel that I should warn you," Gupta said while visiting in the afternoon. "My friends know about you. And they want to meet you."

Lovino froze. He'd expected that Gupta would have his own friends, but to know that they knew about this situation…

"I… Um…" Lovino stammered, unsure of what to say.

"Like, why don't you tell us about them?" Feliks asked.

It was only the three of them at the moment. Feliciano and Marcello had club activities, and they would be coming for the evening's visiting hours. Romulus had stepped out, allowing the three teenagers to bond a bit without his presence to make things uncomfortable.

"Alright," Gupta said. "Well… Oh, by the way, how do you feel about Chinese fortune cookies?"

Lovino blinked, cocking his head to the side.

"That's random," he remarked.

"One of my friends, Yao, wants to know," Gupta clarified. "He wants to bake you some."

Lovino tensed a bit.

"I'm not interested in pity," he said.

He hadn't gotten any sympathy for years, and he was still overwhelmed by the sympathy he was getting now. However, he didn't want any pity.

"It's not pity," Gupta said. "Yao is a bit of a mother hen in my group. So, it's mostly because he thinks it could help cheer you up. And he's also been complaining that they hadn't done anything challenging in CS recently, so I think he wants to do something that he feels is a challenge."

Lovino perked up when he realised that Gupta's friend was taking the subject he needed to start with.

"To be honest, I've never really had them before," he admitted. "I… I guess I'm curious to try."

"Ooh, can I have some too?" Feliks asked.

"I'm sure Yao wouldn't mind if you tried some too," Gupta remarked. "I'll tell him."

Lovino watched as Gupta typed a message on his phone, before putting it away.

"I'm not sure when he intends to make them," he said. "Could be today or tomorrow. Knowing him, it would definitely be done before the weekend."

"Like, what about homework?" Feliks asked.

"Yao can manage."

"What else can you tell us about him?" Lovino asked.

"He has a younger brother and sister," Gupta explained. "Twins. I think they're the same age as Marcello, actually."

"My fratellino will be interested in the sister. He likes female company, but not in a bad way. He's a bit too much like my father in that regard. He likes flirting, but it never goes farther than that."

"I didn't know that about Marcello," Feliks remarked.

"I guess he hasn't been much in a mood, really. He once tried to convince my father to let him join ballet, and when my father caved and finally asked why, Marcello explained that he'd most likely be the only boy among the pretty girls."

"…I'll be sure not to tell Yao about that," Gupta said. "I don't think he'd appreciate it if his sister got that sort of attention."

"Like, isn't he friends with Mr Zwingli's daughter?" Feliks asked.

"The two knew each other since they were in diapers," Lovino explained. "Or practically in diapers. When Feliciano asked him about it once, he explained that it would be similar to flirting with his sister. Some lines are not meant to be crossed."

"Glad he knows restraint," Gupta remarked wryly. "Then there's Vlad, and I think he's probably the most eager to meet you."

"Why? What did you tell him about me?"

"You like reading horror. He's practically our expert when it comes to Gothic fiction. He and his little brother use horror movies as 'bonding time'. As you probably know, it's not too popular a genre."

Lovino nodded in understanding.

"If it's not a problem, do you mind if he comes with me tomorrow?" Gupta asked.

Lovino considered it for a moment. He supposed that it would be nice to meet one of Gupta's friends, especially if there was a hope of him becoming his friend as well. And it might help him if he could get to know them individually, instead of as a group.

"O-okay," Lovino said hesitantly. "What about his brother?"

"Alex is ten, but they're pretty close," Gupta explained. "He's a really sweet kid."

Lovino couldn't help but smile. He could see from the expression on Gupta's face that he was pretty fond of Vlad's brother as well.

"Then there's Miguel," Gupta said. "He's pretty much the kindest one out of all of us. If Yao is the mother hen, then he's like the father of the group."

Lovino stiffened when he heard the name. He knew a bit about names, and variations based on languages. And the name Miguel…

"Is he Spanish or something?" Lovino asked.

Gupta looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Technically speaking, he's Spanish/Portuguese," he said. "But since he was born in Portugal and spent his first few years there, he prefers to identify as Portuguese. He hates it when someone mistakes him for a Spaniard. I do know that he has a cousin living nearby, but I don't know exactly where."

That didn't exactly make Lovino relax. If anything, his mind strayed back to Antonio, who started out as a friend and became his tormentor.

"Like, anyone else?" Feliks asked, noticing that Lovino was a bit distressed.

"Yes…" Gupta said, noticing that something was wrong with Lovino as well, but not commenting on it. "Heracles is last. He's a huge fan of philosophical works, as well as mythology. Just don't get him to start saying his philosophy on something, please."

Lovino barely heard him. He didn't know that he would react like this at the possibility of meeting someone who was half-Spanish. He didn't even know the guy yet, and he… he was already afraid of him.

…

Yao hurried into the kitchen, feeling the sweat cling to his face as he rushed inside, before depositing the bags. He had to walk to and from the supermarket, carrying the bags of ingredients. He was glad that Gupta had informed him while he was already at the supermarket, otherwise he wouldn't have been too happy.

He quickly washed his hands, before setting to work. It was during this process that Mei and Leon wandered in, most likely wondering what he was doing. It was too early for dinner, after all.

"…What are you making?" Mei asked.

"Fortune cookies," Yao replied.

"What's the occasion?" Leon asked.

Yao paused, before he looked at his younger siblings. Unfortunately, he knew that the two of them were prone to gossiping, especially Mei. But he also knew that they wouldn't leave him alone until he gave them a satisfactory answer, and they would catch on if it was a lie.

"…First, I need you to promise me that you will not say a word of this to anybody," he said. "I don't want any of this getting out, and if it does, you'll be making your own dinners for a month."

The two of them paled when they heard that. Neither of them particularly enjoyed cooking, and Leon especially was lethal to have in the kitchen.

"Promise!" Mei said quickly, and Leon nodded his head.

Yao eyed the two for a moment longer, before he sighed.

"There's a new student coming soon," he explained. "Gupta's already reached out to him, and the rest of us are getting ready to welcome him into our group too. But… the thing is, he's been bullied pretty badly at his old school. He's been in the hospital for about a week. I'm baking him fortune cookies with inspirational notes."

He decided to omit the part where he was there after attempted suicide. Well, apparently, Lovino would have ended up in the hospital either way.

The twins shared a look. It looked as though they were trying to judge whether or not he was lying. Finally, they turned back to him.

"Is he alright?" Mei asked.

"Kind of," Yao said. "Gupta says he still flinches a bit when you get too close too fast."

"What are his injuries?" Leon asked.

"Broken wrist, broken ribs, sprained ankle, concussion, and a lot of bruising," Yao listed.

"Poor thing!" Mei exclaimed, hands pressing against her mouth. "Do you have any messages?"

"I wrote down a few at school," Yao said.

"I can write a few more, if you'd like."

Yao smiled.

"Thank you," he said.

…

Miguel was not happy. Not at all.

His mother had asked him to go to the shopping centre. Apparently, his cousin and his two friends had taken a bus to the shopping centre. They were having some trouble at their school, apparently, and had come here to do some things. And since they weren't exactly local, Miguel was asked to accompany them and act as a guide.

Well, perhaps he could take advantage of this torture. Last time he went to the bookstore, he saw a cloth-bound copy of Treasure Island. He was in a hurry last time, so he didn't have a chance to buy it. Hopefully, it was still in the store.

He was supposed to meet his cousin in front of the music store, and sure enough, he could see the trio. He raised his eyebrow. They were usually annoying to be around, but they seemed to be a bit subdued.

However, their subdued attitude disappeared once they spotted him, and their usual expressions returned.

"Kesese, it's about time," Gilbert said. "What took you so long?"

Miguel scoffed, rolling his eyes. He'd heard that apparently the three of them were popular at their school. He couldn't imagine why, though. Personally, he found them to be unpleasant. They were particularly arrogant.

He glanced towards his cousin. Only Antonio seemed to remain a bit sombre, despite his attempt at smiling. Miguel would have normally asked about it, but he knew that he wouldn't get an honest answer, so he decided to skip it.

"Let's just get this over with," Miguel sighed.

I'm glad to see how excited you are about the new characters. I'm just confused that no one seemed to have picked up on Portugal (anyone who's read my other stories would know my name for Portugal by now).

I bought a cloth-bound copy of Treasure Island. The price wasn't bad. But the book that caught my attention was Dracula, also cloth-bound, and at the same price (really a bargain). The design was also very beautiful. It was torturous, since I already have Dracula, which is part of a complete collection of Bram Stoker with a very nice design.

The Fix is a short story I wrote about a month ago, but I don't know what to do with it yet.

Consumer Studies was one of my subjects at school, and it's a glorified Home Economics. Some of the subject matter involves health, clothing, buying vs renting a house, and of course, cooking. During our practical assignments, we had to do an activity in our recipe books. I can't remember all of them, but one is a cost calculation. This is basically what you do if you're ever interested in selling the food you make. As my teacher described it, it's a combination of several other subjects as well, such as Accounting, Biology, Science, etc.