A/N: Yoo, it's chapter 5, FINALLY. Guys, that hiatus was unplanned, as apparently my school starts to get friggin difficult halfway through the semester. Plus, had to get up my grades. Making sure not to get kicked outta school is more important than fanfiction. Forgive me, my darlings.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia, claim to own it, or am a writer or illustrator for it, the person you are thinking if is Hidekaz Himaruya, and you should start making your shrine to him now if you haven't already.
Warning(s): swearing
The Englishman was at a complete loss.
What was Francis implying exactly? Was he just messing with him? Was he serious? It was nerve-racking.
Arthur wandered from the activity room, past his and Ivan's room, down the elevator to the main room, his mind trying to wrap his head around the words.
'They're... always there. My friends never leave me. They're the highlight of my life and- I completely forgot about them?'
As he wandered, his friends reassured him that they were real, that they were there and that they are the only friends he needed; to ignore that French man.
He sat down in one of the vacant chairs, folding his hands neatly in his lap then playing with his thumbs. 'I have group in a while, right? I can just wait here until it's time.'
The alone time was just what he needed. To collect himself, with no distractions besides himself.
It wasn't long until someone interrupted, though.
"I'm sorry, sir," Arthur heard a voice say to him.
The blond man stopped playing with his thumbs and looked up at the source of the voice.
It was a pleasant looking female nurse. "But, you can't just sit in the lobby."
"What can I do, then?" he asked, slightly irritated.
The nurse responded with, "You have to be in an area that has other patients and some nurses. If you don't want to be in the activity room on your floor, you can spend time outside."
He thought on it for a moment. "Will you go outside then? I'll show you the way."
Arthur nodded at the nurse, and she guided him to an outside area.
The man looked around and quickly became impressed by the set up. Pretty flower beds filled with an assortment of flora lined a playground tar path up to a few sets of benches and tables.
A handful of people were out there, some looked to be in a group session while others seemed to just be relaxing in the cool, fresh morning air. Arthur went to one of the vacant benches and sat down. He looked at one of the nurses leaning against the wall near the door and gave a small wave. The nurse walked over to him and said, "You're Kirkland, right? Is there anything I can help you with?"
He nodded. "Are there any books I could have to read?" The nurse asked, "Any preference?" Arthur responded with, "Adventure, please." The nurse nodded and mumbled, "I'll be right back." Then walked inside the building.
Soon he returned with an old looking burgundy colored novel. "Hope 'Treasure Island' is okay." Arthur smiled brightly. "It's perfect."
If there was one thing Arthur could say positive about his childhood, it would be that he loved when Allistor would pull him into his lap after a long day at work and read him excerpts from Treasure Island.
It was a simpler time back then, when he would get lost in the calm, the hushed, the soothing voice of his brother as he tried to stay awake through the tales of Long John Silver and Billy Bones and their companions.
The Englishman started reading, not from the beginning, never from the beginning, and read and read and read. He could hear Captain Hook reading out Long John's parts, and Lady Tink narrating. It was a bit of peace for him, to have his 'friends' there with him; to read a favorite book with them.
Arthur was actually enjoying himself for a change.
Though the change didn't last too long.
Lady Tink's narrations were interrupted by loud sounds of walkie talkies and pager beeps.
"We're experiencing troubles regarding patient L. Vargas. We need any available nurses to go to room 400-2 to assist." said a male voice.
The nurses quickly started rushing the other patients not in a group session inside, brushing off any and all questions as the rushed to get everyone into the building.
Some of the nurses went off to whatever room it was they were needed in, while others waited with the patients until the situation was handled.
Arthur quickly got irritated. "Excuse me," he began to say to one female nurse. "What is all the fuss about?" The woman looked at the patient then over her shoulder, then back to Arthur.
"Vargas had an 'episode' and it was pretty serious this time." She whispered to him. "Sorry, that's about all I can say."
The green eyed man accepted the information, but not without a bit of malice.
Everyone who wasn't rooming on Floor Four had to return to their rooms. Everyone who was, however, were required to stay away from the floor.
It was quickly gathered that 'L. Vargas' was being held on Floor Four.
'No,' Arthur thought. 'Detained.'
Ten minutes passed, then that turned into twenty, and the Englishman couldn't take the wait anymore.
But before he could say a word, he heard pagers go off and messages were passed on walkie talkies. "All clear. L. Vargas is fine. Safe to continue."
Relieved sounds could be heard in the lobby. Many patients went upstairs to their rooms, some went back outside, while a handful slowly wandered over towards one of the meeting rooms.
Arthur was about to sit down and finish the chapter he was reading when the hall clock caught his eye. It read, '12:25', and if the green eyed man's memory served him right, his group therapy time was in five minutes.
"Bloody hell, how could I forget." he mutter, stalking over to the meeting room.
He went inside and saw a number of chairs in a circle, people occupying some of them. Arthur was, to put simply, unprepared to be in a room with this many strangers. It was a bit unsettling. He hadn't felt like this in some time.
While he was mulling over this feeling, a man in a wheelchair rolled passed him, nearly running over his foot. He quickly snapped out of his thoughts to address the wheelchair bound man.
"Excuse you!" He said forcefully. The man turned slightly and replied, "Watch where the fuck you're stepping, bastard." Then flipped him off while wheeling away.
Arthur was just about to go off on a tangent when Flying Mint Bunny told him it was nearly time for the session to begin. He found a seat right before the last few people came in and apologized to Minty for not finding one right away.
Dr. Harrison walked in and sat down in the remaining seat. "It's great to see everyone here today." He said, looking around the room at his patients. "I hope you all had a good week, and are ready to explore each other more. Today, we have a new member of the 12:30 Friday block. His name is Arthur Kirkland, and he just arrived at Grandly Harrison's yesterday. Everyone welcome Arthur, then we can get started."
Arthur stood up slowly, and gave a small smile and wave as a chorus of 'hello Arthur's rang in, then quickly sat back down when it was done.
Though one person didn't chime in with everyone else. And Dr. Harrison pointed it out. "Lovino, you didn't greet Arthur."
The blond man noticed that this Lovino was the rude man that almost ran over his foot.
Lovino crossed his arms and muttered, "God damned bastard, welcome to hell."
The doctor immediately scolded him. "Lovino, language! That was very rude of you. Now apologize."
The wheelchair bound man sucked his teeth. "I apologize..."
Dr. Harrison nodded at the man. "Alright now, today we have an activity designed to express yourself more to each other. All of you are unique personalities, but are also very reserved."
Collectively, the people in the room shifted awkwardly in their seats, knowing the statement to be true.
"The way I have found you all to express yourself the most is through writing! So, I'd like everyone to write a brief poem about anything you'd like. Pair up when you are done and read each other what you wrote."
'This won't be bad at all! I guess I'll write a free verse.'
Arthur went to work, and finished rather quickly writing his poem.
"Alright, is everyone done then?" They all nodded or responded with 'yes'. "Good! Now, pair up!"
The Englishman watched as the people in the room all coupled with each other. Arthur was about to go talk to a quiet looking blond, but the blond was grabbed to the side by another person.
He heard light metal clicking drawing near him, then it abruptly stopped. The person sucked their teeth. "I guess it's just you and me, then." It was the man in the wheelchair, Lovino, if Arthur remembers correctly.
Arthur turned in his chair to face the man. "You can go first, if you want to." he said quietly.
"Hey, stop with that mousy shit, okay? I'm not gonna bite your head off too roughly. Dr. Fuckface is lucky I decided to do this . He only picked poetry cuz he knows I fucking hate it, but I'll still go."
The hazel eyed man cleared his throat and handed the paper over to Arthur.
"You aren't going to read it?" Arthur questioned. "Hell no." was the response.
Arthur read over the words on the paper, looking at the neat, slanted, thin handwriting and the words on the paper.
"Topsy turvy goes the boy
Waiting to be a man
Topsy turvy goes the boy
As he lands on his hands.
Upside down is safest
Rightside up is lame
High above his worries
Is where he plays his game."
The Englishman smiled slightly. "For someone not fond of poetry, you're pretty good at it." Arthur told the Italian. Lovino just sucked his teeth. "Go already."
Arthur began to read his poem. "Fleeting, far from fancy folk, Is a pattern done only by slide of hand. Trials upon tribulations of something so trivial to some. The dreadful feeling is only brief, the stab wounds will heal and the aftermath will be oh so glorious."
Lovino eyed the paper curiously. "It's okay, I guess. For a poem about, what, sewing or knitting or some shit?"
The blond man's jaw nearly dropped. "H-how'd you know?" He was sure he was vague enough for it to come off as some emotional poem, no, he knew he was vague enough.
The Italian shrugged. "It was kinda obvious. I mean, you have little band-aids on your fingers and you don't look like the type to write gooey emotional shit."
Arthur would have grinned if he wasn't still trying to find a way to best this man. He was smart, actually brilliant, and a fairly good poet.
This Lovino was a person he could hang out with.
"Well at least mine didn't rhyme."
"Hey fuck you, man."
Dr. Harrison spoke up loudly, addressing everyone in the room. "Alright! I would like to collect everyone's poems. It's not fair you guys get to see them and I don't!" There were a few scattered light chuckles and a groan from Lovino. The patients started to pass up the poems.
"Next, we're going to do Popcorn!"
Arthur turned to look at Lovino with a raised eyebrow. "It's not fucking food, if that's what you're wondering."
The doctor picked up a blue ball from the table behind him. "We'll toss this around and if you happen to catch it, you say something positive about your week so far. I'll start off. The shirt I wanted to wear this morning was actually ironed this time!" There were claps and congratulatory sounds heard throughout the room. "Okay next is, Matthew!"
The quiet looking blond Arthur was about to talk to earlier caught the ball, then thought for a moment on what to say. "I talked to my family." he said, voice light.
Everyone clapped and congratulated, like when Dr. Harrison told his news. He nodded towards a woman then tossed the ball. She said her news, got applause, then tossed it as well, and it like that for a bit.
Many people just stated goals they've accomplished, or news from the outside world, or even happy surprises that happened.
"Today I decided on a yellow apple for breakfast instead of a green one." a man said, looking very happy about his news. He got applause just like everyone else, and some people patted him on the back. The man threw the ball to Lovino next.
The Italian sucked his teeth. "I, urm, got off Floor Zero today..." he muttered. There was a brief moment of silence before loud applause. If Arthur didn't know any better, he'd think he saw the hazel eyed man blushing.
Lovino sucked his teeth again and tossed the ball carelessly at Arthur, who fumbled before holding it properly. "Well, I, um..." 'What should I say...?' He glanced around the room quickly, thinking of what to say. He spotted the quiet blond looking back at him with a small smile on his face. The blond- Matthew, was his name, mouthed something to Arthur.
"Friends."
The Englishman smiled slightly. "I made friends."
The rest of the room applauded, just as they did for everyone before him. They didn't know of the small exchange between him and Matthew; they may never know. But it made Arthur feel... better in a sense.
Dr. Harrison gave some closing words, dismissing everyone from the room.
Arthur met Matthew's eyes once again, and again, before he could go over to talk, he was stopped.
"What the hell are you gonna be doin' the rest of the day?" Lovino asked.
The blond man looked down. "I wasn't planning on doing anything special the rest of the day. Maybe I'll finish reading 'Treasure Island'."
Lovino turned away and frowned. "I'll leave you to that shit then, I guess."
Arthur quickly realized what he said and corrected himself. "W-well! Do you play chess?"
The Italian looked up. "No. Never have. It looks fucking boring."
"You haven't ever played. I'll teach you how."
Lovino sucked his teeth. "The fuck ever."
A/N: And in chapter 5 you get glimpses of our favourite Canadian, as well as how group works. If there are any spelling/grammar/flow errors, tell me so I can fix it! It really helps. Thank all you dolls for reading and I'd like to give a special thanks to Dextra2, 20 Percent Awesomer, Cluster Chu, ThePrussianCross, Angelic Fluffle and Nyx811 for reviewing! Also, thanks beauties over on the Tumblr for dropping comments. Hope you guys enjoyed this long awaited chapter and will fav/follow/review!