Hetalia Oneshots

Russia x Mermaid!China

Requested by just_west_of_weird

A/N: I'm rewatching Yuri on Ice as I watch this and I don't even apologize for what I've done.

Trigger Warning: Deadly Sickness

Google translate ahead!

Ivan placed Yao on the hotel bed, helping him get rid of the extra layers on him, untying the bottom of all the robes to free his tail. The red tail flopping, Ivan felt himself draw more concerned as the scales had grown paler, more a pink color. He knew what his lover needed, Arctic Ocean waters, this fact made him frustrated that they'd only made it to Yekaterinburg. He'd been carrying Yao across the continent since he found him, sickly, in Pacific Ocean waters in Zheijang China when he had gone to visit him. Yao had explained in pieces on the journey what had happened; sometimes a mermaid must enter a different ocean to restore their body as too long in one would begin to poison their body. Yao had tried to swim to the Indian ocean but he became too violently ill as he had waited too long to begin this journey. Ivan had instantly picked Yao up when he saw him and bundled him up in Chinese robes, carrying him over terrain after terrain, trying to save him, but he had to keep Yao's tail a secret from the humans having no idea how they'd react to a mermaid seeing as they can't even handle having different colored skin. He'd hopped from inn to inn, currently staying at a log cabin type place.

"Xièxiè." Yao said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Dobro pozhalovat." Ivan replied, removing the rest of Yao's clothes and laying him down and getting a wet cloth, placing it over Yao's forehead while knowing it wouldn't really help him but he also knew it would make him feel better.

"How much longer?" Yao asked, sighing and sweating despite being naked on the bed as he would be in the water and his hair ties back though the ponytail had slipped about halfway down his hair after the day of travel.

"4 more days, moya lyubov." He sighed, not knowing if Yao could survive that long, he tucked some hair behind Yao's ear, "Prosti."

"It's not your fault." Yao said and put a hand against the cloth on his forehead, pushing further as if that would make it help more.

"I don't like seeing you hurt..." Ivan took his multiple layers off as Yao made a noise of acknowledgement, a few moments later he sat next to Yao, "Want me to be running you a bath?"

"Shì." Yao replied, he needed water even if it wouldn't help him in the slightest.

"Be giving me a moment." Ivan got up and went to the bathroom connected to the room, running the bath water. He watched the water and smiled softly as he remembered when he first met Yao, on the rocky coast of Magadan, Russia. It'd been an accident, Yao was lost and Ivan gave him directions and Yao left, he hadn't even learned his name then and only meant to comfort the freaked out Chinese merman who was sure Ivan was going to hurt him. When Ivan went by the area the next day there sat Yao, a blush dusting his cheeks as he tried to claim he hadn't come for Ivan but it was simply a coincidence, all if that being a lie.

As he added the bath salts Yao liked which made the water feel like ocean water even though it wasn't, he remembered when he asked Yao out at a Japanese bath house in Hasetsu, Kyushu. They had a hot spring to themselves and while Yao was swimming Ivan floated letters to him that when Yao read them all together spelled 'Be Mine?' to which his answer was to rush over and hug him, exclaiming his love before kissing him.

"Yao-Yao?" Ivan asked tentatively as he walked back in, "The bath is run." Yao turned his head to Ivan, he had taken his hair from it's ponytail and nods. Ivan took that as permission and picked Yao out, carrying him to the bath and slowly placing him into it.

"Come in." Yao said quietly, his head lolling.

"Zachem?" Ivan didn't want to hurt Yao but it wasn't like they hadn't been intimate before, hadn't seen each other naked before.

"Qǐng..." The look of absolute helplessness on Yao's face caused Ivan to instantly strip and climb into the bath behind Yao, hugging him from behind.

"You will be okay Yao." He mumbled into the brunette hair of his one true love.

Yao nodded, "Wǒ ài nǐ."

"Ya tozhe tebya lyublyu." Ivan replied instantly, feeling tears prick his eyes as he heard how weak Yao sounded, it terrified him. His Yao has a confident voice, bold, and commanding voice that still managed to be sweet, gentle, and caring. He hated to admit it but Yao was becoming a shell of himself, retreating inside himself as the sickness sucked the life from him. He cried silently so as not to concern Yao who couldn't see him, he didn't want a future without Yao and hoped he wouldn't have to imagine one in the next 4 days.

A short time later, that being 4 days, Ivan struggled as the time skipped into the twilight hours, barely carrying Yao as he trudged along. They'd been held up in Kazan so the trip lasted even longer but he was now only 7 miles from the coast.

He looked down to see Yao breathing heavily in his layers of robes that didn't have an exit, he sped up despite his own labored breath. Yao's face should only be blushing when Ivan has flattered him, not with sickness, Yao should only be pale when it's been winter for so long and he's been cuddling with Ivan every day, and should only be carried because he wants to be with Ivan on land, not because he's fighting for his life.

Many things flashed in his mind as he walked those last few miles, thoughts of chasing a naked toddler around the house and trapping them in Chinese clothes and carrying them to the coast to meet Yao, he wanted that. Of sliding a ring onto Yao's finger while he had his own, they couldn't get married officially as Yao was a mermaid and both their countries forbade marriage between members of the same sex but they could still have a private wedding and say that they're married...he wanted that too. Swimming with Yao in shallow water, having a picnic in a secluded part of a forest, baking while Yao watched, late night talks, and hot tea together...he wanted all of this, all of it with Yao and only him.

"We have made it Yao-Yao." He said as he collapsed onto his knees at the edge of the water.

Yao was struggling to breath and nodded, "H-Help me out of these.." He tugged at the shoulders of his robes.

"Konechno." Quickly Ivan rid Yao of his clothes which seemed to ease him a little. In a bit of a rush he helped Yao into the freezing Arctic waters of Arkhangelsk

Yao seemed to gain more of himself with each passing moment as he sat in the water, leaning against Ivan. A few minutes later he began edging further into the water, looking back at Ivan who mentioned for him to go. Yao happily dove into the water and disappeared, Ivan backed backed out of the water and stood up, waiting for a few hours as Yao swam deeper and deeper into the Arctic.

When Yao returned he looked refreshed, gasping for breath but in a way that wasn't concerning, "Ivan!" He yelled, swimming to the shallow part of the water and laying down on his elbows and looking up at him, "Nǐ hǎo!"

Ivan had never felt so relieved in his life, he ran to Yao and pulled him up, hugging him while crying heavily, "Yao!" Yao got up on what his knees would be if he had them and hugged back, running his hands up and down Ivan's back. "You are okay!"

"Shì, I am okay."

"Never leave me." Ivan sobbed, hugging him harder.

Yao buried his face into Ivan's shoulder, "I will not, Wǒ chéngnuò."

"Spasibo!" Ivan continued to cry for awhile longer but Yao stayed with him the whole time, and he stayed for awhile after, that is, if you count the rest of his life as awhile.