A/N: M'kay, this was done for a Valentine's Day contest on . And, before you ask, I am working on The Flower and the Honey-Bee, but my mother has, erm... Appropriated my laptop for a withe and thus I will not be able to get it done as soon as I thought I would.
I really like this story. It turned out PARFECT~ Way better than I would've hoped. I'm surprised it was this good! Anyway, epically long artist's comments (as well as an awesome ChinaViet picture) can be found here: .com/art/On-Kisses-and-Heartbeats-153767905
Disclaimer: HETALIA IS NOT MADE MY ME YUSH. WOO. NOW READ THE FANFIC.
On Kisses and Heartbeats
A Hetalia Fanfiction
===
It starts with a kiss. From the child to the nation, a brush of lips against a cheek.
"Wha-what was that?"
"A... A kiss! For luck."
"Luck?"
"Y-es! Because, because, the person I liked kissed me, so I gave you a good-luck kiss, so now the person you like will kiss you!"
Smile. Thank you.
The night wears on, grows old. It is best to leave now, before the dawn.
===
Vietnam stood up and stretched her aching muscles. Arms clasped over her head, lean to the left, then the right, front, then back. Relax; breathe in deeply.
"For luck."
Naïeve to the extreme. A child from another nation across the world had given the small blessing of luck in something Vietnam did not want nor need.
--Or that is what her mind told her Self. Her Self knew better but chose not to argue.
The female nation yawned, feeling some of the tension in her muscles relax. She blinked one, twice, then a third time as the letters of the paperwork swam. A sigh. This stack of paperwork was not getting smaller soon. Besides, it would be sunset soon, and Vietnam never got anything done after sunset.
--Her Self tugged at a few strings, influenced her mind.
"For luck."
A decision came to her in that moment. Vietnam paused, baffled. How on earth did her brain come up with the absurd notion of visiting China? She shook her head. It must be exhaustion from slaving over a mountain of paperwork all day long.
But visiting China would help her to relax and let go of some of the tension that had been building up inside her. For some reason, being around that guy made Vietnam feel more at ease, although she had no clue why.
--Oh, she knew why. Her mind may deny it, but her Self knew the truth.
This was ridiculous. Absolutely goddam frickin' ridiculous. She must be absolutely insane. I-N-S-A-N-E.
But, insane or not, Vietnam was standing at the door to China's house, debating whether to knock or just go back home. Five seconds, ten seconds, fifteen. Vietnam started to turn around. Twenty seconds, twenty-five, thirty. She stopped herself and looked back at the door. Thirty-five seconds, forty seconds, forty-five. Bracing herself, Vietnam knocked. For a moment, nothing happened, but then there was the sound of footsteps and the door opened to reveal a flustered-looking Tibet.
"Tashi delek, Vietnam!"
"Chào ông, Tây Tạng."
"China sku ngo is inside. Are you here to see him?"
A brief pause. "Yes, I am."
"Follow me, please!"
Tibet led Vietnam into the house. After a while, he paused to knock on the door of an inner room.
"China-san, Vietnam is here to see you!"
The door was opened by Hong Kong. "You want to see gor gor?"
Vietnam gave him a look. "So?"
The special administrative region shrugged and pattered off down the hall. Tibet followed him, leaving Vietnam alone with China.
"Vietnam-chan! Come on in."
Vietnam entered the room, closing the door behind her. "Goo-good evening."
China was sitting in the middle of the room, working on an inkbrush painting. The various shades of gray seemed to shiver for a moment before resolving into an incompleted landscape depicting a forested mountain.
"You're good."
"I've had enough time to practice."
Vietnam smiled at this. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
China chuckled. "Perhaps it is."
Vietnam flopped down beside him with a sigh. Already she could feel herself relaxing, the tightness in her muscles unwinding, the tension in her back and shoulders loosening.
"You here for any reason?"
"I thought I'd bother you."
"Oh, really?"
Vietnam smirked. "Really."
"And just how do you plan on doing that?"
A pause. Then-
"Got your nose!"
"Wha-what… Hey! Gi-give it back!"
Vietnam laughed. China soon joined in, their sides shaking, a tear or two squeezing out from under their closed eyelids. Vietnam smiled at China, fully relaxed and at ease now.
Then she did something totally unbelievable.
Leaning forward, Vietnam quickly pressed her lips against China's, then pulled away. Shocked, she could do nothing. China blinked in surprise. He made no move to say or do anything.
Vietnam was mortified. Springing up, she dashed out the door, running down corridors until she found herself outside in a courtyard. Sitting down, Vietnam severely reprimanded herself. Her naïveté astonished her. She didn't need love, she didn't want love, she didn't want to embarrass herself.
But she had. Vietnam, in one precious moment of trust, had let down all her guards and bared her soul.
And she suffered for it.
Vietnam heard footsteps in the corridor, and then China sat down beside her. She looked away in shame, quickly glancing at him before resuming staring at the ground. He was sitting perfectly straight, an expression of absolute calm on his face.
She loved the way he sat: straight, yet not rigid; precise, yet flowing. She loved the way he looked, firm, not hard. She loved the way he acted, old, yet young. She loved everything about him.
"Vietnam."
She clenched her hands in her lap. I'm sorry.
"Vietnam, look at me."
Biting her lower lip, Vietnam struggled to keep from crying.
China sighed and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. Those eyes, such a deep, beautiful brown, had captivated Vietnam almost from the first moment she had seen them. By contrast, her eyes were a simple dark brown with shades of green. Completely unnoticeable; the kind you wouldn't give a second glance. Vietnam turned her gaze away from those eyes.
"Look at me."
Vietnam returned her eyes to his face. What do you want with me?
China held her gaze for a few seconds before leaning in and kissing her.
Vietnam's eyes opened wide in shock before slowly drifting closed in pleasure. China's arms were around her, her arms were around him, his fingers were tangled in her hair.
Time lost all meaning to Vietnam. She was pressed against China, his lips against hers, and everything was perfect.
Eventually they broke apart, mostly due to the lack of oxygen. China hugged her tightly, pressing her body against his. Vietnam was aware of the warmth of his body, the rustle of his clothes, his smell of jasmine and plum blossoms, the warmth of his breath on her neck, the beat of his heart against her chest, the beat of his heart, the beat of his heart, the beat of his heart, the beat of his heart, his breath, his warmth, his scent, himself.
Vietnam let herself relax in China's arms. She closed her eyes, drinking in the sheer bliss of the moment. There was nothing else. Nothing else existed but her, China, and this little ledge leading to the courtyard.
China breathed in deeply and whispered softly in her ear.
"Wang Yao."
Vietnam opened her eyes in shock. She closed them again, taking in the simple trust and happiness of the moment, mouthing those two words to herself. Wang Yao.
It was her turn now. Vietnam breathed in, whispering her name into China's ear.
"Hue."
China mouthed her name to himself; she could feel his jaw moving against her shoulder. Then he kissed her again, sending shivers of delight down her spine. They broke apart, China pressing his forehead against hers, their noses slightly brushing.
China gently smiled at her, his warm brown eyes overflowing with emotion.
"…Thank you…"
He blinked, surprised. "What for, Hue?"
Vietnam felt the pleasure of him using her name. Tears sprang to her eyes as she thought of the events of the past few hours. "I… I…"
The tears spilled over her eyes as she clung to China and sobbed. He held her tightly and murmured comforts into her ear as she cried.
The tears stopped flowing after a little bit, and Vietnam looked into China's eyes.
"…For everything…"
Vietnam gently kissed him on the cheek. China put his hand behind her head, supporting her and drawing her closer to himself.
"…I love you, Wang Yao…"
China's grip tightened.
"…I love you too…"
Vietnam treasured his warmth, the feel of his kisses on her lips, the beat of his heart against her chest.
===
The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return.
-Eden Ahbez
~Fin~