A/N: Right. This is precisely a continuation of what happened last time, so... x) Also:

[warning:] There's going to be some fluffy stuff, so if you don't like fluffy stuff, then skip the last part of this chapter. Oh, and let me remind you people about the rating. *evil grin*

R&R~

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Chapter 13

"Yao..." Ivan trailed, breathless.

The drenched and freezing Chinese found the Russian prepared to leave. Ivan held his pipe in one hand, and Yao's umbrella in the other. He also wore an overcoat he probably dug out from the antique closet.

The two of them stood there, staring at eachother, both bewildered.

Until Yao mentally shook himself into reality.

"Ivan..." He mumbled again as water dripped from his hair and clothes.

Ivan relaxed his tense stance. He moved a bit to let the psychologist in, then closed the door. Having failed finding words, he permitted a relieved smile spread across his cherubic face. He dropped what he was holding, then planted himself in front of the dripping pile that was Yao. He bent his knees a little so his face would be level to his, securing his hands on either of Yao's shoulders. The astonished Chinese gazed at the glimmering purple eyes that stared dearly into his. It melt his heart just seeing those eyes that penetrated him a great depth. Heat and color crept to his cheeks.

"Were you afraid?" Ivan asked, earnestly concerned.

"Huh..? About what, aru?"

"The thunder. Had it frightened you?"

"Oh. That... Umm... No, not really," he looked away. "The thunderstorm hasn't really started. Yet, at least, aru." Yao plunged his hand in his pocket. He felt the capsule Matthew had given him earlier. He forgot to take it, and he completely disregarded that fact. Then, he took out his hands again.

"I am glad," he said.

"Ivan... Let go now. I'm soaked. You might get wet, aru," he explained as he placed his hands over Ivan's. At the pleasantly warm touch of Ivan's hands, Yao took meticulous precaution not to let him see his face, which was painted with more color.

"It does not matter," Ivan answered. The redness in Yao's face grew even more. "Dampness could never kill me."

"Right. Well, let me just take a shower and change into something," Yao said, still averting his face. "Please. Let go now, aru."

"Oh. Pardon me." Ivan finally let go of his captive. He watched Yao trod off to his room, leaving a light trail of water on the carpet. He sighed and picked up his pipe and the umbrella, then laboriously flopped onto the couch. His thoughts ran about clumsily, unorganized and hazy, jumping from one illogical idea to another. That process lasted for quite a while, although he hadn't noticed it. In fact, he was absorbed with his noisily squabbling mind that he didn't hear Yao calling him.

"Ivan?" He called loudly. Luckily, this was enough to snap him back to earth.

He looked over his shoulder and found the Chinese standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, already in a fresh set of pj's.

"The stuff I made this morning weren't even touched. Didn't you eat anything all day, aru?"

Ivan shook his head innocently.

Yao's face distorted to a mild frown. "Why didn't you?"

"It seemed that I have fallen asleep. My slumber had kept me all afternoon," Ivan said.

"And you didn't bother eating before you slept?"

Ivan shook his head again.

"Fine," he breathed. "You wait here, I'll whip us up some dinner, aru." He stalked back to the kitchen.

Soon after, the familiar scent of sauteéd garlic and onions floated from the kitchen to the living room. Ivan simply leaned back in his seat and inhaled the appetite-arousing fragrance.

...

"If you want to see a rainbow, you have to go through the rain," he said as he stepped out of the bathroom.

The Chinese heard what he said, but didn't bother to look at him. He was sitting comfortably on his bed, his legs stretched, one foot over the other. He firmly kept his face dug in the book he was reading.

"So, what do you think?"

"About what?" Hong Kong asked, his eyes still refusing to let go of the book.

"The line I just said. If you want to see a rainbow, you have to go through the rain. I was planning to put that in our skit on Tuesday. So, what do you think?"

"It's nice."

"And?"

"I think it's true," he said, his eyes darting from one edge of a page to the other and back.

"That's all?"

"It's applicable in a lot of ways. Patience and perseverance are very practical values," he added, finally looking up. His eyes widened at the sight of the Korean. Immediately, he went red. "Yong Soo! Put some clothes on!"

"Why?" He asked, somewhat aiming to deadpan. He stood at the foot of the bed, completely nude. He was rubbing a towel against his head, drying off his hair, as if standing bare naked in front of someone was perfectly normal.

"Should you be even asking that?"

"Come on, it's fine. Besides, you're the only one who sees me like this," he persuaded.

Hong Kong kept his face as straight as he could possibly manage. "Seriously. Just-Just put something on already. It's indecent."

"You think I could do it later?" Yong Soo climbed on the bed, crawling, lumbering next to Hong Kong. "Please?"

The Chinese pushed him away and said, "no. Do it now. I won't tolerate any excuses. We have to finish at least half the joint book report by tonight. And we still have to practice the skit tomorrow."

"Don't worry about it. Unlike some people, I already finished reading that book," the Korean arrogantly stated, smirking.

"Oh, is that right? I'm so sorry. But unfortunately, I, unlike some people, had to work out eveything about the class project with eveyone else all week." The Chinese kapt a very sturdy poker face.

Yong Soo just laughed at that. What he said was true. All he ever did was laze around one of their friends' place while Hong Kong and all their other classmates worked their asses off the whole week.

He coughed. "Right... Then, since you were just so busy all week, why don't you let me do you some good?"

"I told you. No. Like I said, we still have a lot to do, and we can't afford to spare time on any of those things," he said, dignified. With that, he stood up and slipped his feet into his fluffy slippers and sat in his desk, in front of his laptop.

Yong Soo's wild imagination sprouted an idea.

So, all we have to do is finish everything and we're good to go, huh? Now, ain't that right, Hong Kong~?

He simpered stupidly.

"We'll be starting on the introduction. Then afterwards, we'll have dinner. But before that, could you just please put some clothes on?"

"Why... Of course," he reclined. He went to his bag and grabbed a few stuff. "It'll be more fun if we start foreplay with clothes on," he mumbled, mischievously planning what he was going to do to him later.

...

"Good night, Peter," he said as he finished tucking in his brother.

"Good night," the lad answered. Just before the older blonde stood up, the child caught his sleeve and pulled it lightly. "Umm... Arthur?"

"Yes?"

"Even if I have another mommy and a new daddy, I still... I still love you," he said in a small voice.

Arthur smiled at sincere happiness at the words. He ruffled Peter's hair and said, "I love you, too." The child smiled at him. "Now, you should get some sleep, we have to wake up early tomorrow."

"Okay."

With a wave from the smaller blonde, he left for his room.

I suppose that is how Yao feels about his brothers... How... Rewarding.

Arthur lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He had to settle in early tonight for Peter's PTA meeting the following day. As he thought to himself, he heard the rain gradually growing harder.

"I hope the rain would stop soon... He has always been afraid of thunder," Arthur whispered to himself. He blinked. "But... Surely that has already passed, hasn't it?"

The Briton sighed heavily. He turned his head to the side of his bed, and his gaze fell on the dainty lamp he left lit. His eyes travelled, and eventually landed on the small vase where he put the rose Alfred gave him earlier that day. He apprehended what a miracle it was that he managed to keep a tight hold on it even after all that he'd faced that afternoon, especially getting through the rain.

He stared at it.

"It appears I have forgotten how beautiful roses truly are... How pitiful of me..."

In spite of that, he smiled at himself and recollected what had happened that fateful afternoon. With a final sigh, and after he had concluded that the day was something worth remembering, he gently closed his eyes and let the sound of the cascading rain lull him to sleep.

...

Ivan walked into the kitchen and found Yao setting up the table.

"Oh. There you are, aru," Yao said as he looked up. "Come on. Take a seat and we'll have dinner in a few."

Instead of doing what he was told, Ivan went over to the cupboards and fetched what were still missing from the table.

"You don't have to-"

"Please. Allow me," he interrupted.

Yao just let him do what he wanted, he was too tired to argue. A slight headache was building up, too. After a couple more minutes, Yao found himself sitting at the table, having a quiet dinner with the Russian.

"Have you been very busy today?"

"Yes, aru. The director of the hospital came to talk to me. He said his sister wanted to see a psychologist, so he went to me. I'll be having Liechtenstein on Saturdays, aru. Of course, that wouldn't interest you much, now, would it?" He saw Ivan smile. "What's wrong?"

"You have always been that way," he began. With one of Yao's familiar questioning looks, he continued, "you rarely speak about private matters. All that you discuss at the dinner table is solely confined to either school or work. And that has never changed ever since you were young."

"Well, the kind of personal stuff you're talking about isn't really dinner table material."

"As you always justify."

And the rest of dinner passed by in a gale of uncomfortable silence. The only things that were heard were the sound of the rain outside and the clinking of the utensils against their plates. It was just until they were both done eating that the eerie silence was cracked.

As Yao started to clear up the table, Ivan readily piled up the dishes.

"I shall wash these."

"No, aru. You stay in the living room and watch TV or something, I'll do the dishes."

Ivan shook his head. "You have been working all day, while I have been sleeping all afternoon. It is only just that I fulfill my partition of the labor." He nodded, one of assurance.

"Uhh..." That was awkward. "Okay, then, I guess. Thanks, aru."

With a quaint nod, Yao proceeded to the living room, took the remote, sat on the couch, and switched on the TV. He flipped through a multitude of channels, finding nothing that interests him. The remote slipped; his hand suddenly went numb. It started to get a bit chilly, too. He felt warm around his neck and his face, but he ignored it. He convinced himself that it was merely the weather. When his hand regained some feeling again, he picked up the remote and resumed with scanning the channels.

A soft thunder clap echoed from the skies. Yao jumped.

Aiyaa... Don't start now. Spare me, just do it later when I'm deep asleep... He peeped over his shoulder. Ivan, finish with the dishes already, aru...

At the sound of the thunder, the Russian hastened to complete his task.

Yao... Please bear with it for the moment. I shall be with you shortly.

Yao took sharp, short breaths as his hand trembled, tediously keeping himself occupied with the TV.

...

"Alright. Then that's that. We're done at last. Now we could get some shut-eye," he yawned.

"I didn't expect having dinner first would be a better choice."

"What I'd tell you? I invented planning, so obviously, everything I plan is always better than anything else."

"Of course it is, Yong Soo."

"Okay, now you save that and we're off to bed," the Korean said, somewhat containing his enthusiasm.

"Sure. You go on ahead, I'll just turn this off."

Yong Soo shuffled to the bed and hopped on, careful not to wreck the neatly folded sheets. He found a comfy spot and settled himself. He waited for Hong Kong as the latter turned off the lights and switched on the lamp standing on the bedside table. Yong Soo remained unmoved when Hong Kong finally managed to tuck himself next to him.

"I'm worried."

"About Yao?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"He isn't actually good friends with thunder, you see..."

"Oh. So he's afraid of thunder."

"Sort of. You could say that." Yong Soo sighed. "Well, yes. But I don't think I have to worry so much about it."

"Why? You just said you were worried."

"Yeah, I did. But I remembered Ivan's still at our place. I think he could take care of Yao-hyung. He's been trying to convince Yao-hyung that he was his missing panda from the moment we laid eyes on him." He grinned.

"I know. You already told me that... So you believe him?"

"Do I believe him?" He repeated. He thought for a second before saying, "I think so. As impossible as it may seem-"

It's not really impossible for someone like you, Hong Kong thought.

"-I do. I have this feeling in my gut that he's actually telling the truth." He made a duck face. "I dunno. But... I guess I could say that it's all good. Especially because he knows every single thing when it comes to Yao-hyung." He snickered. "Plus, they go well together."

"Alright. Whatever you say. Good night, Yong Soo."

"Good night, Hong Kong."

As the two of the lay face-up on the soft bed, Yong Soo concluded that it was troublesome to do anything to Hong Kong at that point. It seemed that doing the book report was tiring-they had to make a few phone calls for clarifications and they had to run all over the house to get reference materials. Although, as tired as he is, Yong Soo still doesn't feel like sleeping. He took Hong Kong in consideration, and did his best to stay still and fall asleep... But failed. He spent an hour or so staring up at the ceiling, listening to the heavy rain outside.

"Hong Kong..?" He whispered. "Are you awake?" He didn't really expect any answers.

"Yes."

He was suprised to have received a response, but he was happy. "Really?"

"Yes."

"I thought you were asleep already..."

"I thought so, too. But I couldn't sleep."

"Me, too..." He breathed. "So... Are we supposed to fall asleep now?"

"I think so."

"Uhh... Are you sleepy?"

"Not really."

"You think we could talk?"

"Aren't we already talking?" Hong Kong deadpanned.

"Right. Of course we are." Yong Soo made another duck face. A state of prolonged reticence followed shortly after his words. They spent a couple of minutes or so contented in being quiet and wordless. Until Yong Soo eventually got enough of it.

"Hey, Hong Kong..."

"Hmm?"

"Do you remember what I wished for my twelfth birthday?"

"You said you wanted a huge bear to match Yao's panda."

"Right. I lied back then."

"I already suspected that. So, what did you really wish for?"

"I actually I wished that I'd never grow up and just be twelve forever."

"Really... And what happened?"

He laughed mockingly at himself, then breathed heavily. "I wanted time to stop so I could stay twelve forever," he started. "At that time, I perfectly knew it was impossible, but... I still hoped some sort of miracle would happen. Stupid, I know. But then, I waited. Days, weeks, months... Apparently, it only sank in a couple of years after that. As time passed, we celebrated Kiku-hyung and Yao-hyung's birthdays. And I saw how they grew up; Yao-hyung went to college and Kiku-hyung finished high school. At long last, I figured out that I already graduated from being a twelve-year-old."

Hong Kong turned his head to look at him, but Yong Soo still had his sight fixed on the ceiling.

"Silly thought, though... I had a couple more birthdays but I still didn't realize those stuff yet."

The Korean shut his eyes for a few seconds and opened them up. He tilted his head and smiled as his eyes met with the other's. From a casual onlooker's view, he would plainly see nothing in the Chinese's eyes. But as for Yong Soo, after all the years he had spent with him, he was far too experienced for that. He would clearly understand what Hong Kong wants to say with a single glance.

His hand searched for Hong Kong's underneath the sheets. As he managed to get a grasp on it, he pulled it to his face and he squirmed closer, until their faces were only more or less half a ruler away.

"I dunno, but... Thanks for a lot of reasons." He rolled a bit and gave the Chinese a kiss on the cheek.

"That was mild of you," Hong Kong said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," he began, "first, you don't normally open up at random like that, unless it bugs you enough, and second, you don't usually give kisses like that."

"Okay. I can explain. First, I think the randomly opening up part was probably because I'm too worried about Yao-hyung and that I just wanted to distract myself. And second, why? You want something more than a kiss like that?" Yong Soo grinned. "As you wish, then," he said as he rolled nearer to his face.

Another thunder clap rang outside as the rain grew even heavier.

...

This is ironic, Yao. You're being a huge hypocrite. You're a psychologist that helps kids with their problems, but you can't even solve your own trauma. It's pathetic of you, aru.

He jerked at the sound of another thunder clap burst outside. His headache made him dizzy. He felt his breath warmer than usual, but as he did earlier, he ignored it.

Please, cut it out already, aru... Ugh, why can't I just get over it?

Ivan peered over the couch, unseen by the other. He wanted to check how he was doing. Seeing as Yao was doing his best concentrating on the TV screen, and was already wearing an agitated frown, he decided to go over and sit on the other end of it.

"Ivan..." he blurted out, somewhat relieved at the sight of him.

The Russian gave him a reassuring smile.

A thunder clap exploded violently, this one was louder than the previous ones. Yao jumped again; he discreetly inched closer to Ivan. The smile on the latter's face seemed to have been replaced by an anxious look. Once more, another one came booming in the skies, making Yao flip at the sound.

"Why doesn't it just stop, aru?" He complained, fear still evident in his voice. He inched a bit closer to Ivan again.

I really want my panda now, aru...

Without another word, Ivan positioned himself right beside Yao, leaving no space between them. The Chinese looked at him, curious but thankful.

"As I have explained, I have been your panda for thirteen years. After that long period, I became well aware of the most crucial facts about you," he stated. "You are afraid of thunder since the age of four."

He had no answer for that.

If the person beside him were somebody else, Yao would have died out of mortification. But considering Ivan's explanation about the panda thing, Yao concluded that it wouldn't be so bad to let his guard down around him. Funny thing, though, he still doesn't believe him. Or atleast, he claims he doesn't.

"Whenever there had been thunderstorms, your mother always took you in her arms. Then, she would cradle you and hush you from crying."

"Yeah, I know. I remember that perfectly. You don't have to remind me about it, aru." He felt the atmosphere become colder. He was tired and his headache began to pull him into a lethargic state. He felt a tighteness in his chest, forcing him to take quick, shallow, constrained breaths.

With a warm hand, Ivan touched Yao's face and gently tipped over his head, making him lean on his shoulder. Ivan went a bit uneasy as he felt the Chinese's face; it was burning hot. Yao, on the other hand, found Ivan's hand very pleasant against his cheeks. Ivan's shoulder was very inviting, too; he was suddenly tempted to sleep that way.

"Rest for a while."

His voice was soothing.

Modesty, proper reasoning, logic, embarrassment, and all other stuff seemed to have vanished as Yao found immaculate sanctity in the company of the other.

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A/N: I... I don't know... I have no idea. I... Uhh... You decide. o3o

BTW, I was wondering if any of you ever thought of Francis or Arthur as pedophiles. They were all grown up when they took in little Matthew and little Alfred, so... *stare*

We had our report cards given yesterday... That was just something random.

Also, my glasses got cracked last week, and yesterday, it finally went to the kind optometrist up in the sky... TT3TT So long, glasses, this is a small tribute to you~

Alright. Bye~

13 Septemeber 2010

2117H