Disclaimer: ladida~ Hetalia~ not ours~

Stranded

Part Two

Chilly, Avio Favalon

There was a multitude of things that Mathias Anderson was not expecting upon his waking up. One of them was being on a lifeboat. Of course, he had forgotten that he'd fallen overboard with a potentially homicidal young woman with an obsession with her brother "Vanya." Two was the immense, blistering pain that seemed to be swallowing up his hand. Three was that said hand resting on the lap of the potentially-homicidal young woman.

Four was how… how unexpectedly cute she looked when she was asleep.

Really, if she wasn't so scary, she would be so much prettier than she is alr-

His train of thought was interrupted by a completely involuntary cry of pain. Shit, his hand fucking hurt so much worse now that his mind was slowly waking up more and was all the more aware of the pain.

His cry woke up the sleeping potentially-homicidal young woman. Her eyes opened slowly, nearly blinded by the sun above her, and she gave a groan in irritation. "What in god's name is your problem?"

"Well, my fucking hand really hurts, for starters!" He snapped back, clutching his hand in the other carefully.

Natalia's angry expression fell a fraction. "A-ah, da, you… left your hand in the water when you fell asleep… there was nothing I could do to help you at the time… I… I apologize…" She said quietly, glancing down at the hand. "I tried to catch something myself, but it was late and cold and..." she left the other apology unspoken. Her pride could only take so much, and she could already feel the small flush on her cheeks from even uttering the words.

At least some part of me is warm. The thought was short, somewhat grim, and a little bitter, even.

"It's…it's okay that you couldn't do anything… I couldn't either. I never realized how h-hard fish were to catch!" He scratched the back of his head, which was covered in a thick layer of sticky salt, "It kind of stinks being trapped on this boat doesn't it?"

Natalia blinked over at him. He was most certainly a foolish idiot. Wasn't it becoming increasingly obvious that if they weren't rescued soon they were going to die? He didn't seem worried about dying… almost at all. Or maybe he was just doing a good job of hiding it.

…or maybe he wasn't…because suddenly, she found that he was sitting in his usual spot, with his knees pulled up to his chest, and his arms wrapped around his knees…and like she had done earlier (or not done) … he was sobbing. Pretty loudly too, she might've added.

And his sobbing only made her want to sob as well.

"D-Do you think we are gonna die! I can't die! I have a little cousin to take care of! And-and my brothers!" He shook his head in his arms, "And my big brother… we fi-fight a lot and I-I act stupid a lot and piss him off for fun but-but I still l-love him! I don't mean- mean to fight with him—it's just that s-sometimes I can't help it and-"

His words were cut short when Natalia leaned forward a bit and uncharacteristically wrapped her arms completely around him, "I have a family too… whom I miss dearly." She couldn't tell him that everything was going to be alright and that they would see their families soon, because to tell the truth, she wasn't entirely sure herself…In her mind there was a higher chance of them dying them being saved, and she didn't mean to seem pessimistic, but she actually just saw herself as more realistic than anything. Why get all worked up about being rescued when chances were slim? Heck, they were smack in the middle of the ocean, they hadn't seen a single boat the whole time. Not even a small one. They had no supplies… and this was the morning of their third day… and they hadn't eaten at all… So the best Natalia could do for Mathias at the moment was comfort him. Not that she'd ever been a great comforter… but she did know Mathias' feelings. His want for his family… after all… she missed her Vanya more than she could even bear to think. Natalia blinked over at him. He was most certainly a foolish idiot. Wasn't it becoming increasingly obvious that if they weren't rescued soon they were going to die? He didn't seem worried about dying… almost at all. Or maybe he was just doing a good job of hiding it.

"We are going to die, aren't we, Natalia?" He quiet, hoarse voice gripped at her heartstrings.

"D-da… I think we are Mathias…" She suddenly felt him grip a hold of the front of her dress, "But… we will do our best to stop that from happening. We will try to find land or something…" She wasn't going to die without trying first. That just wouldn't be fair. She decided that she was going to come up with a plan. They were not going to be sleeping at the same time. They just couldn't do that. If they did it would mean that they would miss anything that may have come and could've helped. She also decided that if they ever felt like they were in an area with a large abundance of edible fish, they would both do their best to catch one. And if they were both awake they would use anything they could to find help.

She relayed her simple, yet hopefully effective plan to Mathias, (still holding onto him, of course, and not really realizing how comforting his grips on her actually were for both of them.) and he nodded. He was up for it. How could he not be? It was their only chance to survive this horrible accident… the only hope they had...

~o~

So the plan went on like this for three more nights…with no luck of finding food at all, or help or anything of the sort. They only thing that had keep the two from being completely dehydrated was the fact that it rained once in the middle of the night, and a large portion of it had gathered in a puddle at the bottom of the boat, and they were doing everything they could to keep that from evaporating… not that it was working all that well…

The water, while it quenched their thirst, was doing absolutely nothing to keep her hunger away. In fact, she was getting to the point where she was so hungry, that the currently sleeping Mathias, who was resting peacefully in her lap, was beginning to look like a good meal…

Oh what was she thinking! She couldn't eat Mathias… she was much too attached to the air-headed boy to eat him now… but they were both dying without any food. And she knew it… they were dying slowly. And while they were probably going to die either way, she…she wanted to survive… she really did. If only to be with her Vanya-…she glanced at her scarf…then back to Mathias.

…She used to live only for Vanya… heck, she used to live so much for her brother that she knew if anything happened to him, she too would throw herself off of a bridge just to be with him. But now.. now that she had relied on Mathias' help to keep her alive, and he had relied on hers, she wondered if she really needed her Vanya as much as she had once thought she did.

Right now she needed Mathias (even though the bum was sleeping).

She didn't need Vanya. Unless he was coming with a boat to save them, she didn't need him at all.

She didn't need his scarf…

Or did she need his scarf? Maybe it could be useful as a net.. YES! She could use it as a net!

Pulling the thing away from her neck, careful not to disturb the sleeping Mathias too much, she knotted it as best as she could into the shape of a net, and tossed it into the water.

…But of course things weren't going her way, and soon, her makeshift net became much too heavy for her. The waterlogged-ness of it and the exhaustion she felt in her entire body soon allowed for the strange handmade net to slip from her grip, and float out into the open ocean, far, far away from their little boat.

She didn't even know what she was thinking… a scarf net! Was this the end for them both? Were they ever going to get some food? Was this finally the motherfucking end?

She let out a small cry, collapsing on the side of the boat, arms still in the water and grasping at the ghost of the scarf desperately. She lifted her head just barely, tears starting to form, as she watched it drift away.

That was her last connection to her brother and their last chance for food.

She cried. Certainly she was allowed this small moment of weakness? This feeling of hopelessness? She had always prided herself in being a strong young woman who knew how to take anything, but right now, she felt so much uncertainty and loss and hopelessness.

She hadn't tried to quiet herself this time, having momentarily forgotten she wasn't alone. Therefore, she wasn't aware that her crying was actually heard this time. Mathias stirred on her lap, eyes cracking open and looking up at her groggily. It took him a moment to realize that she was crying, but when he did, he shakily sat up and pulled her into his arms.

At this point, she was far too weak and upset to fight it. She simply allowed herself to be held by the Dane, even going as far as clinging to him. They sat like that a while, how long exactly, neither were certain. It was long enough for Natalia to have her cry and eventually calm down. Neither really cared, either. It was nice to be warm for once. It was nice to be cared about and depended on. It was nice not to be alone.

Natalia had fallen asleep, Mathias' arms still around her.

He decided that he didn't like to see her cry. He decided that he did, however, like having her in his arms, and he really liked her clinging to him. He also really liked her sleeping while pressed against him.

He gave a sigh and leaned back against the boat, careful not to rouse the sleeping woman in his arms, his hand stroking her wet, stringy hair absentmindedly, barely registering the rough touch. His other hand hurt, but he kept it pressed against her back.

That night, Natalia dreamt of warmth, as she usually did though her brother did not seem anywhere near. There was someone else instead, though she hadn't been able to tell who.

~o~

Natalia had awoken as the sun was rising. Mathias had been dozing, but opened his eyes when he felt her shift slightly. He cracked a grin when she sighed softly, saying to her in a strained, parched voice, "Morning, sleepyhead. I hope you were able to sleep well, regardless of the circumstances?'

"D-da… I did…" she responded quietly, rubbing at her eye gently, then looking up at him, light blue-violet eyes looking into bright blue…

It wasn't the first time in the past few days time he'd wanted to kiss her. It certainly wasn't the first time he caught himself thinking about how beautiful she was.

They both knew that they were going to die, though neither of them were willing to do so without a fight. He could see it in her eyes right now; Natalia Arlovskaya was not the sort of woman to give up so easily, even if she knew the outcome was against her. Hell, he certainly wasn't the kind of person to give up. He was far too stubborn and pigheaded for that.

Their strong wills aside, they still knew that they were going to die. That didn't matter to them, though. They were still alive now, and hopefully they would be for a few more days.

With this in mind, their lips met in a desperate kiss, fingers weakly clinging onto clothes and bodies pressed together as much as their dwindling strength would allow. It was warm and comforting and their hearts pounded quickly in their chests, their hunger momentarily forgotten, their minds too distracted with one another to even think about it. At that moment, this was all that mattered. They were touching, their lips were touching, and they weren't alone.

Ivan was the farthest thing from Natalia's mind as she gently nipped at Mathias' bottom lip, pulling it between her own and feeling the soft (even if a little chapped) flesh, releasing it oh-so-slowly. Mathias couldn't help but grin as he tried to pull her closer, reuniting their lips in another kiss.

Yes, they knew that they would die soon. So they enjoyed what would probably be the last kiss they would ever have.

~o~

Just a day, maybe a little bit longer, after that kiss, they could barely move anymore. Their strength had nearly completely abandoned them. Mathias was laying full out on his back in the boat, Natalia nestled into his arms.

Warm. Safe. Alive for now. Death will come soon, but right now, it is warm and safe.

They were out of water. Their throats were almost too dry to speak. They could both feel death coming for them, even if slowly.

"M-Mathias… thank… thank y-" Natalia wanted to thank him for saving her, for helping her survive, for loving her, even if it wasn't the truest of loves, but she was cut off.

"Sh-shh… Nata… lia… d-don't…" Mathias protested as best as he could; Natalia needed all the strength she could get. He didn't want to be alone. He didn't want her to die yet. He hoped they would die together, so neither would have to be alone.

He tried to smile, his lips cracking painfully. Even like this, she's really something. It's too bad we couldn't have met in different circumstances. That probably… would have been cool…

…really…cool…

Mathias felt the sun blaring sun begin to fade from his vision as his eyes fell shut and darkness fell upon his cold aching body. He could no longer stay awake. The blistered hand that he had left inside of the water so long had only gotten worse, and his body was severely sunburned and crackling. People weren't meant to be trapped on the ocean… they just weren't. Especially not without food. Oh how Mathias would've KILLED for a steak right now. A big juicy steak with…

"Heyyyy!"

"Na-na-talia you shouldn't waste…ener..gy."

"That- wasn't—"

"Hey! There are people in that boat! They look bad, but they are moving! You think they might be from that one cruise liner? Those two people that went missing a week or so ago?" That definitely wasn't Natalia. Definitely not. Natalia didn't speak so informally nor with a strange thick fisherman's accent… if fisherman even had accents.

"I'm not sure, buddy, but you need to reel them in before they do die!"

"Haha, just wait until boss hears this. Biggest fish we've caught in a long time." Laughter, the sound of movement.

It was only a moment later when Mathias felt Natalia being pulled away from him, "No… no don't hurt her…" Mathias mumbled reaching out towards nothing. He couldn't even bear to peel his eyes open because it required too much energy and it burned his eyes when he opened them too far.

But soon, he, too, was being pulled out of the boat by a pair of hands much stronger than his own, and into the warm air of a heated cabin. "Wh-where?" He mumbled, feeling limp, heavy.

"Welcome aboard The Mermaid, mister!" The voice was cheerful, gruff, strong. "She's a little fancier than most fishing boats, almost too fancy for my taste, but you'll definitely be comfortable."

"You two are lucky; lunch should be served here soon enough," the other voice said.

It wasn't even two minutes before the smell of something cooking filled his nostrils. He then gripped a hold of the man who was carrying him excitedly, (which wasn't all that strong of a grip..) which caused the man to let out a laugh, "I think this guy is hungry!"

"Well, feed him, then!"

The excitement of being found must've been too much for Mathias to handle, because he ended up passing out as soon as they set him at a table, the strong arms still holding him up.

~o~

Sooner or later though, Mathias woke up to an extremely warm bath. Warm water had never, ever felt better on his skin. But either way, he wasn't sure if he ever wanted to leave the bath. He felt so warm and refreshed… but he found that his stomach still weighed a million pounds. He still hadn't eaten since being rescued, and as much as he wanted to stay in the bath, he didn't have the energy to stay in long. And he was about to step out of the bathtub when suddenly Natalia poked her head in, holding a robe in her arms.

She then pulled into the bathroom completely, and slipped the robe over him.

"You haven't eaten. You got so excited when you saw the food that you fainted when they put you at the table…" He noticed a glimmer of playfulness in her eyes as she pulled the robe together and tied it before reaching for the bandages she had placed on the sink. Moving quickly she bandaged up his hand, before slipping underneath his arm to support him. She then lead him back to the table where the food was, wanting to make sure that he didn't faint when he saw that rather succulent lobster they had prepared for them.

She also didn't want to leave him because if something happened, she couldn't bear it. Not alone… She needed to be with him to keep him (and herself, in a way) safe.

She could feel her energy returning more as she watched the boy eat, and even though his desperate eating wasn't exactly the most attractive thing in the world, seeing him fill so quickly with energy just by being around something as simple as food was very attractive… and Natalia could honestly say that the thought of being without him sort of made her anxious.

Once Mathias finished eating, he pulled himself upwards from the table, and smiled at Natalia, before grabbing a hold of her wrist and pulling her over to a couch they could sit on. Of course he sat close to her, placing his hand on her knee.

"Are we dead?" He asked rather quietly to her, "Did we die?"

She blinked over at him, before a gentle smile wore over her sun burned face, "D-Da… we are dead and in heaven now." She placed her hand on his cheek, and he leaned into it, placing his own hand over hers.

"You are in my heaven, then?" He, too, smiled warmly towards her, "I don't know whether to be scared or happy…"

"You are happy Mathias." She leaned forward and placed her lips to his warm cheek, "You are really happy…"

He grinned, turning to face her, lips meeting hers. The kiss was short, sweet, relieved. Hands gently, carefully cupped cheeks for the brief moment it lasted, the two of them pulling away slowly.

"S-so, um, this…?" Mathias asked, looking into her eyes. "When we get back… what will happen? Will we still be…? Or is this one of those… it wont last…? A-and what about our families?"

Natalia pursed her lips, thinking about what may happen. They would probably go home with their families; how could they stay together? However, the thought of not being near him, after the past two weeks, frightened her. She had gotten too used to the comfort of being close to him, almost always touching, like a security blanket. Just like Vanya's scarf b-before…

"I… do not know. I do not think it matters. Not right now. I just know that I do not want to be away from you. I am far too used to your presence, as obnoxious as it is." She smirked, gently touching his face so as not to irritate the burn. She leaned in close for another kiss. "We will figure those things out upon our arrival home, da?"

He smiled, meeting the kiss eagerly. "I guess that works."

Mathias figured she had been right: he was really happy.

A/N: ~*~Authors' notes will be after the omake, kthx~*~