This started with someone sending a drabble request on Tumblr, then I talked about the drabble on a discord server, and then many many ideas popped up and this just had to be written.

Have a beautiful day!

Ivan had been wondering for a while who was attacking the cookie jar. Or the entire snack cupboard, for that matter. He knew it wasn't only his own doing. "Yao?"

"Mm?" Yao was pouring the tea.

"Do you also eat those biscuits?"

A short silence. "No."

"I was just wondering why they run out so soon. If you like them as well, we should put them on the grocery list more often."

"I don't eat them. Maybe you take more than you realize? It's not a big pack, after all. Maybe it looks empty quicker."

"Maybe so." Ivan thought he saw a light blush on Yao's face, but he didn't bother to ask any further.

When Ivan woke up, the darkness told him it was still night. He tried to pull Yao close, only to discover the other wasn't in bed at all. He closed his eyes again, assuming that Yao was simply on the toilet and would be back any moment.

Ten minutes later, however, Ivan wasn't so sure anymore. He got out of bed and went down the stairs. The light was on in the kitchen and he looked inside from the doorframe.

Yao sat on the kitchen counter, cross-legged, the disputed pack of biscuits in his lap. He munched on one cookie while grabbing the next. He was reaching for another one when he spotted Ivan. "H-how long have you been standing there?" he asked with his mouth full, sliding the pack behind his back.

Ivan smirked. "Long enough." He strolled over to the counter and kissed Yao's head. His skin was cold, which wasn't unusual these days. "So, you're the cookie monster?"

Yao looked at him, trying to pretend his cheeks weren't full. Ivan noticed the bags under his eyes.

"Can I have one?"

Yao revealed the pack and held it open. Ivan picked a biscuit from it, pulling Yao closer by his waist.

Yao chewed and swallowed. "Sometimes I get hungry at night, okay?"

"I'm not judging."

He pulled a couple of empty wrappers from behind his back.

"Yao?"

"I get very hungry, okay?"

Ivan hugged him. "That's because you haven't been eating dinner properly. You keep running back and forth. You need to set aside more time for yourself."

Yao nodded. "Please don't tell Kiku. I always scolded him for snacking at night."

Ivan smirked and kissed Yao on his cheek. "Your secret's safe." He lifted Yao up, who managed to grab the pack of biscuits along.

"Let's sleep, da? We'll take things a bit slower tomorrow."

Yao nodded, grabbing one last biscuit to munch on.

Yao's head landed on Ivan's shoulder with a light thud. "Is it nap time?"

Yao nodded.

"That's because you get up at night to snack."

He groaned and snuggled closer. Ivan looked around the meeting room. It didn't look like they were going to do anything substantial. "Panda burrito?"

Yao at once unzipped Ivan's coat and positioned himself against Ivan's chest. He wrapped his arms around Ivan's waist and rested his head comfortably against the strong shoulder. Ivan smiled and zipped his coat back up, now covering the both of them. He wrapped his arms tightly around Yao and nuzzled him. Soon enough, he heard Yao's light snores. He continued on some paperwork, making sure not to disturb his panda.

Feliciano came running towards them. "China! China!"

Ivan sent him the coldest glare he could muster.

Italy whimpered and turned on his heels.

Ivan checked if Yao was still asleep and continued with his work.

"Dude!"

Ivan threw his pen at Alfred with such force, that the latter stumbled and fell over. "Ouch!"

Ivan held a finger to his lips.

"Fine, I'll come back later..."

Yao stirred and Ivan quickly lulled him back to sleep. No one had the right to disturb his panda.

Kiku quietly delivered some papers. He knew what Yao was like when woken too early.

When Yao did wake, Ivan nuzzled him again. "Welcome back."

Yao rubbed his eyes. "I'm—"

"Hungry?"

He nodded.

"Left side, the second pocket from above."

Yao searched around before pulling out a bunch of snacks. Ivan prided himself on having his inner pockets filled with anything Yao might need. He watched his tired-looking panda munch. He knew that asking directly wouldn't work, but maybe… "I'm concerned about Ukraine's health lately. Do you think I should tell her to go see a doctor?"

Yao shook his head, chewing. "I don't like Western doctors. Too focused on symptoms alone."

"Then what would you advise?"

"I don't know what her problems are."

"Well..." Ivan pulled him closer. "She's very tired recently. Cold, too. She's also very restless, always either moving around or napping away an energy low."

"Mm. I can't tell for sure without checking her pulse, but I think it's some sort of qi deficiency. Yang, I think."

"What would you advise?" He stroked Yao's cold cheeks.

"Warmth, for sure. Also, plenty of relaxation. Overworking and stress can drain your qi real fast." He licked his fingers. "Also, healthy, organic foods. No sugar or caffeine. Those are stimulants and will drain you."

Ivan just smiled and nodded. He had work to do.

It was 2 am when Yao woke with hunger. He sneaked out of bed and headed down to the kitchen. He opened the cupboard, but the familiar pack of biscuits was gone. So were all of his other usual snacks. Frowning, he searched the other cupboards as well. "What the..."

This had to be Ivan's doing. He had gone to bed later than Yao. Who knows what he'd been up to.

Yao searched the whole kitchen for something edible, but only found fruit and vegetables. He opened the fridge, and when he closed it again, he saw a note pinned to the door with a magnet. The title read 'How to Care for a Panda'. It appeared to be a list of rules or guidelines. Yao's heart stopped at the very first one.

#1. No biscuits