It was a beautiful Sunday morning.
The aroma of hot chocolate and fried eggs wafted in the air as Ivan, who hadn't touched the stove in weeks, cooked some breakfast.

The Russian noted that his fellow doctor had not yet contacted him whatsoever. In the back of his mind he was formulating the most effective method of scaring a plausible explanation out of Arthur over the phone. For now he had to feed his 'guest'.
Said guest was currently watching him with utmost interest across the counter, his panda ears twitching and his gold eyes intent on the way Ivan worked the pan and the spatula.

Yesterday, he looked like a kid around 6-years old.
Now however, it was as if his age doubled and he looked roughly around 13 or 14 years old.
His clothes looked too small for him now as it exposed more skin (his belly-button was showing too and somehow Ivan found that quite distracting). His hair looked a bit longer as the ponytail fell past the boy's shoulders...

Ivan frowned inwardly... he was just starting to get used to the cute baby panda, so how come this had to happen?
It wasn't that he didn't like the teenage Yao... only his appearance seemed to change afterall. But then again, that was entirely the point.
He used to be cuddly and cute... now his appearance seemed more-- suggestive.

Trying to drive away the inappropriate visuals that resulted from that train of thought, the doctor instead shifted his focus on rationalizing his distress...
It just seemed terribly unsettling to have a young, slender, androgynous young boy walking around barely clothed in your house. The fact that the boy was part-panda made him feel like he was suddenly living one of Professor Honda's kinky fantasies.

Laying down a plate of food in front of Yao, he patted him on the head and told him to eat ahead of him.
He had some 'business' to attend to...

"What are you talking about?" was all Arthur said over the phone after Ivan greeted him with 'There's something strange about the baby panda you left with me.'

"I didn't send you any pandas Braginski." he continued, the sound of shuffling papers could be heard in the background, "I didn't even see you yesterday. I was reassigned to a different shift remember?"

Ivan's patience was running out, "If this is some kind of joke, I am not amused."

"I'm bloody serious. Hell I thought YOU were joking! Why would I send you a panda...!"

"There was a flight yesterday, it was cancelled da? And you told me you needed someone to take care of the panda before your Australian cousin came today to take over." the Russian had his eyes closed, forcing himself to talk slowly and calmly as a resistance to the frustration building up inside of him.

"My Australian cou-- oh you mean Steve? We haven't talked or seen each other since last Christmas."

"What?"

There was a long pause before the British man's voice replied.
"Braginski... are you feeling all right?"

Sharply inhaling, Ivan just dropped the receiver back on its stand and proceeded to stare at it. Hard.
He didn't know what Arthur was playing at, but all he knew was this: there was apparently no one coming to fetch the panda (or boy) today.

He was still deep in thought when eager amber eyes loomed into view, accompanied by the aroma of cocoa.
Yao was staring at him, mug in hand and a moustache of hot chocolate foam under his nose.

"Can I have more aru?"

The doctor didn't take his eyes off Yao while he poured more chocolate in the boy's mug.
The kid was wiping the chocolate off his face with the back of his hand then licking it off. It seemed to be an effective method of cleaning up the chocolate from his face but when Ivan moved closer, he noticed that Yao now smelled strongly of chocolate. He had probably unwittingly smeared it all over his face in the process of wiping it off.

Taking the mug, Yao flashed him a smile before downing the contents of the warm chocolate in gulps.
Wasnt it dangerous to allow pandas to ingest chocolate? Was Yao really part panda? Was this boy even real? Would he be seeing fairies and unicorns next?!

"Little Yao, where did you come from?" Ivan asked, sitting across the table from him.

Yao looked at him and simply answered "China aru!"
That earned him a sigh from the doctor who realized his question needed clarification.
"Da. I know. But where in China? And who brought you here?"

"I don't know aru." the boy's brows furrowed, "I remember seeing mama being taken away... then being in a room with bars... then waking up in your house aru."
He looked up at Ivan, seemingly as clueless as he was about what was going on.

Ivan could feel a headache coming on. He rubbed his temples, ready to have a bottle of vodka for breakfast when he noticed the boy resuming his 'cleaning'. He tried to ignore it but the nagging voice in the back of his head was rambling about germs and infections, dirt and the importance of sanitation...
Unable to stop the doctor in him from taking over, he stood up and walked towards the kid, then he gently held Yao's hand back before the boy managed to bring it to his chocolate-smeared face again.
Yao looked at him questioningly.

"C'mon Little Yao," he beckoned, "it's time to take a bath."

It was a very subtle shivering but Ivan felt it just the same.
Yao's smaller figure was shivering as he held unto the end of the taller man's shirt, casting the tub of water an apprehensive look.

"It's just water..." Ivan took his hands and lead him forward, "nothing to be afraid of da?"

Yao clung to Ivan, refusing to move forward and making sure his feet remained planted on the spot.
"I don't like it! It looks scary aru." he shook his head.

Ivan felt the urge to laugh but held it in. Instead he bent down and knelt in front of the tub, pulling back his sleeves.
"Watch. It's harmless." he demonstrated, dipping his hand deep in the water, "It's warm too. It feels great."
Yao probably saw water all the time but he supposed water in large quantities did seem kind of scary to animals-- or err, half-animal creature things... whatever he was...

He could feel a bit of the kid's fear dissipate as he saw Ivan smile. The smile meant to reassure that he wasn't suffering from any pain from the water or anything.
Tentatively, Yao moved closer and dipped his own hand in the water. Finding the welcoming warmth and after seeing that the liquid was indeed not dangerous, he sighed in relief.

"So are you ready for your bath? I'll help you. You have nothing to worry about little one."
After slowly nodding, Yao stood there as if awaiting instructions.

"First we have to take off your clothes da?"
This is where it gets awkward... Ivan thought but was careful not to express.
Yao just nodded again before unabashedly hitching his shirt up and pulling it over his head, then he pulled down his shorts and handed the articles over to Ivan whose eyes were wide upon the confirmation that yes, the fur was clothing and not part of the kid's skin. (And that yes, Yao was INDEED a boy.)
He turned his back as he went and folded the clothes and carefully placed them on the counter next to the sink. He did it slowly, trying to distract himself from the fact that if Yao were still as young as he was yesterday, this would have been a much easier task.

Moments later Yao's lithe form was settled on the tub, his untied hair was already wet and his cheeks flushed because of the surrounding heat.
After instructing him to keep his eyes closed, Ivan proceeded to lather the boy's silky hair with the mildest shampoo he could find in his bathroom: the Sunflower shampoo he had gotten from his little sister Natalia.
Wordlessly and gently, he gave Yao a bath, all the while secretly admiring the kid's features as if he were only truly seeing him for the first time. His pale white skin glistened as Ivan rubbed liquid soap over it.

Yao was a beautiful boy.

If Ivan ever had a son like this, he wouldn't allow him to go out of the house unattended.
He believed that Yao being a boy and possessing such looks would attract even more attention than if he were female.

The bathing ended without further incident.

Ivan was glad that Yao was as innocent as he was, holding no malice in the gesture.
Looking reasonably pleased, Yao laid down on the bed, still wrapped in Ivan's bathrobe.

Allowing the boy to relax, Ivan returned to his own bedroom and rummaged in his closet for anything he could offer Yao to wear.
Realizing he had none, he sat on his bed and pondered...

Seeing that things had come to this, he decided he had no choice but to ask for her help...

An hour later Katyusha rang the doorbell, a paper bag in hand.
She let herself in as soon as Ivan opened the door, casting him a worried look before she spoke, "Now can you tell me what this is for?"

Ivan peeked in, quickly scanning the contents of the bag before signalling for her to follow him.
They stopped by the guest room doorway with Ivan telling her look into the room while keeping quiet.

The older woman took a good look at the sleeping figure then gasped.
"Who is that girl?!" she whispered sharply.
Ivan looked surprised then pulled her back to the living room before replying.

"He's a boy." he explained, "A strange boy who somehow arrived here yesterday."

His sister continued to look bewildered, "A boy... that doesn't exactly make things any better you know. And why is he not wearing anything save for your bathrobe?!" she asked, fearing the worst.

"I gave him a bath." he provided, "Katyusha, I trust you and this is what you think of me?" he said, looking a bit offended.

"No, I am sorry da? It's just that... I don't understand Ivan! Who is he? What is going on?"

"I don't know either."

After relating the events that led to the present, Ivan was not only relieved that he had told someone who would believe him, but his sanity was also reassured by the fact that his sister could see Yao as well. The boy was not simply a figment of his imagination.

"So what do you propose to do now?" she asked, glancing over to the room where the boy was.

"I plan to file a missing kid's report today." came the quick reply, "You will look after him while I am away da?"

Katyusha nodded.

"Those clothes I told you to bring are for him." he gestured towards the paper bag which lay on one of the couches, "His old clothes are in the laundry room, you can take them out to dry."

It felt like the most practical thing at the moment.
File a missing kid's report, look at the record of missing children, ask around about a strange Chinese boy who had probably been separated from his guardians...
Ivan had left out the part about Yao growing up a good couple of years overnight when he told his sister about the story and he was currently ignoring the fact that he had a good chunk of unexplainable 'fake' memories about Arthur telling him to take care of a panda or Francis dropping off the animal...
Katyusha proposed that he was probably drunk that night and had somehow ended up with a lost kid. He highly doubted it but he no longer dwelled on that.
What was important was that he got Yao back to where he was truly supposed to be.

After preparing for departure, Ivan stopped by Yao's room on the way to the hall.
He was sleeping peacefully, curled up against a pillow and his ears twitching every now and then.
As much as he and his sister wanted to explain the uncanny presence of panda features, they ignored it for now and just accepted it as some sort of abnormal growth.

Taking a good look at Yao, Ivan felt a stab in his chest at the thought that he would say goodbye to him once his parents or guardians were found.
He enjoyed the boy's company. He hadn't been this lively with anything outside of work in years. But keeping Yao here felt dangerous... there was something about the boy that made Ivan uncomfortable in playing the role of a father or an uncle.
There were moments where he felt strong urges to cuddle him and even one instant where he fleetingly felt like kissing him-- shameful thoughts that Ivan found himself blaming on Yao for being 'too cute' and 'irresistible'.
It was the reason he wanted Yao to stay and at the same time it was the reason he wanted Yao to leave.

It was too risky.

Deciding to leave the room before he changed his mind, Ivan bid his sister goodbye. She gave him a peck on the cheek and was about to follow him to the front door when a small voice interrupted them.

"Ivan...?"

They turned to see the boy by the doorway of the guest room, bathrobe hanging loosely on his small frame.
He looked cautious and curious when he saw Katyusha, but his attention quickly turned to Ivan who was all dressed up and ready to leave.

"W-Where are you going aru?!" he said, slightly panicking.
Ivan glanced at Katyusha before he walked back towards Yao. The boy quickly clung to his waist.

"Little Yao," he stroked his hair, "I'll be gone for a few hours but my sister Katyusha will be here for you."
At that the older woman smiled down at him, offering her hand.

"Hello! I'm Ivan's big sister."

"H-Hello..." Yao took her hand, the worried expression not leaving his face and his other hand remained clutched to Ivan's coat.

"You will be fine."

Gently unclenching the boy's hand from his coat, Ivan stood up, ignoring the soft plea of "Ivan...!" as he did so. He reluctantly turned away from Yao's troubled face as he headed for the door, not daring to look back.

It had been two hours past lunch...
Katyusha had cooked a hearty meal for both of them but she was a bit dismayed that Yao had finished only half the contents of the plate before saying his thanks and declaring he was full.

"Is something the matter with the food Yao?" she asked. She remembered Ivan had told him that Yao had a big appetite.
Shaking his head in response, Yao looked apologetic but still stood by his declaration.

The older woman smiled in an understanding manner as she gathered the dishes and placed the leftovers aside.
"It's all right. I'll tidy up over here." she patted his head, "You can go and play."

Yao didn't really know what she meant by 'play', but he got up just the same, shaking off the bits of food that got on his new clothes.
He was on his way to the guest room when he decided to look at the room which he thought was Ivan's, he opened the unlocked door and let himself in.
The room looked very neat except for a couple of clothing scattered on the bed.
Feeling the bed calling to him, Yao crawled on top, lying next to the pile of clothes. He sniffed and inhaled the familiar scent of the doctor.
Suddenly he sat up, an idea popping into his head.
He rummaged through the pile of clothes, not really knowing what he was looking for but taking out a cap and a muffler just the same.
He jammed the oversized cap on his head and messily draped the muffler around his neck before running to the living room where Katyusha had left a pair of sandals she said he had brought for him.
Slipping on the pair which seemed to fit him just right, he quietly headed for the front door and opened it.

In the kitchen, the sound of running water and clinking dishes drowned the subtle 'click' of the door as it closed, shutting outside a little panda boy who made his way to the exit of the building by following Ivan's scent.

TBC.

A/N: Katyusha is Ukraine. I dont know what is commonly used as her human name, but I took this from Hetalia Archives where it says that the Japanese call her Katyusha. I am looking for a better alternative at the moment since I am considering changing it. ^_^
Steve (or Steven?) is a made-up name for Australia I believe? Hehe I dunno but Im sure I saw that somewhere.

This was supposed to be longer but the next part is taking pretty long to write. Ill put this up for the meantime.

OHHH btw, if you want to see some art of panda!Yao, check the Miscellaneous section in my profile for the links. 8'D