Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

ChuViet: Weary Parents

"Yong Soo, don't eat that!"

Lien spun around to see Yao rushing to the Korean boy, and she sighed. She and Yao were the caretakers of an orphanage, and most of the children under their care could be a bit… rambunctious. The toddler in her arms started to fuss, and she turned her attention back to the girl.

"There, there," she soothed. "It's okay."

Once Mei was calm, she sought out the eldest (and calmest) of the children. Kiku was reading under a tree, but he looked up when she approached.

"Could you take care of her for a while?" she asked. "I need to get started with lunch."

Kiku nodded as Lien deposited Mei on the ground in front of him, and she went back inside to prepare lunch.

…

"This is so good!" Yong Soo gushed.

"I'm glad you like it," Lien said, smiling wryly.

"So, have you all finished your homework?" Yao asked. "If not, then none of you will be playing until it's finished."

There was a collective 'aw', and Lien chuckled.

"You know, Yao's right," she said. "You need to make sure all your work is finished. Who knows, perhaps one day you'd be able to live in a big, fancy mansion."

"But only if you work hard," Yao added.

The children perked up. The idea of living in a big mansion was certainly an attractive prospect, especially compared to the small orphanage.

"You know, I just thought of something," Kiku said. "The two of you tend to act like parents."

"Yeah!" Yong Soo agreed. "Lien's the mama, and Yao's the papa."

"Maybe we should start calling them Mama Lien and Papa Yao," Chio suggested.

"No, they have to get married first," Leon said. "And then they can adopt us, and then we'll be their real kids."

At the word 'married', Yao and Lien turned to each other, both of their cheeks gaining a faint dusting of pink. Yao coughed, averting his gaze first.

"Alright, I think it's time for you to start with your homework now," he said. "Unless you want to help me fix the roof."

If there was one thing the children hated more than schoolwork, it was manual work. They all finished their meals before darting off, and the two adults sighed.

"I don't know where they get these ideas," Yao sighed.

"I hope they don't start calling us 'Mama' and 'Papa'," Lien added.

"Yeah. That would be pretty awkward."

And yet, both of them still had a pink dusting on their cheeks. Still, they did consider the children to be like their own. And they had a lot of respect for each other.

But still, neither of them could see themselves getting married. So why did their thoughts linger on that possibility?