Instincts | Hybrid! Hetalia x Reader

Chapter 19 | Safety

It's been a week since (Y/N) had saved Yao from the angry baker, after finding him immediately taking him to her home to be patched up. During that time, the female couldn't help but almost cry due to the hybrid's injuries, the man having a large, raw scar trailing diagonally from his left shoulder to the top right of his rib cage. It wasn't too deep, but a faint scar would definitely remain. She recalls having to clean the wound and disinfect it, the pain on his face almost too much to bare.

"Are those all the wounds?" (Y/N) asks as she places a thin cloth over the top of the open bottle, tipping it and allowing it to soak the fabric without all the liquid pouring out before flipping it right side up again, she gently dabs the lightly soaked cloth onto the small cut on Yao's wrist, the man not flinching. He nods before coming to a slow stop, grimacing at the question.

"Not... exactly, aru." He responds, gaze darting off to the side with an ashamed look on his face. At his expression, the female immediately becomes concerned.

"What...? Where is it?"
The Chinese man takes in a deep breath, eyes flickering up and meeting hers for a split second before he averts it once again. Without saying a word, he reaches his arms up and slides off the ragged shirt, placing it on the arm of the couch— where his wounds were being treated at the current moment— and turns his back to the girl, clenching his eyes shut shamefully as he hears a gasp escape her lips.

"I know," he starts, voice glum as he keeps his back turned, refusing to look at the appalled woman, "it's shameful, aru... I should have been stronger than that. I have brought dishonour to my ancestors..." he murmurs sadly, voice cracking ever so slightly. Upon the pale skin of his back was a raw cut about one centimetre in width. It wasn't too deep, but it was enough to leave a light scar after being healed. It started from his left shoulder and ended at the top right of his rib cage. (Y/N) frowns at the male's words.

"Shame? What are you talking about?" She inquires, brows creased in confusion before she leans forwards, warning him she was going to start disinfecting his wound as he began to explain.

"This scar is a reminder of my lack of strength and courage, aru... I'm a weak coward," he takes in a sharp breath, "I was protecting one of the other captured hybrids from one of the stray gang members, she was barely a teenager aru," he mumbles, hissing slightly at the stinging sensation of the alcohol coming into contact with the open cut, "so I told her to run back to the group, they could comfort her. I fought him off, aru... but, I let my guard down... and he got me... he passed out afterwards and I went back to the others— I kept quiet about my injuries, aru... they already had so much to worry about." He sighs, gritting his teeth and gripping onto the arm of the couch tightly as the disinfectant seeps into the injury.

(Y/N) utters a small sorry before replying, "Well, Yao," she starts, placing the cloth into a small bowl of water seated beside her before turning her attention back to the wound, "I think what you did was very selfless," she notices the man tense at her words, "I mean, you saved that girl from getting hurt, one of the other hybrids could have done that, but they didn't, you know why?" Yao remains silent, brows furrowed in confusion at her words.
"Because they were scared," she says, gently dabbing the water soaked cloth on his skin, "yet you got up and saved that little girl."

"But..." he goes to protest, trailing off as he thinks of what to say.

"...You were scared too?" (Y/N) questions, earning a slow— and slightly ashamed— nod in response. She smiles, "that makes you even braver, facing what you fear head on. As for strength, you must've been the strongest one there. This wound? When did you get it?"