It was raining when he woke, slowly drifting, his mind gliding through the murky darkness of fading dreams, like a fish moving so gracefully through the waters of a river.
Even mostly asleep he waited for the stab of pain, but the memories of Ye Zun and the grief didn't touch him for once.
The darkness and guilt releasing their claws for this small amount of time, where he could just float, his thoughts focusing on warmth and Yunlan. That he felt safe. He cared for nothing beyond this bed, his world revolving around one person.
He was warm, even his feet for once, the blankets soft and the wonderful, slightly heady scent of Zhao Yunlan was all around him, making up for the quiet in the room. The sheets were soft, a cheerful blue chosen for Yunlan, when he had learned it was his favorite color.
He had impulsively purchased them only recently, when he realized his heart and soul, was planning on them sharing the same bed, every night. The joy that thought brought him, was immeasurable. He felt like he could fly.
He ran his fingers along a crease in the sheets, feeling the smooth cotton beneath his fingertips. Smiling even more, when he realized his traditional plum blossom blanket, a gift from Ye Zun years ago, was tucked around him, when he usually forgot to unfold it from his feet. He was so sweet.
Slowly he opened his eyes fully, staring at the window, the shadow of the rain falling against the glass behind the simple beige blinds. He listened, hovering in that happy state of being half-asleep and unwilling to fully wake.
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He heard the rain, heavy and insistent, but listened beyond that sound to the breathing of another person. A new development he had not quite adjusted to, believing usually that it was some kind of dream. He had slept alone for so long and there was only one person he wanted to share his life with.
The breathing he heard was steady and deep.
The clock read six fifteen and the date promised that it was his day off. The music of Zhao Yunlan was no longer playing, the video playlist had obviously ended sometime in the night, leaving a quiet he usually feared.
Without the music of Zhao Yunlan he couldn't sleep, the nightmares and insomnia plaguing him, until he left for the restaurant, only to repeat all of it when he tried to relax later.
The warm, heavy arm around his waist and the sound of his breathing, was not quite the same as his music, but the dreams and pain couldn't touch him. Zhao Yunlan... protecting and saving him as he always did.
It was too early to be awake anyway, his shift only ending last night at two am, every table booked, something that would have made Ye Zun so proud. "Look Gege. We're popular!" He would have said with that childlike glee, that brought such warmth to his own chest.
