All That We Held Dear - YiZhan (COMPLETED)

Arc I - Going Home - Part 3

Despite his suggestion, Sitwat didn't do much to allow Xiao Zhan to sleep. Now that he had a captive audience, the PA spent most of his time asking him questions about acting in China and what he should do to get a job there. Xiao Zhan had answered with the guilt-laden patience of someone who needs to atone. It wouldn't have been so bad had the questions taken the form of a continuous conversation, but Sitwat seemed to prefer parsimony, giving Xiao Zhan just enough time to fall asleep between inquiries only to startle him awake with the next one. When he finally managed to get some uninterrupted rest, he was shortly woken up by the young man shaking his knee from the front seat.

"We're here, Mister Xiao, sir," he said with his usual smile.

Xiao Zhan blinked and looked around. The driver had already gotten out and, judging by the noise, was unloading his bags. A quick peek out the window didn't reveal much about where "here" was. He stretched, feeling completely wrecked, and got out. The humid heat hit him with all its weight. His throat rose, and he took a deep breath to try and control it.

"Where are we?"

"Nok Airfield," Sitwat replied.

That meant nothing to Xiao Zhan, and he was too tired to ask.

The driver unceremoniously dropped his bags at his feet and got back into the car. He lowered the passenger's side window and barked something at Sitwat, to which the latter replied in a clipped voice before turning back to his charge.

"Go inside and ask for Craig. He's gonna fly you to Suvarnabhumi Airport."

"You're not coming with me?" asked Xiao Zhan, panicked.

Sitwat shook his head.

"I have to go back to help the rest of the crew. You'll be fine. See you!"

He reassuringly patted Xiao Zhan on the arm twice and got back into the car. They were on their way before he could protest. Stranded, hungover, and without a working phone, Xiao Zhan didn't have much of a choice but to trust that whoever "Craig" was, he was really expecting him.

As he picked up his luggage, he noticed a white paper bag with a red bow. The gift. The sight of it brought back a wave of shame at what he had done. He resolved to look at it later when he was in the right state of mind to enjoy it.

"Which will probably be never," he muttered as he stepped into a squat whitewashed building.

The interior was rather dark. He blinked a few times before his eyes adjusted. High above ceiling fans turned with a slow whirr, doing little to disperse the heat. The room was sparsely furnished with low couches and teak coffee tables that would have looked more at home in a 70s movie. A young woman sat at a desk, staring at her phone. She didn't look up when he cleared his throat. He got closer.

"Excuse me," he said, using his limited Thai.

She looked up from her screen for a moment to give him the once over, then returned her eyes to the device.

"CRAIG!" she suddenly yelled, startling him.

A grunt came from behind him. Xiao Zhan turned to see a scruffy-looking blond head of hair pop up from behind one of the couches.

The girl said something to him in Thai, and the man, catching sight of Xiao Zhan, smiled and got up. He stretched and yawned.

"You must be Xiao Zhan," he said with a heavy Australian accent as he closed the distance between them.

Xiao Zhan nodded as he took his proffered hand. The man's paw all but swallowed his He always felt tall at home, but this man was towering over him, making him feel tiny.