It was as if time had officially stopped, and Xie Lian is now regretting all life choices as he stares at the so called grown up that his cousin happens to look like. They weren't close, but they weren't distant either. It was a complicated relationship that often would never go his way, instead it would just go the other way. He watches as the figure struggles out of San Lang's grasp and onto his own two feet.
"Jeez, you're so fucking unbearable. What the hell is the matter with you?! Grabbing someone like that...!"
"Qi Rong..."
The delinquent turns to face his cousin with a grin.
"It's been a long time cousin. You look like you're doing so well, especially after all of the publicity that is newly circulating around you. How does it feel to be back in the shitty spotlight?"
Xie Lian holds his tongue, and sighs softly, "You ask such a question, when I'm not really in the spotlight. There is no spotlight. Why are you in here is my question,"
"I just needed a damn place to nap in, is that so damn wrong? Jeez! And you say no spotlight, but if you look around the internet people are talking and talking. You can't destroy them all ya know? And the fact that this guy here tries is laughable since he seems to keep trying to silence people. Hah! What an idiot, people are stupid enough to not give a fuck ya know?!"
The group surrounding them was now just in a fluster of annoyance. They all knew how he was as a child, and now they are experiencing a grown nightmare. But before anyone could even think to speak up against him, Xie Lian already had his hand gripping around his throat.
San Lang steps back as he sees a familiar gaze in his partner's eyes. A gaze he never wanted to see be brought back up to the surface. A look of anger and darkness. His eyes glare into the eyes of his cousin, who was struggling to breathe. His hands are clutching onto his wrist with fingers scraping across the skin, as his feet kick around below him in an effort to get away.
"I'm sorry....did you happen to say something?"
Qi Rong's pale skin shades down to a more paler color as his nails scratch at his bandages on his wrist, attempting to tear them off.
"Gege...!"
Xie Lian's head snaps up at the sound of San Lang's voice as the young man steps up to his side and slowly eases his hand from Qi Rong's neck. Qi Rong takes in a massive breath of air as he crawls away from the duo. He chokes on his words as he stands up and laughs.
"W-What was that?! Hahaha! Cousin..! Was that really you?! You've changed! You were so cold and heartless! He was right! You're still a fool!"
Xie Lian turns back to him with wide eyes.
"He...?"
Qi Rong grins as he rubs his neck.
"I think you know who I'm talking about...."he says with a hiss. Now it was one thing, to anger Xie Lian. But at this moment Qi Rong hadn't realized the more aggressive character that just saved his life, was now about to end it. San Lang lifts him up from the top of his head with a deadly look in his eye.
"So...you're in league with a criminal...? How interesting....." his lips curl into a sinister smile, "Then perhaps you aren't ignorant to pain and torture. Shall I demonstrate it to you? I'll leave you as the trash on the side of the road for him to pick up."
Qi Rong shrinks within himself as a squeal slips from his lips. His arms are flailing about in an attempt to escape from his grasp, but nothing could help him now. San Lang takes step after step toward the entrance doors with a wicked grin. He drops him and immediately shoves his foot onto his side. With every minute his foot sinks further into his flesh.
"So tell me...where is the old bastard hiding...?"
"AGH....!!! FUCK OFF!!!!"
"Ah, continuing to play ignorant...?" He foot sinks even further as he lifts his foot and slams it onto his other hand with full intent to injure him.
"AHHH!!! COUSIN! COUSIN! YOU WOULDN'T LET HIM HURT ME RIGHT?! HE'S GONNA BREAK MY BONES! GET HIM OFF!"
Xie Lian contemplates on the thought as he honestly wasn't too pleased with his presence, but his moral compass had other plans. He steps forward and places his hands to his partner's shoulders.
"San Lang.....let him go...."
He slowly turns his face to glance at Xie Lian.
"He isn't worth all of this....and I don't want you to get into trouble right now. So please...let him go. He won't say anything about this..."
"HAH?!"
Xie Lian glares down at him, "You. Won't. Say. Anything."
Qi Rong swallows his pride and growls, "Fine...!"
San Lang removes both of his feet from his body and steps back. Qi Rong rushes up onto his feet and hurries out the door all while cursing at the top of his voice.
San Lang turns to Xie Lian with a small frown.
"Gege..."
"San Lang...I understand you want to protect me....but I can't let you do something rash.....even if he told you where he was.....I know that man better than others. He will move faster than you can catch him....and at this moment we don't even know who his identity is. There's no point in rushing to catch something or someone that we don't even fully know who it could be yet. Let's just finish up here and go home. Okay...?"
San Lang gives in as his shoulders sink. He nods silently and looks up to the others who quickly turn away to avoid his gaze. Xie Lian tilts his head forward and plants a small kiss to his forehead.
"It'll be okay, trust me."
"I do trust you..."
"Good...for now take a seat okay...?" He pulls him by the hand over to a chair and lightly pushes him down to sit. San Lang follows his movements without any objections. Xie Lian turns back to everyone else and continues on with their task.
San Lang crosses his legs and intertwines his fingers as he rests his hands into the center of his lap. He was quiet now. He had nothing to say, nor did he really want to speak. What he needed to do was think. He needed to think about the identity of his sworn enemy, and the protection he was going to need for his event after this incident.
'I don't trust any of this.....'
Qi Rong runs far down the street until he spots a familiar face. He pauses and growls as he steps closer and slams his hand onto a table outside of a cafe.
"Are you FUCKING happy?! I almost got myself choked to death, shoulder almost dislocated and my wrist almost broken..! You better make up for this crap!"
Jun Wu sets down his cup of tea with a small smile.
"Child, you're just too rash in how you approach them. Your cousin isn't so innocent and gentle as he appears anymore you realize that? And his new partner is nothing to sneeze at. He could have easily killed you without a second thought and no one would dare to stop him. Be glad that XianLe had stopped him."
"Hold on how did you—?!"
"Don't you know by now that I also have eyes and ears everywhere?"
Qi Rong stops himself from saying more as he watches his boss lift a single tea cup to his lips. It was like a bubble had encased them so that the only thing he could physically hear was the sound of his heart beat. Not even the sounds of the cup touching the glass plate could be heard as he waits for him to speak.
"Now then, you've made a point while seeing them....so now we must step back to let them breathe before returning once more. As far as keeping an eye on them, leave that to someone else who is more than qualified as she has already been given the task. Now you will be responsible for something else. If you can handle this, I'll definitely promise more of my wealth to you."
"What am I doing?"
Jun Wu slips a single small jar with a powdery substance forward to him. With a smile that matched those of elderly fathers he speaks in a delightful tone that added to his intimidating aura.
"During the little gathering for Hua Cheng's artwork, I'd like for you to slip this to your cousin. Make sure he manages to drink or eat it. Can you manage something so simple as that?"
"What the hell is it supposed to? Knock him out? Doesn't seem so grand."
"Oh no...falling out is the ending of the process, more like it will cause an overwhelming sensation in his body that he would never be able to ignore. Neither will his partner. I'm merely waiting for the two to squirm uncomfortably."
Qi Rong loved the sound of that and widens his smile into an epic grin.
"Got it."
Once night had fallen, Xie Lian manages to dismiss everyone with a full schedule intact. They would meet and continue with their practices, hopefully without further interruptions. The moment they were all gone, Xie Lian decides to discuss something with his partner.
"San Lang...."
San Lang turns to his partner with his usual genuine smile. A smile that normally would ease his worries and his stress, but for some reason was only causing him to be concerned instead.
"Gege...perhaps it is best that you don't show up to the event,"
"What...?"
"I do not trust your cousin suddenly making an appearance like that. And the words that have left his lips also concern me. He knows who he is. And he's under his command. It's not safe for you to come towards to event at all."
"San Lang I understand your concern, I really do. But if there is one thing I know, it is that my cousin is a coward, and he won't be given many chances. If he fails along whatever mission he is given, then more than likely he won't be staying under him for long. He'll just become an annoyance to him more than anything. That man has patience, but no one had patience for my cousin. After all this time..."
San Lang doesn't say anything as he ponders on the thought. While he agreed with his statement, he was still unsure about having him appear at the exhibition.
"Either way, there's no where to really run San Lang. Right now as we stand, it's just a game of chess. We are the pieces here, and our only way out is by winning the game. We may need to find the answers on our own. Where is he? Why is he back? Why me? And who is he? Law enforcement isn't even willing to fully step up, and since I'm the main target then there's just no helping it."
San Lang sighs and gives up on changing his mind. Once Xie Lian's mind was made up then there was definitely no changing it.
"Then I'm going to have to make some changes to the list of guests that will be allowed to come in, because I do not want you to be left alone. Please leave security to me,"
"Thank you...now then let's just go home for now okay? It's been a long day, and we both could use the rest,"
With a nod of his head, San Lang lifts his hand to his idol with a small smile. Xie Lian could only pray that that smile was real, and not a mask to hide his true emotions. His hand reaches forward to take his, as the two leave the area to their newly shared home.
Late into the night, Xie Lian tosses and turns with the inability to fall into a deep slumber. He wasn't necessarily afraid of the nightmares that he would surely receive, and yet he just felt uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because of the new space he was sleeping in. The large bed, the massive amount of space, and the luxurious curtains that hanged all around the top canopy of the bed. It served as a transparent wall that would distort the shadows of objects and people. He holds a pillow to his chest and buries his face into it with a groan.
'This is humiliating....I haven't felt like this since I was a child. Mother would usually sing me a lullaby, or tell me a story so that I could fall asleep. But she's not here, and I don't remember the song she used to sing.'
He reaches over through the opening of the curtains of the canopy, and removes his phone from his charger. He looks over his contacts and clicks onto San Lang's number. He wanted to message him and see if he had anything to help him sleep, but at the same time he didn't want to burden him with any more of his problems. He rolls over onto his back and tosses his phone lightly to the side of his head.
"What do I do....?"
He stares at the underside of the canopy and doesn't move for a moment as the light of the night sky shines through the windows. He turns toward that same shade of diamond blue that nestled around the shape of the moon. A bright shade that served as a small night light for him to appreciate. He stands up from the discomfort of his bed and steps out onto the balcony of his bedroom. His hair shifts in waves behind him as the wind brushes passed him with a light breeze. He sighs and sets his arms over the balcony rail as his eyes gaze up toward the sky.
"Is Gege unable to sleep?"
He jumps and turns to the balcony just a few feet away from his own.
"San Lang...? Are you unable to sleep too?"
"More like it's to early for me. I tend to sleep fairly late on most nights,"
"Oh..."
"But by that question, are you unable to sleep? Is something wrong?"
Xie Lian doesn't want to admit it, but he can't just no sleep. He sighs and nods slightly.
San Lang smiles a bit and presses his hand down onto the railing of his balcony as he shoves his entire body upward. He positions himself onto the railing before lunging himself by his feet up toward Xie Lian's side.
Xie Lian is left astounded as he watches San Lang land perfectly before him with his raven locks falling to his shoulders in a wild mess. When he lifts his head he also notices that his eye patch was gone, and that his glass eye was also no where to be seen, leaving the young man to keep his eye closed.
His arm reaches out to wrap around Xie Lian's head as his fingers crawl in gentle waves across his scalp to embrace him. His head is pulled into his chest allowing for him to listen to the steady beat of San Lang's heart.
"If you can't sleep....then perhaps I can do something to help..."
Xie Lian closes his eyes for a moment and allows himself to bathe in the scent that was drifting from the body of this man. A smell that was intoxicating in a more comforting manner—the scent of a musky fresh forest of autumn leaves mixed with the fresh smells of blossoms that had just bloomed. It was like a layer of protection from someone strong but kind—firm but gentle.
"Okay...."
San Lang smiles gently and lifts the young man into his arms without giving his partner a chance to react. Xie Lian's face flushes into a pink shade as San Lang carries him back into his bedroom. He closes the balcony doors with a couple of small taps of his foot before making his way over to his bed. He lays Xie Lian down onto the bed before laying down beside him. Now this wasn't what Xie Lian expected him to do, especially after the last night they slept together in one bed when he had his nightmares. However, San Lang wasnt phased by the possibilities of that happening again, he merely just wanted to make sure that his boyfriend would be okay.
"Perhaps this small jingle will help....I believe you taught me this long ago before I had vanished..."
Xie Lian doesn't say anything out of curiosity as he feels one of San Lang's arm slither to wrap around his shoulders to pull him closer once more. He takes a breath in and begins to sing a small lullaby. A familiar one. Xie Lian's eyes widen as a memory clicks in his head.
The memory of his mother comforting him in the middle of the night while he feared the dangers that were approaching them. Around that time the dangers were beginning to show, especially after the recent rumors spreading across the company and the city. He was scared for his family, mentor, and friends; to ease his worries his mother would sit beside him and stroke his hair gently all while singing a song. A song that had been passed to her from previous generations in her own family.
"If you ever need help in sleeping my little one, just remember this song...and it will always bring you comfort."
Xie Lian's arms slowly lift to tug onto the back of San Lang's shirt with a grip that tightened slowly. His face buries into his chest to hide the tears that were threatening to fall down his face. He hadn't thought so much about his mother in years, and now he couldn't help but think of her with her lullaby now being dug up from the darkest depths of his memories. San Lang sings and sings until the small sniffles he hears dies down to shallow breaths. He gazes down to his idols' face and carefully wipes away the dried tears that stained his cheeks. He kisses his forehead and holds him closely.
"Sleep well Gege..."
HI SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE. VERY LATE UPDATE. IVE BEEN BUSY. AND IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON OTHER SOCIAL MEDIAS YOU'D KNOW THE MAIN REASONS WHY. BUT AS FAR AS UPDATES ON FANFICTIONS GO IVE BEEN HAVING WRITERS BLOCK BUT FOR CERTAIN STORIES SUCH AS THIS ONE. THIS IS NEW AS I CAN HAVE MY IDEAS FLOOD EASILY FOR ONE STORY BUT JOT FOR ANOTHER. HOWEVER I AM PREPARED TO KEEP GOING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. IVE ALSO LOOKED BACK AT THE COMMENTS FROM BEFORE REGARDING OTHER MXTX CHARACTERS. DONT WORRY THERE WILL BE MORE :)