Follow the light《Zhanyi version》

Chapter 14: Who we once were . . .

Xiao Zhan's POV

I had always loved watching the sea, watching them crashing down the sandcastles made by children who had dreams like I once used to have, but they were gone once the wind blew, just like the water did with the dream castles.

And sometimes, when I closed my eyes, I could feel the sand under my feet disappear and the water slowly touching my toes burying me into the sand that slowly slides away while the water raised and the sunset down far on the horizon making the beach be filled with the beautiful warm colour of orange mixed with sunlight.

You were like those sandcastles, my little bo di, the moment the water reaches its highest tide, you would be gone, just with the slightest breeze, you would've flown away, and I tried to enjoy it before everything would have crashed down, but I didn't expect the fall, even after Lily told me that I shouldn't hold my expectations high because I would be disappointed because after all, you were nothing more than the illusion of the past.

All I wished for was that that day wouldn't come, or at least not this fast, I had expected this would eventually happen, but that little sparkle of hope inside me had slowly killed me.

I closed my eyes watching, the dark colours of the night filling the sky while the stars shone high above there, seeking all the attention of the darkness.

In the end, some things just shine the brightest when it's the darkest.

A small unconscious smile crept its way towards my lips, and a memory popped up from the back of my mind, a memory I had hidden from the outside world.

"I want to tell you a secret," the younger boy spoke in a soft tone as if he didn't want to let it be heard by anyone else, not knowing they were the only two souls left.

The older one looked at him, right into his sparkling eyes that spoke more than a thousand words, and at that moment, he knew that this was all he had been seeking for, connection.

"Zhan ge?" The younger softly muttered under his breath, awaking the other from his slumber of thoughts, and the older flashed him a lazy smile, an empty smile that he knew.

"Tell me Bo di . . . " His voice trailed off as if he was pulled away by his thoughts again, and he watched the younger one watching the night sky with the skimmer of the moon emitting his angelic face, his eyes as deep as the constellation or even more.

"I love you . . . " Again the younger muttered under his breath, but this time his voice sounded horse and softer than the wind although it was clearly heard by the older, and while silence fell down upon the night, the words were taken by the darkness of the night.

"Don't." was all the older one answered, without further words.

The younger knew the other was hiding something from him, but even though he also knew you couldn't force someone to tell you what you wanted to know, after all, it wouldn't be fair.

That was one of the things his mother had taught him at a young age, everyone keeps their own secrets, and if you want to know them, you need to let them trust you, never force someone to tell you something, everyone carries scares, some deeper than others, but we all have them.

Without looking at him, the younger one knew the other boy was watching him with his sparkling eyes that are deep like the ocean sea, but only brown like deep dark chocolate too.

And all they felt that night was the emptiness of the darkness growing inside themselves and engulfing them because of the secrets they were carrying, all alone while the question, "why," hung in between them into the air, killing them slowly.

I opened my eyes while my fingers were unconsciously playing with the bracelet I wore, the one that was gifted to me by Yibo, he and I shared a whole past, and someday I questioned myself what would have happened if things had turned another corner out, would we still have been friends? Or maybe even more . . .

Quickly I shook the thought away while an old suppressed memory popped up again, taking over my mind and playing like an old-fashioned movie of one of the most beautiful memories I had been carrying . . .

"Gege, please marry me," the younger boy knelt on one knee in front of the older one, in his hands holding a small red velvet box wherein was hidden a little ring with a tiny diamond on it.

And in the background, you could hear the faint sound of giggling from two happy families that watched the two innocent boys like a few teenagers watching a soap drama.

The older one blushed a deep shade of red, almost like a tomato, while trying to hide his face behind his hands while the younger smiled sheepishly.

"Gege," the younger whined cutely, while the older peeked through his small fingers only to see all the family members winking at him with a smile playing around their lips, and slowly the older boy let his hands fall down, but still as red as a tomato, he looked at the younger one who was watching every of his movement intensively.

The older one smiled a bright, a bunny smile that was enchanting while he slowly picked the jewellery from the box, and immediately the younger stood up, taking the ring from the older, shoving it on his finger while smiling brighter than the sun.

And the older one looked down on his hand, eyes focused at the ring.

The ring was made of a light silver with in the middle a small diamond in the shape of a star, and unconsciously the older smiled while the younger fastly connected their lips, too fast to be called a kiss, but too long to be called a peck, it was just a kiss with endless time, both locked inside their own world.

And at that moment outside was heard a light tsundere making the happiness disappear in less than a second while the older embraced the younger one without thinking, and he felt how the younger was slightly shivering in the everlasting embrace.

Without my own realization, a smile had crept its way towards my lips while I touched my lips, almost feeling Yibo's lips on mine again, almost, but this was not the time to think of the past, the old me is not who I am today.

I became the monster to protect the others from becoming one, saving my Bo di from becoming one . . .

Never expecting to show him this side of mine, but it was the only way to keep him safe . . .

At least, till Lily had finished her or to be exact . . .

Our last mission . . .

The last person on our list . . .

The last murderer . . .

That is what we had been working towards for years . . .

Word count: 1241 words 

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A look into the past, hope you liked it because I feel like trash just like the story :)