"The Little Things"

Take us home

The bed was extraordinarily comfortable. And warm. Zhao wasn't sure how he got there, but that didn't seem to worry him.

He had been in a cave...

He felt a body on top of him. Shen Wei. Yunlan was holding him, he knew that much. He felt the other man's back against his chest. Even though Zhao was slightly surprised that he didn't let go as they had fallen asleep, he didn't regret it. He then moved, or rather, tried to and tensed, dread creeping up on him because he too was being held in a strange, tight... hug? He wasn't able to move, and his arms and legs were immobilized. The bed wasn't a bed at all. It was...

"The hell! Let go of me, damn it!" he shouted. The roots, which were holding their sleeping bodies, scattered. Shen Wei jumped to action, his reflexes too fast to the naked eye. One second he was sleeping. Next second, he was in a low fighting pose, ready to strike, blade in his hand.

Zhao Yunlan looked at him, blinked and started laughing. Shen Wei lowered his sword, brows furrowed.

"Relax, it was a misunderstanding, ok? Put that thing down." Zhao pointed at the sword. It vanished. "I freaked out. The roots were just keeping us warm and comfy. They simply didn't warn me in advance. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. I have rested. I can take you back." Shen Wei straightened and reached out a hand.

"Not so fast. We're not travelling on an empty stomach. I don't want you to lose energy halfway through. It's already evening, we've slept for almost ten hours. And I'm hungry. I haven't eaten much since I've returned." He got up and rummaged through the bags. He tossed the biggest to his friend. "Here, choose our breakfast from the wide collection of Little Guo's energy bars." He looked at the empty water bottles. "That won't do... can I have some freshwater, please? Preferably not from the pool, though." He said out loud. A streak of ice-cold water poured from the ceiling, straight onto his head. He let out a surprised scream and jumped away.

"That was on purpose!" He said, accusation in his voice clear, then waved his finger threateningly. The mountain rumbled. Shen Wei froze, ready to act. "Are you laughing at me?" asked Zhao. The rumble came much softer this time. He sighed and started collecting the dripping water into the bottle.

"Here, Shen Wei came up to him from behind and tossed a towel he found in the backpack. "Dry your hair. You don't want to catch a cold."

"I won't-" Zhao wanted to protest but stopped when Wei's hands began to move the towel on his head vigorously. "Uhg, cut it out." He took the towel and handed out a bottle half full of water. "Here, it should be good."

After they had eaten, Zhao walked up to one of the walls and patted it lightly. "Thank you for today. Keep those backpacks for me, ok? I may come back for them one day." There was a low grumble, and the root he was patting sprang to life, went round his wrist and formed an intricate bracelet that sealed itself on his left hand. "Wow, um, thanks," he said, surprised. Then he bent closer and whispered. "Thank you for not forgetting me. And I'm sorry that I forgot about you." The mountain groaned again.

He turned to Shen Wei and saw him already in his black cloak. He grinned like a kid. "Old Brother Black, take us home."

They appeared inside Zhao's apartment, and he immediately felt Shen Wei sag, his robe disappearing. At first, Yunlan led him to the bed, but seeing messy bedsheets, he steered to the sofa and gently sat Shen Wei there. "Wait here for a minute, ok?" he said softly, looking at the pale face. The fact that Shen Wei wasn't opposing spoke volumes. "I'll change the sheets. Haven't been here since I came back, no idea how much cat fur is in there."

Zhao quickly made the bed and double-checked if there wasn't any speck of cat hair he missed. He returned to find Shen Wei fast asleep, half lying on the sofa. "Shen Wei? Xiao Wei?" He shook the man gently but got no response. "Well I guess sofa it is," he whispered. Yunlan took off Shen Wei's shoes and lifted his legs onto the furniture, then he covered him with a soft blanket. He deliberated what to do next, and every time he thought of leaving the spot, his gaze returned to the sleeping man. Finally, he drew out a stool and sat with his elbows on the kitchen counter, feet on the coffee table. This time he would be the one watching after Shen Wei.

The smell of food and cologne woke him up, and Yunlan groaned at the pain in his stiff neck and shoulders.

"How you could even fall asleep in that pose is beyond me." Professor Shen was buttoning up his sleaves. Zhao looked at him incredulously as the man continued. "I've made you breakfast. Eat while it's still warm. Then you should consider taking a shower."

"Wha-" Zhao sniffed and silently agreed about the shower part. "Where are you going?"

"Work, obviously. I appreciate that your people had informed the authorities about my safe comeback, but I still need to check in. And I have two lectures today."

"Lectures?" Zhao got up and walked up to him. Shen Wei cleared his throat and stepped back. "Fine, I'll go wash in a second. When did you manage to prepare for the lectures?"

"I woke up quite some time ago. I had plenty of time." Shen Wei's smile was genuine. "Thank you for taking care of me. I have fully recovered."

"You sure?" Zhao's brows lifted as he looked for any sign of distress.

"Yes. I'm off then." Shen Wei nodded politely, turned away and walked out of the apartment.

"He left me," said Zhao, upset.