Reunion: The Center Of My World

Night Of Thunders

Zhang Qiling

It was a little after midnight, that Zhang Qiling had wake up feeling Wu Xie struggle in his sleep by his side in a nightmare. They had been sharing the same bed since they retire into the Rain Village, six months ago and although most of the time that Wu Xie was kept awake in the night was because they had make love, occasionally Wu Xie will wake up drenched in sweat by a nightmare, especially on rainstorms filled with thunders, which was becoming more frequent lately in the past week, almost every night, which had only increase his episodes.

Those moments were the hardest for Qiling, because it was the time in which he saw just how hurt Wu Xie had been in his absence, those terrible ten years he spend inside the Bronze Gate, while leaving Wu Xie behind to suffer his absence in silence. Pangzi had told him the basic of what Wu Xie went through in those cursed years shortly after he came back, telling him that something inside Wu Xie had snapped in the very moment he had crossed that bright curtain of light to the unknown and seen Wu Xie lose his peace in such a way, he felt guilty for every single scar in his body, not to mention the memories that still haunt him to that day.

He sat over Wu Xie's lap and held his arms at the sides of his head as thunders illuminate their room, muffling Wu Xie's scream with the potent sound of the raging, when trying to be as gentle as possible, while whispering his name over and over, above the rampaging storm, telling him, 'Wu Xie, I'm here'. He had learn the hard way that what calmed Wu Xie the best was him calling his name on his ear, a whisper that even barely audible, it will reach into Wu Xie's core, making him relax under him for long enough for Qiling to pull him up and embrace him in his arms, as he did just now.

Once Wu Xie felt hugged, he will hug Qiling back, sometimes softly subbing over his chest, sometimes quietly panting his fears away and sometimes, hunger for Qiling's warmth as he was doing right now. Depending on the intensity of the nightmare, Wu Xie reacted on his arms, the stronger it was, the more physical he became, which was the reason Pangzi didn't barged in after finding them in a kissing frenzy twice. Thus, even if Wu Xie yelled his heart out in the middle of the night, Pangzi trusted he will take care of him on his own, unless proven otherwise, which luckily was not the case.

This time Wu Xie was kissing him like there was no tomorrow while some tears fell down his check and he was responding to his kiss with even more fervor, to let him known that no matter what he had experience in the nightmare, especially when it involved him leaving Wu Xie, he was there now to stay by his side and love him for an eternity.

"Wu Xie..." Xiaoge whisper after their kiss. He wanted to make sure he was fine, but he only found deep sorrow on Wu Xie's eyes. A kind of pain you could see in the eyes of someone who had lost something quite precious and that could never be replaced.

"Don't leave me... I can't take it..." Wu Xie simply whisper as he tremble on his arms, burying his tearful face on Xiaoge's chest, still half submerged on his nightmare and Qiling kissed Wu Xie's hair, holding him closer.

Under the heavy rain and thunder flashes, Zhang Qiling patiently waited for Wu Xie to get a hold of himself, repeating occasionally that he will not leave him, then moved away to lay down by Wu Xie and hug him back under the covers. He let Wu Xie paste himself to him, while burying his face on the small of his neck.

It looked like in nights of thunders, Wu Xie was at his weakest, which was beginning to worry him. Thinking back when his nightmares begin, it had been raining like tonight and he had even got sick back then, with a high fever that seems to broke out of nowhere. The second time, it had also stormed outside and Wu Xie had wake up screaming and with a burning sensation, that they both thought was a residue from the nightmare, then on the third, also under thunders, Wu Xie had tremble on his arms in cold for most of the night.