First Time For Everything [WangXian FF]

35

Xichen was out of court with another win under his belt. But it felt empty because he knew this was a small fish. He was itching to close this particular case that gives him nonstop headache, but to do that, he had to find out who was behind all of those shady deals. And before that could happen, which might be in the far future, he had to find out about the more important matters in the present. 

He pulled out his phone while walking down the stairs from the Department of Justice, and swiped it up to check for his messages. He ordered for a coffee and a sandwich at the food truck just outside the building, collecting it minutes later while still scrolling through the messages.
Giving a generous tip to the old woman who owned the food truck, he sat down on one of the benches nearby, before one particular message caught his attention. He frowned and dialed the sender.
"Hey, Xichen. I take it that you got my message?" The voice from the other extension was low and raspy, the side effect of smoking 2 packs of cigarettes per day.
"That's what I called you about. What's going on?" Xichen asked, still frowning.
"Well, I've been looking into the hit-and-run case you asked me, and I don’t really have much. There were a few traffic cams nearby but the angles are wrong. We didn’t catch anything except a speeding black vehicle.”
“Any details on the make and model?”
“Not really. It’s a basic model that almost 70% of the population uses. This will be like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“What about tire tracks? Any evidence at the crime scene?” Xichen bit into his sandwich, not tasting the flavor anymore.
“Everything’s been sent to the lab. They are looking into it. Sorry man! I know this isn’t much but have faith in the system. We will find the person who did this.”
“Yeah. As expected, this is not going to be easy. But I have to have faith, don’t I? After all, I am part of the system as well. But this sucks, man! I just hope Sang wakes up and can tell us something about the car or the driver.”
“The kid’s still in a coma?”
“Yeah. The doctor said that the next 48 hours would be crucial and it’s been 12 hours already.” Xichen sighed, running his fingers through his hair, messing it up. “Anyway, let me know if you find something, yeah?”
“Will do. Now go be with your boyfriend."
"I really appreciate you doing this. I know there are a lot of cases to look into but thanks for taking this up on priority."
"No problem, just send me a bottle of your expensive scotch then." The other man chuckled.
"Consider it done, I'll even throw your favorite cigs as a bonus if you find anything more."
"Is this considered as bribing an officer of the law, chancellor?"
"No, unless somebody decides to become a tattletale and snitches to his superior." 
The man laughed.
"Talk to you soon, Xichen."
"Thanks, Zhuliu."
 
 
-----
 

Wen Qing and Yanli reached the hospital a little after 9 a.m the next day to bring them a change of clothes and food. Yanli sat next to a disheveled Jiang Cheng, who was obviously not taking any rest since Sang was admitted.
"Chengcheng, you know Sang will be sad if he sees you like this, right? You have to take care of yourself." She hugged him, and tried to reason with him.
But Jiang Cheng seemed resolute to stay there until Sang woke up, or at least until there was any update about his condition. So Yanli let him be. She knew how it felt to have regrets, and she prayed that her brother could have his chance, otherwise, this would surely break him. She looked at Wuxian who lay his head on Wangji’s shoulder as the other held him in a one hand embrace, talking to him quietly.
 

All of them were back at the hospital. It had been 40 hours already. As each hour passed, the atmosphere among the friends became despondent. They were slowly losing hope.
After a while, the doctor came into the waiting room to look for Mingjue. “Mr. Nie. A word?”
Mingjue dreaded whatever news the man in the white gown carried but he got up and walked out.
“Mr. Nie, I don’t know how to say this but your brother is not showing any signs of recovery. It’s as if he’s waiting for something.”
“Waiting? Waiting for what?”
“We don’t know. But we are close to the 48 hour mark. If he doesn’t wake up now, he won’t wake up ever, until some kind of miracle happens.”
Mingjue felt a hand on his shoulders. He looked back to find Xichen standing, giving his silent support.
“Mr. Nie. I know this is hard but please prepare for the worst.”
The doctor walked away, leaving Mingjue unable to say anything more.
 
“Xi, is God punishing me? Have I done something wrong to deserve this?”
“Ming…”
“No, Xi, no. This is so unfair. What did my brother do to deserve this fate? He’s just a kid. He never hurt anyone and now some asshole came and hit him. I- When I find that guy, I will kill him. He doesn’t deserve to live. If my brother d-dies… I will find that guy and kill him with my bare hands.”
“Sang will wake up, Ming. Have faith.”

“Have faith?” Mingjue shouted, “How can I have faith when my brother is hanging between life and death, Xi? How?”

Xichen didn’t know what to say to comfort his boyfriend. If it was his brother in Sang’s place he was sure, he would react in the same way. So all he could do was hug Ming. Hug him until he felt the other respond.

---

Inside the waiting room, the mood dropped several degrees. All of them had overheard the conversation outside but it affected Cheng the worst.
He swiftly made a decision and walked out, almost colliding with Mingjue and Xichen. Righting himself, he faced Mingjue, eyes pleading. "Da-ge, may I go see Sang? I-I hear that sometimes, people in a coma can hear what others say…" his voice was full of uncertainty, but his eyes were clear. 
He held his breath until Ming nodded. Feeling relieved, he thanked the older Nie and ran towards the I.C.U.
Once he reached the glass doors that would lead him into Sang’s room, he stood there holding the handle for a long time, looking forlorn. He debated if he should do what he was about to do but it was now or never. That thought alone made him slide the glass door open and walk in.
 
---
 
 
Cheng entered the room as quietly as humanly possible. He didn’t want to make any sounds just in case Huaisang would get disturbed, not that he would notice because the man was in a coma. On the white hospital bed, he looked so small, and fragile that Cheng almost burst out in tears.
 
He walked slowly to Huaisang’s bedside, and after carefully rearranging everything, he sat on the chair beside the bed. He delicately took the smaller man’s hand in his and held it with utmost care.
 

"Sang, hey, it's me, Cheng. Can you hear me?" He couldn't stop the tears now which flowed freely. "Hey, I'm sorry I was not there with you when you had your… accident. What were you thinking, you idiot? You always call me if you want something, even if it's as ridiculous as just a pack of gum… not that I did not know that you were making excuses just to see me…" he chuckled but ended up sobbing quietly. He took a deep breath to calm himself, before he continued.
 
"I'm sorry, Sang, I'm sorry that I kissed you, then ran away from you. Twice. It was not my intention to play with your feelings. I could see it clearly in your eyes, you know, I'm not as stupid or as slow as you made me to be. I know everything about you, Sang. You're my best friend after all, and we grew up together." He smiled, remembering their childhood together, full of pranks and fun. 
 
"I know how you feel about me, and believe it or not, I feel the same. It's just that I'm a coward. I prefer for us to be forever as best friends rather than jeopardize everything by admitting my feelings for you. I envy you, for being able to freely express your love, unlike myself. I'm so stupid for finally being able to confess my feelings to you, but I don’t know if my voice is reaching you. I hope it does. I miss you Sang. I miss you so much. Don’t leave me please. I promise Sang, I promise I will be a better person. I promise, I will ask you out the moment you wake up. I promise I will write you those love letters and bring you flowers. I won’t let you go, Sang. I can’t let you go. Come back. Please" Jiang Cheng buried his face in Sang's hand and sobbed openly.