Silent and lonely world (Dark clouds before sunny weather - Book 1)

Chapter 10

Note: This chapter contains a mild description of a panic attack, please be warned and proceed at your own discretion

As soon as Wei Ying opened the door, Lan Wangji was already there to greet him with a worried expression. His husband had disappeared so suddenly, only leaving a short message that he would take one of A-Yuan's classmates home, Lan Wangji had been worried. Especially because his older son seemed not like himself ever since he came to relay his dad's message to him. It looked like he could no longer enjoy his birthday party as before, Lan Wangji could tell that something was on his mind.

And imagine his horror when he found a stain of what looked like blood on the couch in the living room. He did not prod with A-Yuan but he would now ask Wei Ying. Or that was what he had thought he would do at first. Now however, when his husband was coming back with a cloudy expression and there was a child entering just behind, Lan Wangji could not find it in himself to inquire. Not in front of the small boy.

He did not know this particular friend of his son's, this boy had never visited their house before, although he had thought that all of A-Yuan's friends had been there at least once. He must have been new. So Lan Wangji made his best to soften his expression in order not to startle the boy. He had often been told that he looked strict or outright scary by the children at school. He could not help it really; it was just that his expressions tended to be quite unnoticeable to most.

He watched as Wei Ying forced himself to smile before looking back at the boy who was now standing in the middle of the hallway very awkwardly and talked to him in cheerful voice that Lan Wangji knew was just as forced. His husband was worried.

"Mo Xuanyu, you can leave your things here for now. Please go get some more lemonade, it is on the table outside. You can then join the others or come back here if you will find yourself uncomfortable or if you will want to rest somewhere not as hot, alright? Do not worry, either one is fine."

Lan Wangji scowled a bit. The way his husband was talking to the child was not normal. He could hear the hidden concern in his voice and he was now even more curious to learn what was happening and why Wei Ying had come back with the child he supposedly wanted to drive home.

Once the boy had gone outside to the garden, Lan Wangji almost missed catching his husband who slumped against him as if he could not keep himself upright anymore. Lan Wangji could tell the other was very distressed from the way his shoulders were trembling and from how tightly he was clutching at his T-shirt. He was getting even more worried as he helped Wei Ying to the kitchen so the children playing outside would not see them.

"Wei Ying?" he asked, prompting the other to tell him what was wrong and how he could help.

It took several seconds for Wei Ying to let go of him and go to the kitchen sink to pour himself a glass of water. He drank it one go, his eyes closed. Then he put the glass back on the table and rubbed the root of his nose with his fingers. He looked very worried and also very tired.

"Wei Ying?" prompted Lan Wangji again, this time with a better result.

His husband looked at him with somewhat haunted eyes and words started spilling out of his mouth: "Lan Zhan, it is terrible. The boy, Mo Xuanyu, he is being abused by his relatives. When I took off his jacket he had bruises everywhere on his arms. He is so small... He said his aunt and uncle are out of town for a week so I told him he should stay with us for the time being, he can never go back there! He lives in a god damned garden shack, Lan Zhan!

He is like me... Not it is worse, I never lived in a shack with no lights and no heating. Lan Zhan, what should I do? I need to help him..."

Wei Ying's words did not make too much sense to Lan Wangji but one thing was clear. His husband was on a verge of an emotional outburst. Which was less than ideal with all the children still outside. He had to help him calm down and then see what was the matter. He had a feeling he would not like what he would hear. Wei Ying had already mentioned that a child was being abused and it clearly brought back painful memories.

"Wei Ying, breathe," he urged his husband when he saw that he was gasping for air, his eyes mildly unfocused.

Wei Ying did what he was told and he quickly calmed down. Lan Wangji continued: "If there is a child in need, we have to help him. You are not alone, Wei Ying, let me help."

His husband's expression melted just a bit and he came closer to him, hugging him and letting his head rest on his shoulder. "Thank you, Lan Zhan, I needed to hear that. I know I am overreacting but I cannot help it. I have been teaching his class for two weeks now and it took Mo Xuanyu fainting for me to see that he was being abused. I should have noticed earlier; I know the signs only too well."

"Wei Ying," reprimanded Lan Wangji gently, "it is not your fault."

There was a short silence and Lan Wangji got already worried if his husband was not overthinking things like usual. Luckily not it seemed when Wei Ying agreed: "I know, but I am so mad right now. How can anyone do this to a child?"

It was more of a rhetorical question than anything but Lan Wangji still found it appropriate to agree: "Mn." He could understand how Wei Ying was feeling at the moment, even the guilt, however misplaced it was, he had once been in the same position himself. Wandering how he could have overlooked his best friend's pain, sadness and loneliness when it had been right in front of his eyes for years.

"We will help," he hummed into his husband's ear. Then, suddenly, he remembered the blood on the couch and what Wei Ying had said about the boy being injured. "We should call Wen Qing, there is blood on the couch."

It took Wei Ying several seconds to understand what Lan Wangji had said. Then his whole body became stiff before he all but darted towards the living room.

Lan Wangji followed and found him staring at the small puddle of blood with horrified eyes, his phone already in his hand. He was dialling the school nurse's number while muttering under his breath: "It is even worse than what I have feared. I have thought he only had bruises... I should not have sent him to play with the others, he should not move around this much..."

The phone rang only twice and when Wen Qing had picked it up, Wei Ying was begging her to come without even waiting for her to introduce herself. Wen Qing started asking questions and his husband apparently had no patience to deal with her. He shoved his phone into Lan Wangji's hand and he was already all but running outside, probably to take the boy inside and let him rest until the nurse arrived.