[曦澄 | XiCheng]: The Fear Of Falling In Love [~PART 2~]

[193.] Screams. [TW]

NOTE:

Trigger Warning

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Jiang Cheng was propped on many pillows, his legs put up high too; he was sweating, his hair wet, panting heavily, and now, seeing the doors open, he shrieked, straining all his being to be heard clearly :

- LAN HUAN!!! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!! YOU DID THIS TO ME!!!

- Wanyin... Oh, my poor love...  -  Lan Xichen murmured, now too afraid  to actually get inside, he knew this fury oh so well, and Zìdiăn  was still strong magic.

The midwife was so shocked to see a man on that bed that she never even noticed that the physician too had arrived, and hastily pulled her in, closing the doors with a bang right in Master Lan's nose.

- Master, we have to be patient.  –  the housekeeper tried to comfort Lan Xichen who now just collapsed to his knees in front of the Hánshì.  -  Sandu Shengshou is strong. He will be fine, Master. Now we wait.

Lan Huan was gnashing his teeth, those words meant nothing. He rather remembered Wei Wuxian's words from months ago... What if he lost him? Could he live afterwards? At all? 

No.

Every scream made him flinch in pain, his heart was bleeding. He wanted, he craved to be in there, with him, just holding his hand, just caressing him... He was so alone in all his agony, it was dreadful. Jiang Wanyin wanted children, but he was not sure at all if he could go through this one more time. Twice? Thrice? Gods... 

No.

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Servant girls were coming and going, bringing in hot water, and carrying out what seemed to be all of Jiang Cheng's blood. Zewu-Jun was so pale that his housekeeper feared he was going to pass out any moment now. She tried to coax him to some food and tea, telling him that there was no use of staying here, as most births took hours, if not days. He just shook his head. He had to be here, precisely here, today of all days.

It was hours alright. The screams came and went too, and every one was a dagger twisted into Lan Xichen's soul. He longed for someone to tell him something, anything, but each time he stopped the pale servants, asking them questions, they just shook their heads and remained speechless.

And then the worst thing possible happened  –  the dreaded absolute silence.  For what seemed the longest time, there were absolutely no noises coming from the bedroom, and the housekeeper actually had to help him stand up, as Lan Huan was staggering now, too weak to be able to do anything, but finally adamant to enter the room and see for himself. 

She heard him say faintly:

- If he is dead, there is no point for me to go on... I just can't go on...

Lan Xichen leaned his palms and his forehead on the door, sobbing, gathering all the courage he still had energy for to enter into the horror he expected inside. And this was when he heard the unmistakable low growl that could only belong to one person. 

His heart skipped a beat when the awfullest  of screams shook the Hánshì  and all of the Cloud Recesses  –  and then there was a new silence.

This new silence, however, was too short, as a faint baby cry was followed by terrible manic laughter, and this was his breaking point. 

He cared no more, he just pushed the doors wide open.