Broken Bones are Fixed With Love {Beefleaf//2xuan}

Touch-Sensitive, Unlock My Heart

(5401 words)

The next morning, Shi Qingxuan woke, wrapped in He Xuan's robe (he knew what it was immediately). He'd always been a restless sleeper, so being tangled in blankets was nothing new, but this was nothing like a blanket. It still smelled faintly like He Xuan—like crystal clear water that fell into endless darkness. It was strange, Shi Qingxuan marveled, that some scents evoked such vivid images of things he'd never seen before.

He Xuan herself was sitting, back to Shi Qingxuan, tending the fire. Her long, straight hair was raven black and seemed to absorb all the light surrounding it. That void added to her air of mystery and magic.

Shi Qingxuan sat up, his own robe getting dragged off his shoulder from the weight of He Xuan's falling. He yawned, not bothering to pull it back up.

"Come eat," He Xuan said, turning around. Her eyes shot immediately to Shi Qingxuan's exposed shoulder—truth be told it was a bit more than just his shoulder. It might've been the tears evoked from yawning, but Shi Qingxuan thought the other had turned around quite quickly.

He got up as commanded and stretched, fixing his robe and putting everything back into proper order. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as He Xuan handed him a stick with a grilled fish on it.

"Where'd you get this?" he asked through another yawn.

"I woke up a little earlier and caught it," she replied.

As he ate, Shi Qingxuan noticed a small pile of perfectly cleaned fish bones. Noticing his gaze, He Xuan explained, "I'm saving them for something."

Shi Qingxuan didn't feel like questioning it, and continued eating. He finished a few minutes before He Xuan, and stood with a courteous 'thank you' to the chef. He picked up her robe and brushed it off. It was still warm with his body heat. Shi Qingxuan made sure there wasn't a single speck of dust on the entire thing. By the time the inspection was complete, He Xuan had almost finished eating, so Shi Qingxuan placed the robe back on her shoulders.

She started slightly, before relaxing, "Thank you."

"Thank you for giving it to me last night."

"Mm."

Shi Qingxuan came to a conclusion yesterday, while they were walking. It had been some time since Shi Wudu's death. They'd parted suddenly, unexpectedly, and on bad terms. He hadn't been able to say goodbye properly. He resolved to ask He Xuan about the fate—maybe with different words—of his brother's... his brother. That wasn't the only conclusion, though. He realized wanted to make it up to He Xuan, stay with him and try to give him all the things he wasn't able to have because of Shi Qingxuan... whatever that meant he had to do.

"Are you alright?" He Xuan asked.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Still a little tired, I guess," he accompanied the statement with a smile, betraying none of the thoughts within his head.

"We'll be arriving at Corpse Cove today."

"Corpse Cove?"

"Where the boat is."

"Oh. Right. The boat."

"Would you be more comfortable traveling during the nighttime or daytime?"

"Uh... what's the difference?"

"You'll be able to see better during the daytime. Things may seem a little less scary," He Xuan replied.

"Oh."

Shi Qingxuan had forgotten about the boat. His breathing caught, causing him to begin coughing. The fit was more violent than just a normal stumble in breath—a surefire sign his illness was resurfacing. It wasn't as bad, though.