God's Bargain

(8)

"so you're planning to come back to work?" a-qing ask as she handed yibo a steaming cup of coffee as they sat just across qinyang who was currently sleeping on her hospital bed and yibo doesn't worry anymore if she'll ever wake up the next morning after the doctors told them that she's recovering as the benzene was no more on her system

yibo finds himself looking forward to that day that qinyang would finally be well. with her fighting spirit and with the promise Sean made, he didn't doubt less

yibo sipped on his coffee and nearly burned his tongue but he gulped the boiling coffee nonetheless, felt how it warms his esophagus as it traveled down his stomach

"yeah"

"good to hear"

and with that look on a-qing's face, he was more assured that he made the right choice, he took another sip and he was relieved

whatever happened this past months, either it brought qinyang in a difficult situation or made all of the people around her suffer too, yibo didn't deny the fact that it also brought them, a-qing and him, closer. much closer that a-qing's opinion about his decisions mattered now and he didn't regret a thing

"qinyang would be happy to hear you're recovering too"

"but I'm not ill" yibo scoff as he stares at qinyang's sleeping figure

"deep inside, you are" she was staring at qinyang too, "you know what in talking about yibo"

yibo put down his coffee at that and a-qing was patting his shoulder

"I am" he tells and the little pats she gave him did comfort him in an a-qing way

"be well, yibo"

as he nood, a-qing left him on his own. he heard the clicking of the door knob being close then he was putting his coffee down and approaching qinyang's bed

yibo dusted off the sides of the blanket and tucked her in, brushing her hair strands using his fingers at the same time

yibo smiled at her, "you've found the right one" the beeping of her monitor answered him back

~

as yibo raised his employee's id to the guard and as he headed to the elevator, pushing his intended floor, yibo felt the almost forgotten nervousness seeping at his bones and as if like the first time he stepped on that building when he was still a newbie

it's all coming back to him and yibo doesn't miss it

he remembered that he didn't like how his hands were getting all sweaty at that moment and nothing changed until now

the elevator pinged

"welcome back wang yibo!" seungyoon shouted and pulled him in a tight embrace within a blink of an eye and confetti were being thrown at his direction while his other co workers beamed at him

yibo awkwardly stared at them as seungyoon broke the hug and they're still smiling at him from ear to ear

"uh" the only thing he could utter

he didn't expect anything especially this. they're welcoming him back so warmly and yibo burns at their surprise specifically the side of his eyes

they are here, welcoming him still despite everything. he's loved

"aiyah, let yibo sit first don't y'all and the manager would be here in minutes" the oldest worker of the company, aged 57, ushered them inside the office and they all laughed at realizing that they're still in the hallway and were blocking the way for other employees