Let me repair your broken soul (Guardian BL) ✔completed

05 - Fresh

Yunlan woke up the next morning. He wanted to sleep more, but the bruises on his face stretched the pain to his temples when he moved, making him unable to fall asleep again. He sat up and the world spun a bit. Moving his shoulder was also not a good idea. He wailed in anguish because his wound re-opened.

"This is definitely not my style..." he thought to himself when he looked around. Everything was neatly organized and spot-clean. Books stacked in shelves, sorted by size; flowers in the vase on the table; soft thick carpet under his feet and delicate fragrance in the air. The warmth of home hit him hard. This feeling was something he did not feel for such a long time, it was something he craved for in the depth of his heart, sunken under the gallons of alcohol he gulped down in the past year.

With a lot of determination he managed to make his way across the living room and enter the kitchen. There, out of habit, he opened the fridge first. As soon as he did so, he realized he will not find any booze inside. This was not his flat after all. Still, he gazed into the fridge for a very long time, scanning each of the piece stored in there as if seeing it for the first time in life. Vegetable, bottles of juice, packages with meat, eggs... When was the last time he saw such an exemplary selection?

"Hello," a voice from behind startled him. 

Yunlan quickly closed the fridge and turned around.

"It is fine. You must be hungry. I have some freshly baked pastry," Shen hold up a paper bag. It was a bit wet, just as the man's clothes, and Yunlan recognized the sound of rain knocking on the windows. Still, the man smiled widely to him, as if the weather was as shiny as it could be. "Sit down, I will make us a breakfast."

"But I-"

Shen pushed Yunlan to the seating area. "I will do it, just sit down and wait."

Yunlan wailed when his back hit the chair and Shen was immediately worried, running to the living room to grab the first aid kit, returning with an apologetic look on his face.

"I am so sorry. Let me have a look."

"No need..." Yunlan dodged his hands, regretting the movement in an instant.

Shen bit his lower lip when he saw the bandages coloring in red. "I think I caused the cuts to open again. Let me have a quick look at it. We can not leave it like this."

"I do not need your help," Yunlan sad in a low voice, trying to accustom himself to the pain.

"No," Shen sat closer to him and placed his hand on the man's arm softly. "Please... let me. I promise to do it quickly." Yunlan, defeated, only nodded and let Shen to unwrap the blooded bandages, catching up on his gasp when seeing the bruises not at all healing as he wished.

Shen made sure to disinfect the skin and firmly put new plasters on for Yunlan to help the injuries to seal faster. He still thought it would be better if they visited the hospital, but he did not dare proposing this idea again.

"All done," he announced and checked the bandages one more time before letting go of Yunlan's arm completely. "I will make something to eat now. Do not move."

Yunlan glanced over the skillfully tented injuries and had to, once again, ask himself why is this man so kind to him. For the past few months, Yunlan only encountered rude and filthy guys and girls, all ready to throw a tantrum or kick him. It was freaking him out a bit to be in the company of someone so different. It reminded him of his past, of that idyllic life he used to have.

"Here you go," Shen laid plates together with juice bottles and coffee in front of Yunlan. "Take as much as you want. I can make more, if you are still hungry."

There was another flash of a sweet smile, but that was the last Yunlan saw of Shen as his eyes were fixed to the sandwiches. A sudden question popped in his mind: "When was the last time I had fresh vegetable?... She used to say vegetable is a very healthy food..."

"Do not tell me you are no longer hungry," Shen said and took a bite of his own sandwich. "Vegetable is healthy and you need to gain your strength back."

"Vegetable... is healthy..." Yunlan reached out his hand to pick a sandwich with a dose of uncertainty. When his teeth sunk into the delicious mixture of vegetable, cheese, ham and fresh bread, he couldn't help it. Soon he was eating his fourth sandwich without even noticing it.

Shen smiled, happy he achieved his mission in making the man eat something. He poured them both a full cup of coffee as well as a tall glass of juice.

Yunlan's mind was paralyzed once again when the aroma hit him. "The last time I had a coffee... the morning she left..." Tears filled his eyes. 

"I am... not feeling well," he said in a whisper and quickly run out of the kitchen.

Shen followed him with a surprised look. "Was it a good idea to take in a total stranger?... But then again... he needed my help... maybe he just does not drink coffee." Shen got up, made a cup of leaf tea and went to the living room. 

Yunlan was standing in front of the fireplace, looking at the photos displayed on the mantelpiece. He recognized the man on most of them, the other people seemed to be friends and family. Everyone was smiling or laughing and it made Yunlan almost sick with nostalgia.

"I made you a tea in case you did not like the coffee earlier."

Yunlan was startled by his sudden appearance and dropped the photo he was holding in his hand. Luckily, it landed on the soft carpet and it saved the frame from shattering. 

"Here, hold this," Shen handed him the cup and bend down to pick the photo. 

"Your brother?"

"No," Shen smiled slightly when placing it back on its designated place. "My... ex-boyfriend."

Yunlan choked on the tea he tried to sip. "So he is gay?! Now I see why he is so kind to me... he wants something in return... Yunlan, you idiot, can not you, for once, wake up with no troubles at all!"

"I-I am sorry if that startled you," Shen nervously sat down into the armchair. "You do not need to be afraid of me. I am just a normal man."

"You are not normal, you are gay!"

Yunlan put the tea on a table as if it got caught in fire. "What do you want from me?!" 

"I only wanted to help you because you were in trouble. If that makes you feel uneasy knowing a bit more about me now I fully understand it." Shen was sad with how things were turning out. At the beginning, yes he received many harsh comments and questions, but now he was comfortable admitting himself for what he was and what he felt. It hurt him that this man thinks of him as someone who might want to use the situation to his own benefits. Shen did not want anything else than to help, expecting nothing in return.

"Why the heck would someone as you want to help me?"

"Because I believe you are not a bad person."

+++End of chapter 5+++

This chapter is a bit longer than the previous ones to make up for the waiting :)