MG2018 - Ximen + Xiaoyou

Part 1

"Let's just get a good night sleep so we can look for them in the morning." Ximen turned to follow everyone else out of the room, but stopped when he saw Xiaoyou still sitting on the couch. He waited until everyone was gone before he approached her. "Are you okay?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, and her tear-streaked face looked pitiful. "It's all my fault," she said in a small voice. He sighed and sat down beside her. "It's not your fault," he said. She shook her head, "I won't be able to forgive myself if something bad happens to them." She was wringing her hands together, and he put his hand on hers to stop her. He was surprised by the sudden jolt of electricity that he felt, but he shook it off. "Listen, why don't I make you some tea?" She seemed to perk up at the mention of tea, and she nodded at him shyly.

They stood up and made their way to the table, where Ximen set about preparing everything he needed to make the tea. "I'm studying Tea Culture at Chaoyang," she said as she watched his movements. He looked at her in surprise. "I didn't know that," he said with a smile, "Why did you choose to study that?" She relaxed visibly as she started to tell him about how she first discovered tea and what she liked about it. The conversation stayed light as they sipped their tea slowly. "If you ever need any help or have any questions, you can just ask me," Ximen said with a smile. "Really? That would be great!" Xiaoyou grinned, and they exchanged numbers.

After their tea, Ximen began to put away their teacups when Xiaoyou stood up and made her way to the window. He watched her carefully as he cleaned up, then he went to stand beside her. To his surprise, tears were streaming down her cheeks again. He felt a quick stab of pain in his chest as he took in her sad, worried eyes. "Hey..." he said in concern, as he gently held her chin and forced her to look at him. "I'm sorry," she sniffled, "I just looked out the window and realized that Shancai and Daoming Si are still--" Her voice broke off as fresh tears overwhelmed her and she buried her face in her hands. Ximen felt an invisible force take over him and he pulled her in for a hug. "I'm so scared," she sobbed against his chest, "Shancai is my best friend!" He rubbed her back soothingly, "And Daoming Si is our good friend. They'll be safe. I promise." He held her tighter and wondered what he could say to make her feel better. It was then that he realized-- he had never held a girl this way before. At least, never without an agenda. All of a sudden, he felt self-conscious about how tightly he held her and how it was making him feel. He began to loosen his grip on her when he felt her arms wrap around his waist. He looked down at Xiaoyou at the exact moment that she looked up at him. "Please... I know I'm being so forward to ask," she said softly, "But can you just hold me right now?" He stared at her, feeling conflicted inside, until he softened. There was just something about her... He tightened his hold on her and she rested her head against his chest, listening to his heart beating. They stood there in silence, and it was then that Ximen realized-- he and Xiaoyou, they fit.