Prompt Box

Snowstorm

Author's Note
"Protective" was Cee's original prompt in the first prompt list, but neither of us could come up with anything, so we changed it to "jealousy". Though as I edited this, it feels more like "fear" so... here we are
JVH624 Dr-Cokebottles rainingmeteors

idk who else is playing so lemme know

-monicacantwrite

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"DONG SHANCAI!" a loud voice called over the unforgiving winds. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

The only thing that mattered to Daoming Si was finding Shancai and making sure she was safe. "DONG SHANCAI!" he cried over the raging snowstorm, "XIAOYOU NEVER LEFT THE CABIN!" C'mon, where are you? he thought, trying to keep the panic rising in his chest at bay. He simply had to find her, and bring her home. He refused to even think about the alternative. No, she was his strong girl, the undying weed as she had dubbed herself. Shancai was going to be fine. She had to be.

As the Daoming heir continued to trudge forward through the violent storm, he found himself collapsing from time to time, but the very thought of Shancai and how she needed him, it gave him the strength he needed to stand back up and keep going. He continued to call out her name and then, he saw her small form half-buried in the snow. Without a second thought, Ah Si sprung into action, leaping to Shancai's side and insistently shaking her, trying to coax a response out of her, but she remained deathly still. No please no, he begged as he continued to shake her. Daoming Si knew he couldn't live in a world where Dong Shancai was cold, unmoving, gone. He didn't have the strength to do it. "Shancai? Shancai?! Are you alright?" he cried, dread beginning to take root in the pit of his stomach. Please wake up, he begged internally, don't leave me. Ah Si thought that he could vaguely see her chest rising and falling, and it gave him hope that maybe, just maybe, he hadn't been too late. "Stand up," he said, helping her into a sitting position, though he had hold up her limp body. Her eyelids fluttered as she struggled to stay conscious, and Ah Si felt a small wave of relief wash over him. They were still in danger, but he hadn't been too late to find her. "Daoming Si?" Shancai called weakly as her head lolled to the side, "Am I already dead?" Just hearing those words sent a chill through Ah Si's already freezing body. "Stupid girl," he spat out, "what are you babbling about? I'm here, I won't let you die!" As Ah Si began to pull Shancai's limp form up and out of the snow, he told her that she'd been lied to by Xinhui and Baihe, and that Xiaoyou had never gone outside. "Where's Xiaoyou?" she asked, struggling to keep up with what the Daoming heir was telling her.

This stupid girl, the Daoming heir thought affectionately as he held her, she almost died and she's worried about her friend still. "That's good," he heard Shancai breathe out, and her eyelids fell shut. "Shancai," he cried, shaking her again. "Don't fall asleep," he commanded. Daoming Si knew that if Shancai fell asleep, she'd never wake up, and there was no way in hell that he'd allow it to happen. "Wake up, you'll freeze if you sleep," he begged as he looked for somewhere he and Shancai could take shelter for the night. He knew that if he tried to take them both back to his cabin, they would both die. Spotting a small cabin a couple of yards away, he stood up and helped Shancai to her feet. The younger woman let out a small, pained whimper as she stood, and Ah Si realized that she'd most likely injured her ankle. "Come," he said as he hauled her onto his back, "I'll carry you." Once the Daoming heir was sure that he had a firm grip on Shancai, he began to trudge through the snow towards the nearby cabin, imploring her to stay awake the entire time. "Hang in there, we're almost there," he encouraged. It may have been a long shot, but maybe if she focused on his voice, she wouldn't be tempted to fall asleep.

It felt like it'd taken hours to reach the cabin, though in reality, it might've been only a few minutes. Ah Si kicked the door open and entered, then set Shancai on the floor. He turned to take a good look at her, and felt his heart drop to his stomach. Shancai's lips, which were normally petal pink, were now icy blue, her face devoid of its usual rosy hue, and her breathing was slow and shallow. Hypothermia. He was running out of time, and after once more imploring that the tiny girl stay awake, the Daoming heir frantically began to search the cabin for anything useful. Quickly, he spotted a fireplace and some waterproof matches nearby. He turned to Shancai's pale, shivering form and tore his coat off, placing it over her. "Stay warm, we'll stay here until the morning," he said. "Wait here," he instructed her, turning on his heel, intent on finding wood for the fireplace. But before he'd taken a single step, Ah Si felt a small, cold hand wrap around his own larger one, and his heart gave an involuntary thump. He turned back to find Shancai holding onto his hand as tightly as her frozen, feeble fingers would allow. Her eyes weren't open, but her fear was still evident on her facial expression. The Daoming heir knelt back down beside her, and whispered, "Trust me. I'll be right back." He cradled her face in his hands before rising to his feet and dashing back into the storm.

Every second counted, Ah Si knew this as he searched for broken branches and twigs as quickly as he could. He would bring Shancai home safely, or he would die trying. Once satisfied with the amount of firewood he'd gathered, the Daoming heir returned to the cabin. He readjusted his coat on Shancai and set to work on building a fire. Once the flame began to bloom, Ah Si gently lifted Shancai and placed her in front of the fire, hoping that she'd begin to warm up a little. If it hadn't been for Shancai weakly whispering his name, Ah Si would have been convinced that she was dead. She was still too pale, and the Daoming heir knew that the fire alone wasn't enough to help the younger woman. He again rose to his feet, looking for anything that would help Shancai warm up. He pawed around the abandoned cabin desperately, his worry becoming worse each time he came up empty handed.

Opening a nearby crate, he let out a sigh of relief when he came across an old blanket. It looked old and dirty, but it would have to do. The Daoming heir snatched the blanket up and flew back to Shancai's side, swaddling her in it as he racked his brain for everything he could remember about what to do in a survival situation. Provide warm beverages, he remembered and jumped to his feet. A short while later, Ah Si blew on the water he'd heated for Shancai and brought it to her lips, insisting she drink. She took a small, hesitant sip, her small hands wrapping around the mug. "How do you feel?" Daoming Si asked as he ran his eyes over her face, "Is the hot water helping?" Although her lips were no longer entirely blue, Shancai did not look that much better. Shancai opened her eyes to blearily stare at the Daoming heir, replying, "I feel like my body doesn't belong to me anymore, I can't feel anything." Hearing the woman he loved say felt like a punch in the gut. Ah Si wasn't stupid, he knew that Shancai was in the second stage of hypothermia, and if he didn't act fast, he would truly lose her. "There's only one other way," the Daoming heir said as he stood up, resolute in his decision. He stripped off the upper layers of his clothes, and turned back to Shancai, instructing that she do the same. Shancai didn't move, she only glanced up at Ah Si, a confused look on her face. "Are you human, Daoming Si?" she slurred.

In any other situation, Ah Si would have found her question amusing, however, now was not the time. "Stupid girl," he admonished, "Stop imaging things." Still not understanding, Shancai asked why the Daoming heir had undressed, and it dawned on Ah Si that Shancai truly didn't register that she had one foot in the grave. "You're beyond help. If you keep your wet clothes on, you'll only feel colder," he said as he begun to shiver. "I can't save you if you keep being stubborn." Shancai made no effort to move, and Ah Si was about to undress her himself when she said, "Turn around, don't look at me." The Daoming heir obliged, shivering uncontrollably as he waited for Shancai to take her clothes off, but as soon as she'd removed the top layer of her clothes, he seized her shoulders and pulled her to him, covering them both with the blanket as they fell to the floor.

"Don't touch me," Shancai gasped, and if it wasn't for her recent brush with death, Ah Si would have flicked the younger woman's forehead. "I'm trying to save you," he chided, "Just lie still. You'll warm up." Shancai relented, weakly nodding in response, and Ah Si watched as her eyelids begun to flutter. "Sleep," he said softly, "We'll go back in the morning." He adjusted the blanket, ensuring that they were both completely covered, and pulled her closer, running a hand through her hair. Ah Si only felt like he could breathe once Shancai had fallen asleep, the gentle rise and fall of her breast reassuring him that she was going to pull through. As he waited for sleep to claim him, the Daoming heir pressed a soft kiss to the sleeping girl's hair.

"I'll always keep you safe," he whispered, "I promise."