Bullet Points

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Han Shangyan's head felt as though it was stuffed full of cotton wool when he jolted himself awake with a start.

The weak afternoon sun was trickling in through his wide French windows, the light pale and muted, kind to his bleary eyes. The almighty leader hadn't meant to fall asleep, and his position on the couch was awkward, but he was just so exhausted after the tumultuous morning with Little Squid. He felt like he had been run over by a freight train! Gun groaned as he eased himself slowly into a sitting position, his shoulders stiff with both fatigue and unresolved tension. Memories were flashing through his mind like rapid-fire as he blinked himself into awareness, a slight blush creeping unbidden across his cheekbones. Tong Nian... she had... and he had.... the uncharacteristically flustered big boss of K and K shook his head furiously from side to side as his tiny little girlfriend eclipsed all his thoughts. No change there. Since meeting her, he had trouble focusing on anything else - it was so unlike him! The thoughts that had once been laser focused and logical were now tinged candy pink - he wasn't complaining per say, but he wasn't oblivious either. He knew he had lost his razor edge, the Big Bad Wolf tamed by an adorable bubblegum fairy who was half his size. Before her, he had been living in eternal winter; Tong Nian was his summer princess and he loved her. But it didn't mean she didn't drive him off the rails.

Speaking of his princess.... Gun cracked his aching neck from side to side as he glanced surreptitiously at the bed, fully expecting to find his girlfriend sprawled drunkenly across it in a comfortably dishevelled heap. At first glance, he assumed her tiny form was nestled in the middle of the mound of pillows and duvet, obscuring her from view. It took him a second to realise that Tong Nian in fact wasn't in his bed at all; all that she had left behind was an imprint. His heart plummeted into his stomach like a leaden weight, settling uncomfortably like a molten ball of iron; where on Earth was she? The silly girl had been so annoyed with him the previous night and then too drunk to care afterwards; who knew what crazy conclusions her unreasonably fast mind had drawn? He couldn't fathom how her brain worked but he couldn't deny he felt at uneasy currently; his girl had been so annoyed and upset with him, he had driven her to the bottom of a bottle! It wasn't a pleasant thought and her absence was only driving his shame deeper and deeper. "Tong Nian?" He called cautiously, an unfamiliar note of longing creeping into his voice. Han Shangyan wasn't sure why, but he was hoping that she would suddenly stagger petulantly into view, even if she was still completely inebriated and aiming for his weak spots. At least then he could try to soothe her. Her unexplained absence was making his teeth itch.

Ringing silence greeted his hopeful plea. Nian Nian wasn't in his bed and she wasn't in his bathroom. Gun furrowed his brow as he swept his calculating gaze around the room, searching for any sign of life, any sign of her. Nothing. Not even Squiddy was in the room with him, and he felt a melancholic loneliness sweep over him. He felt somewhat abandoned and the unresolved argument was giving him a headache; perhaps this was divine retribution for ignoring Solo for a solid decade. They did say what goes around comes around and he knew he wasn't innocent - if Nian Nian decided to give him the cold shoulder and silent treatment, he had only himself to blame. He would be taking a taste of his own medicine. The thought was bitter; he called her again, louder this time, but still nothing. She wasn't here.

Her bag had disappeared from the foot of his bed and her coat and scarf were also AWOL; clearly, Tong Nian had scarpered without a word, leaving behind only the rumpled duvet as a reminder of his mistakes. His lips quirked downwards as the grim reality hit him; for the very first time, his Little Squid was pissed at him and had decided to leave without giving him a chance to explain. He wasn't sure which hurt more; his heart or his head when he cracked it unceremoniously against the edge of the sofa in frustration. Gun ran an anxious hand through his hair, the usually regimented strands standing on end as he fished his phone out of his pocket. If he was hoping to find a message, he was sorely disappointed; the glowing screen mocked him as he opened his messages in disbelief. When was the last time he had woken up without a message from her? It felt... odd and Gun felt his stomach clench painfully when she also neglected to answer his call. The dial tone purred smugly in his ear, the soundtrack to his failure. It was undeniable. Tong Nian was furious at him and he didn't know how to make it better. He sighed despondently as he recalled her drunken adventures that morning; perhaps she was angry at him for not putting a stop to her behaviour? He just didn't know anymore....