#nif drabbles

[lowkeydrabbles]

Jingyan held his strategist’s hand. It was so cold.

Mei Changsu had been lying unconscious for four days now since emerging from the Xuanjing Bureau. The man’s physician, Yan, has been working furiously to mitigate the effects of the Wujin pill.

Jingyan tried to avoid looking at his advisor’s exposed skin, poking out from his sleeves and chest where acupuncture needles stood out like knives. The purple stripes around his neck made Jingyan’s own heart feel like it had been stabbed many times over.

He was the one who insisted Wei Zheng had to be saved. He spoke such grand words of loyalty and honor, but was willing to throw his own man into the arms of Xia Jiang instead of protecting him.

It had never occurred to Jingyan that the master strategist and Divine Talent needed his protection too.

[lowkeydrabbles]

Jingyan held Sir Su the whole night. His body was cold, cold as the day he stood in the snow before Jing Manor. It was only fair now that Jingyan used his own body warmth to compensate.

Whether his strategist was Xiao Shu or not, he had no way of finding out. His face, Jingyan carefully examined, looked nothing like that sunny beaming boy of his youth.

And his body was long and thin. He was taller than Xiao Shu by a little, which only exacerbated his frail appearance.

Still, Xiao Shu or no, this man had lifted Jingyan from the dark and hopeless place in which he’d lived for the last thirteen years with no expectation of reward. He had already made the mistake of misjudging his strategist once; he would not let harm come to the man a second time.

[lowkeydrabbles]

Jingyan looks up at the abrupt choking noise. Sir Su dropped the small plate and chopsticks in his hands, shards and food alike scattering on the floor.

His hands shot up to his throat, eyes wide.

“Sir Su!”

Jingyan had only seen such a reaction in one other person before, but he didn’t have time to ruminate on the parallels. He rushed toward Mei Changsu.

Fei Liu ran for Doctor Yan. Jingyan cleared the mess out of the way and supported Changsu in his arms before he fell to the floor.

His body trembled and shuddered, gasping for breath, already pale lips tinged blue.

Dr Yan rushed in with medicine already prepared and wasted no time forcing it down Changsu’s throat.

Yan was ready with a basin when he summarily expelled everything, hacking and retching.

Fei Liu was patting his back over and over while Doctor Yan handed over a second bowl of medicine.

Changsu drank it down, then his hand holding the bowl dropped to the floor. His head lolled and eyes closed. Jingyan looked to Doctor Yan.

“He’ll need time to rest and recover.” Yan looks over to Li Gang. “When he wakes up, make sure he eats something. This morning’s breakfast was one of the few things he’s had the last two days.”

Then he inspects the food on the floor and misses Jingyan’s expression of surprise and worry. Sir Su had hardly eaten and Jingyan goes and gives him an allergic reaction. His heart ached.

Again Jingyan’s mind drifted to that person from long ago. But, no. He mentally shook himself. Many people have food allergies, it’s not unheard of. Moreover, Sir Su had such a fragile constitution. It was hardly unusual.

“Hmph, here it is,” Yan said, eyeing a piece of a hazelnut sweet Jingyan had brought over.

Jingyan felt his heart stutter for a moment.

“Is... Sir Su allergic to hazelnuts?” he asked numbly.

Yan froze and looked over at Jingyan. He seemed to deliberate a moment before letting his shoulders slump and nodded in affirmation, keeping his eyes on the patient.

Jingyan turned, staring into space. He mouthed what his mind was too afraid to think.

Xiao Shu.

[lowkeydrabbles]

Jingyan held him through it to the end, the other shaking and shuddering until exhaustion left him limp in Jinyan’s arms.

Every month, Xiao Shu went through such grueling treatment, almost as bad as the poison at its height.

This was the first time Jingyan had been here to see it. He’d insisted, despite knowing that Xiao Shu didn’t want to be seen in such a state. But the fact that this procedure always left Xiao Shu bedridden for a whole week already gave Jingyan a good idea.

Still. It hurt a lot more to witness it in person. Xiao Shu could hardly lift his head, let alone sit up. But at least he would be asleep for most of the recovery.

And from now on, Jingyan would be there to watch over him.

[lowkeydrabbles]

Slap!

MCS staggered back and put his hand against the tunnel wall for support.

His eyes wide with shock, and, to Jingyan’s surprise, he thought he saw a flicker of hurt. Jingyan had expected anger or indignation from a man with as much pride as Sir Su. But the flash of pain on the man’s face spoke of a more personal grievance.

Jingyan didn’t understand.