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The thick and heavy drops of the storm were beating heavily against the window pane, almost like hail. The sky seemed darker than the usual night sky, and there were no stars shining that night. In one of the rooms of the apartment building, a tiny little body of a 5-year-old girl hiding under the covers shivered, her eyes wide open as she watched everything through the gap in the window that the lilac curtain did not cover.
Ban Yue held her stuffed fox tightly before slowly pushing the covers away and placing her small feet, covered by the white socks, on the cold floor. Walking over to the pink mini couch that was below her window, she gathered all the courage she had and climbed up to take a little peek outside.
Everything was pitch black. The trees that could be seen were moving violently as their leaves peeled off the branches and flew freely until they piled up in some corner of the dark asphalt. Ban Yue looked around the rest of the neighborhood, the only lights in sight were those of the streetlamps along the sidewalks, and for a second, she imagined that they might fly away along with the leaves.
She squeezed the stuffed fox even closer to her as she bent her body further over the window to observe better.
"Will it be morning already?"
She couldn't tell, she hadn't learned to read the time on the clock yet. Her parents always told her when it was time to wake up, eat, and sleep, but at that hour, she thought she still wouldn't see the sun so early. Any and all remnants of sleep she felt dissipated. She was awake and knew for sure that she didn't want to sleep until the storm stopped.
A sudden flash suddenly lit up the entire sky. The little face in the window turned white with that extremely bright light that pierced the glass, and next to that, almost immediately, a loud, loud bang came, as if the sky opened up and roared fiercely before her. Ban Yue felt her body jump in fright on the couch, and turning her back on the outside world, she sat up with her legs glued to her body as she put her hands to her ears, her eyes already blurred with the tears that were beginning to form.
"Daddy?" Ban Yue tried to call out for one of her parents, but that weak voice had been drowned out by another loud thunderclap that echoed all around the city. Not knowing what to do, she continued to sit down covering her ears.
"Why isn't it stopping?" Her mind repeated that same question over and over again. Ban Yue was not the type to be shaken by a rainstorm, but this was different. She had heard a classmate at school once say that lightning strikes trees during thunderstorms, and she couldn't stop thinking about the garden and trees that surrounded the playground in her building.
"Daddy has a big, beautiful plant on the balcony, what if lightning hits it?"
Little by little, Ban Yue tried to relax her body to try to get back into bed. When she felt her feet firmly on the ground again, everything really went dark. The small colored light that stood in the socket went out, and nothing was visible to her eyes anymore. The sudden darkness made her let go of her stuffed fox.
"Oh no..." Ban Yue crouched down and groped the floor until she felt a fluffy fabric rub against her fingers. She grabbed her stuffed animal, but continued to lean against the divan.
She no longer wanted to go back to her bed alone, but only to feel the warmth and care of her parents. But they were in another room, how could she reach them without being able to see anything?
"Daddy?" Ban Yue tried to call them louder, but no answer came. Letting out a heavy sigh, she sat on the ground staring into the darkness.
And then another bolt of lightning, followed by thunder, came. Ban Yue's small hands squeezed her ears again, and a tear ran down her cheek. The echo at first was loud, but after a short time it became distant, as if someone had turned down the volume.
Then Ban Yue thought of something.
A few weeks ago her father had given her a toy scepter as a gift. There were several designs on the handle, and on the end was a large transparent butterfly, and when the button on the base was pushed, the butterfly itself glowed with a white light.
Even with everything dark, Ban Yue walked slowly towards what she believed to be her bed, knowing that on the end of it was her toy chest. She just needed to get there.
Walking with her arm in front of the rest of her body, her small steps led her to find something soft, probably her blanket. Ban Yue put her hand on the bed and groped her way around the side of the bed until she found the chest. As soon as she felt it hit something hard and still, she knew she had arrived where she wanted to be. Turning around to face the piece of furniture, she opened it and repeated the same blind gestures. It didn't take long before her hand found what she was looking for.
Ban Yue pressed the button, and the butterfly finally glowed, illuminating the things around her. Wasting no time, she made her way to her bedroom door and opened it carefully, directing her gaze immediately to the closed door at the end of the corridor, she started walking toward her parents.
But before she could reach the halfway point, her steps were interrupted by a new flash from outside, that same thunderous noise echoing and making its presence felt in the cold and dark night. Ban Yue closed her eyes tightly while covering her ears. Her gestures caused the small thumb to come loose from the button of the toy scepter, the butterfly light came to fade away and she to be enveloped again by the darkness. Only when she found the right moment did she open her eyes again, and hearing only the raindrops on the window, she moved forward in quick and large steps.
Ban Yue quickly reached out and turned the knob, and very slowly, she walked in.
Xie Lian and Hua Cheng's room was much larger than Ban Yue's, and because of this, the area that the butterfly illuminated didn't seem to be much, but still, she could see the silhouettes of two men on the large bed in front of her.
She ran along the side of the bed until the scepter illuminated a body immersed in a deep sleep. Xie Lian was sleeping on Hua Cheng's chest, both of them not seeming bothered by the energetic storm outside the apartment.
"Daddy?" Ban Yue called softly for one of them. On tiptoe, she stretched her small arm as far as she could to poke Xie Lian's back, and called him louder, "Daddy?"
Xie Lian tightened his arm around Hua Cheng when he felt something on his back. For a second, he thought that his husband was just bringing him closer. But when a small voice invaded his ears, he opened his eyes slightly and turned to where it had come out.
"Hm?" Still overcome with sleep, Xie Lian saw a small white light in the corner of the bed. Letting go of Hua Cheng slowly, he propped himself up by his elbows, and even with blurred vision, he saw the silhouette of his little girl standing beside the bed, “Ban Yue?"
"Daddy!"
Xie Lian immediately sat up and pulled his daughter to join him on the bed. As soon as she felt she was already on her father's lap, she hugged him tightly, her hands wrapped around his neck, but still holding the illuminated butterfly scepter.
"What happened my love?" Xie Lian hugged her back as he smoothed her hair lovingly, still not understanding.
"Gege? What happened?" Hua Cheng woke up when he felt that Xie Lian was no longer in his embrace. He sat up, and after getting used to the dim light of something coming out from behind his husband, he realized that there was someone else with them, "Sweetie?"
"It's me Daddy."
"What happened?" Hua Cheng repeated Xie Lian's question.
"It's too dark and noisy! I don't want to sleep anymore..." Ban Yue replied while keeping her small face buried in the curve of Xie Lian's neck.
"Honey, you have the colored light in the socket, remember?" Hua Cheng approached the two of them to run his hand over his daughter's back.
"But it's not working! And I don't want to sleep with all that noise."
Before they could ask about the noise, a white flash went beyond the shutters of the bedroom window, and the sound of low, loud thunder reached the couple's ears. Xie Lian himself was startled by the rumble and wrapped his daughter closer to him as he felt her tighten her arms around his neck.
Hua Cheng moved to the opposite side, guiding his hand toward the lampshade to confirm his suspicions.
"Gege, we're out of electricity." Hua Cheng grabbed his nearly dead cell phone from the nightstand beside the bed to turn on the flashlight. The light illuminated much of the room, "Honey, you can let go of that now." He waited for Ban Yue to loosen her grip on the toy to pick it up and place it on the little table next to the cell phone.
"San Lang, stay with her for a while, I'll see if we have any candles here."
"Come here princess." Hua Cheng opened his arms and picked up his daughter carefully as he watched Xie Lian pick up his cell phone and leave with room with the flashlight on.
"Have you been awake long?"
"I don't know... Before everything turned dark..."
"Were you afraid?" Hua Cheng saw his little girl nod shyly, and turning her little face, distributed little kisses across Ban Yue's forehead, "Everything is fine now."
~*~
In the kitchen, Xie Lian was opening drawers one by one in search of candles. When another bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, he couldn't help but be amazed at the intensity, and even more so at how he and Hua Cheng were sleeping so soundly that nothing from the outside world seemed able to awaken them. At the end of the search, there were only four candles. He walked to the living room and opened one of the glass cabinets in which they kept some dishes to get some of the holders.
"Gege?" Hua Cheng asked as he appeared in the room carrying Ban Yue, "Honey, why don't you go see Ruoye and E-ming while I help Daddy light the candles?" He lowered her to the floor, but the little girl did not move and maintained a slightly distressed expression. Xie Lian quickly lighted a candle and placed it on the coffee table to illuminate the room.
"We will be here my love." Xie Lian turned to Ban Yue and knelt down to stand at eye level with her daughter and caress her cheek.
"Yes, and after we finish lighting the candles we will play a game."
Hua Cheng did not contain a smile at the sight of his husband and daughter's questioning expression, but Ban Yue seemed to rejoice at the idea as she nodded, and soon ran into the living room to look for her kittens. Xie Lian got up and went to Hua Cheng's side.
"San Lang?"
"Yes, Gege?"
"Game? I don't understand...?"
Hua Cheng turned to rest his eyes on his little girl, who was wandering around the living room, and after confirming that she was occupied, he turned to Xie Lian.
"She's scared and awake, we won't be able to get her to sleep now, so I think we should distract her until she feels better."
"But it's late..."
"Yes Gege, but she will get tired after a while, don't worry." Xie Lian felt a hand run through his long hair, followed by a kiss on his temple.
"They're here!"
Ban Yue came in smiling as she carried two small kittens, one white and the other black. Her parents smiled as she approached.
"Where were they princess?"
"Right over there! Near the vase-"
When a newer flash went beyond the glass doors of the balcony and lit up the entire living room and kitchen room, accompanied by the familiar loud, powerful rumble of thunder, and Ban Yue couldn't help but be startled. Taken by fright, she let go of the kittens, who managed to land on their feet on the floor, but ran away.
"Oh no... I-I’m sorry..." Her expression was one of genuine fear and concern.
"It's okay my love." Xie Lian walked over to where the kittens were and carefully picked them up and brought them close to Ban Yue, "They are not hurt, you can pet them."
Ban Yue reached out and stroked the heads of the two, seeing that the kittens didn't react badly, she could feel relieved.
"Shall we go back to the room?" Hua Cheng appeared in the room carrying two of the 4 candles, Xie Lian rushed to the kitchen to get the remaining ones and help his husband.
"Daddy, can they come with us?" Ban Yue pointed to the kittens that were standing looking at them. Hua Cheng smiled and nodded, then she carefully picked them up and ran toward her parents' room. After they all entered, the door was closed, isolating them from everything outside.
To avoid accidents, Xie Lian placed the candles on shelves in high corners of the room, but so that everything could be illuminated as much as possible. Hua Cheng helped Ban Yue climb into bed, and so everyone was now gathered on the covers.
"What are we going to play?" Ban Yue asked in Hua Cheng's lap while holding Ruoye and E-ming.
"Gege, get the deck of cards from the drawer of the small table, please." Xie Lian turned his body to do as he was asked, already removing the cards and spreading them out in their midst. Hua Cheng separated a few pairs of cards before explaining.
"You see those pairs? They have the same numbers, right?"
"Yes!"
"I'm going to shuffle them up, show you only once where they are and flip them down, then we'll have to figure out where each card is. When your turn comes, you can turn over two, the ones you want, if they have the same number, you have one point and you can play again, if they don't, turn them upside down again for the next person to play, understand?" Hua Cheng had been explaining and demonstrating how everything should be done. Ban Yue agreed smiling, "Very well then."
"I'll shuffle and put everything away." Xie Lian gathered them in his hands and did as his husband instructed him, "Do you want to start dear?"
"I do!"
Ban Yue bent her body to the various cards spread out, her little hand had been alternating between several at once, not knowing which one to choose for good. When she chose to flip one in the center, she was startled by a loud thunderclap coming from outside. She took a small leap and instantly gathered her hand close to her body, still in Hua Cheng's lap.
"No need to be afraid dear." Xie Lian tried to comfort her by bending over the cards of giving her a kiss on the forehead, "Let's just focus on the game, okay?" Ban Yue shyly nodded and turned her attention back to the game.
"You wanted that one, didn't you?" Hua Cheng took the lead and picked up the card he saw his daughter would choose and turned it over for all to see, "What will the second card be?"
Ban Yue pointed to a card in the upper left corner, the first of all. Xie Lian, who was closest, picked it up and turned it over.
"Well done my love!" Xie Lian smiled and put the two chosen cards together, both had the same number. Xie Lian separated them from the rest and turned to Ban Yue, "You can play again."
Her first small victory aroused her enthusiasm, so she quickly turned over a new card. When it came time to choose the second, Ban Yue realized that this was more complicated than it appeared, and ended up turning over a card from the other top corner. This time, she couldn't score a point.
"It's okay, but now you know that the number 10 is there, right?" Hua Cheng whispered to Ban Yue, who laughed and agreed, "Gege, you can play."
Xie Lian watched the cards carefully. He turned over one from the bottom left corner followed by one from the right side. They were not pairs.
Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Gege will get it next time." Hua Cheng comforted him while Ban Yue agreed, "My turn then."
Hua Cheng took no time at all to pick and turn his cards, winning a point in a few short seconds. Both Ban Yue and Xie Lian were surprised.
"Daddy, you're too fast!"
"I am obliged to agree..." Xie Lian took the two cards from his husband and separated them into a pile next to Ban Yue's cards.
"If you guys say so, I'm flattered." Hua Cheng kissed the top of Ban Yue's head before he picked two new cards, and successfully scored his second point.
"One more!" Ban Yue widened her eyes, impressed.
"San Lang is very good indeed."
"I'm sure you guys will be better." The third time, Hua Cheng couldn't put two cards of equal numbers together, "Okay honey, your turn again."
Ban Yue again turned over the number 10 card from her last turn. Not knowing what her second choice would be, she picked a random one on the left sideline. Unfortunately she couldn't score, but as her father told her, she knew that now that second card was a 6.
Xie Lian's turn, he could finally score his first point, everyone laughed as he celebrated this as if it were a great conquest.
A loud flash lit up the sky at that moment, but none of them seemed to mind.
The laughter was louder than the thunder.
~*~
After much smiling and wailing of a wave of bad luck on Xie Lian's part, the game was now heading toward its end. Of the 15 pairs, now only 4 remained, totaling 8 cards face down. The score was: Hua Cheng with 5 points, Ban Yue with 4 and Xie Lian with 2.
"Your turn, Gege."
"I guess it's too hard to beat you guys now..." Xie Lian laughed as he picked two cards. Fortunately, a new pair had been discovered, drawing a surprised expression from Xie Lian and laughter from Hua Cheng and Ban Yue.
"Daddy, you play again! You can pass us!" But Xie Lian's luck seemed only momentary. The two new cards turned over on the second turn did not form pairs.
"I think the dispute will stay between you two..."
Hua Cheng made his move, and to no surprise, scored another point, but on his second turn there was no score.
"Your chance baby, can you finish the game?"
"Yes, I can!"
Ban Yue couldn't contain her excitement, in the final stretch of the game, she had paid doubled attention as the amount of cards decreased. She knew there was a number 2 right in front of her, and its even card was to Xie Lian's right.
"One more point for Ban Yue! Only 4 cards left..."
As if it were the simplest thing in the world, Ban Yue turned over the remaining cards, and forming the matching pairs, getting the two points that ended the game.
"Ahhhh! My baby girl is so smart!" Hua Cheng lifted a giggling Ban Yue into the air as he showered her with kisses down her cheek. Xie Lian did not contain the grandiose smile that broke out on his face, joining his husband and daughter, the three of them falling backwards on the bed as they laughed. In one swift movement, Ban Yue stood up:
"I want to split my points with Daddy!" Ban Yue smiled pointing at Xie Lian.
"So..." Hua Cheng laughed and stood up, taking all the pairs of cards and dividing them into 3 piles, each with 5 pairs totaling the 15, "Now we each have 5, so we all win, do you like it that way?"
"Yes, yes!" Ban Yue looked genuinely pleased. Hua Cheng and Xie Lian couldn't help but smile openly as they watched their little girl.
"What are we going to play now?"
The couple looked at each other before turning to Ban Yue, who was standing in front of them with a hopeful look on her face.
"My love... Aren't you sleepy? The rain has already let up..."
Ban Yue lowered her gaze, staring at her own feet.
"No... I want to stay here with you..."
Xie Lian pulled his cell phone from the small table beside his bed, the clock read a little over two o'clock in the morning. He directed his gaze to Hua Cheng for help.
"Let's do this, we'll play one more game, and then we'll all go to sleep, okay?" Hua Cheng looked at Xie Lian, who seemed to agree with the proposal, then they both turned to Ban Yue, waiting for her answer.
"Okay... But can I sleep with you?"
“... Yes, you can." Although the couple was sleepy, there was no denying that the last few hours of early morning games with their daughter were quite entertaining. Satisfied with Ban Yue's cooperation, Hua Cheng asked again, "What do you want to do now?"
"Hm... I want to play mime!" Ban Yue got off the bed before her parents could say anything.
She stopped in front of the two, making simple gestures, the first of which consisted of moving her fingers from top to bottom, then pointed upwards, and finished by making an arc from left to right.
"Would that be a... Umbrella? Or the sun rising?" Xie Lian had been the first to make a guess. Ban Yue denied it and kept repeating the mimicry.
"Are you stretching?" it had been Hua Cheng's turn to try, however Ban Yue shook her head still in denial.
"The hands... Looks like rain maybe?" This time Ban Yue nodded to Xie Lian, looking excited, "So I guess it is... A rainbow?"
"Yes, yes!" Ban Yue jumped happily before approaching the edge of the bed with her arms raised to Hua Cheng, who picked her up and brought her to sit with him, "Daddy, it's your turn."
Xie Lian got out of bed and went to the same place where Ban Yue was standing. He ran his hand through his hair and sketched a shy smile.
"Well... I'm not as creative as you two, so I guess you'll figure it out fast."
Xie Lian began by demonstrating with his hands something small, followed by gestures on his head and something on his hip, staging ears and a long tail.
"It looks something like an animal...?" Hua Cheng had been the first to make the guess, and got a smile in response from Xie Lian, who continued to repeat the movements, this time looking at Ban Yue.
"Daddy it's a puppy!" Ban Yue could not contain her laughter, which was genuinely accompanied by Hua Cheng. When Xie Lian agreed with Ban Yue's guess, he moved his hands as if squeezing something fluffy, leading Ban Yue to point to the kittens sleeping quietly in a corner in the room, "You look like you're squeezing Ruoye and E-ming! Is that them?"
"Not yet dear." To try to make it easier, Xie Lian put his palms together and stuck them to his face, pretending to be asleep.
"I think I get it..." Xie Lian repeated it all one more time, and Hua Cheng smiled, "That would be Ban Yue's stuffed fox?"
"Exactly, San Lang!"
Xie Lian raised his hands high in celebration, while Ban Yue had a surprised expression on her face, "Ah! I wish I had gotten it right..." The little girl crossed her arms, indignant.
"I'm sure you'll get it next time my love... Now it's San Lang's turn."
Xie Lian took Ban Yue on his lap so Hua Cheng stood up and walked to the front of the bed. It took a few minutes before he decided what he was going to stage.
"That one might be a little difficult... But I'm sure you guys will pull it off."
Hua Cheng started by pointing to himself, and then showing the number 2, trying to be as clear as possible, he crouched down as if he was picking something up from the floor, his hand movements showed that he seemed to be crumpling something, and then throwing it back like something else and not important.
"San Lang... I really have no idea what you mean..."
"Daddy this is too hard! Do it again!"
Hua Cheng repeated all his movements, this time with more calm and precision.
"You're clearly taking something, like a piece of paper, and then throwing it away like it's nothing... But I don't understand what that has to do with what you did first..." Xie Lian was trying to assimilate the two things as Hua Cheng retraced his mimicry, but without much success.
"You guys want a hint?"
"Yes!”
"Right, this here..." He repeated the act of crouching down and picking something up from the ground, "... Refer to something of some sort, I'd say... Useless."
Ban Yue had a moment of clarity and jumped into Xie Lian's lap, "Ah! I already know! I already know! Daddy is talking about Uncle Mu Qing and Uncle Feng Xin!"
Ban Yue laughed and Xie Lian stared at Hua Cheng and his daughter without understanding the situation.
"What do you mean my love?"
"Daddy says they are useless trash." Xie Lian's expression changed in a very few seconds from doubt to surprise and indignation.
"W-what? My god! San Lang?!"
Hua Cheng leaned against the wall as he laughed, and Ban Yue followed his father with a loud, infectious laugh. As much as Xie Lian tried to sound indignant himself, he couldn't hold back a "pfft" at seeing his favorite people so cheerful. Hua Cheng walked over to the bed and took Ban Yue in his arms.
"Honey, don't repeat what I say, okay? Otherwise Daddy will be mad at both of us, so promise you won't say it anymore."
"I promise Daddy." Ban Yue laughed, but immediately obeyed his father's request.
"I don't know what to do with you two..." Xie Lian stood up when Hua Cheng stretched an arm toward him, being pulled into a hug.
"Just hold us tight, Gege."
And so he did.
Xie Lian buried his face in Hua Cheng's chest as he took his daughter on his lap. The three of them stood together for a brief moment, comfortable within a bubble of human warmth that their bodies emanated. When a small yawn was heard, the couple looked at their little girl rubbing one of her eyes.
"Sleepy, love?" Xie Lian took a lock of Ban Yue's hair that was falling over her eye.
"A little bit..."
"Remember our agreement? It's already time for us to sleep." Hua Cheng sank his face into Xie Lian's hair, but kept his gaze on his daughter, who was already blinking slowly.
"Let's go baby."
Xie Lian carried Ban Yue to the large double bed, Hua Cheng lifted the blanket, and made room for Xie Lian to place her in the middle. The two went around, each on one side, to do the same and get comfortable, when a small voice stopped them.
"Daddy... My little fox..."
"I'll get it for you. Gege, you can go to bed now, I'll be back soon."
Xie Lian did as commanded and got under the blankets, pulling Ban Yue to lie between his chest and arm. Within seconds, Hua Cheng returned to the room, joining his husband and daughter. Ban Yue grabbed her stuffed animal as soon as she saw it, and within minutes, she was already immersed in a deep sleep.
"She has already slept..." Xie Lian whispered as he looked at his little girl while carefully smoothing her cheek.
"She's had a lot of fun... That tired her out."
"Not only her..."
Hua Cheng reached out his arm to caress Xie Lian's face, who smiled and kissed his husband's palm.
"Let's all wake up much later than usual." Xie Lian laughed accompanied by Hua Cheng.
"Tomorrow is sunday, we can afford that luxury."
The two of them moved even closer to Ban Yue's body, making sure she was covered and comfortable. Hua Cheng kissed her cheek and forehead before raising his gaze to Xie Lian, who was staring at him with a smile on his face.
"San Lang?"
"Yes Gege?"
"You are an amazing father."
"Not like you."
"That's why." It had been Xie Lian's turn to touch Hua Cheng's face, tracing a line with his fingers as he passed across his forehead, eye patch and mouth.
"Gege, I don't know if we're perfect, but..."
"We try our best."
"I was going to say we're perfect for Ban Yue, but that fits too."
They both laughed softly. In the meantime, Ban Yue stirred in bed, letting go of the stuffed fox to firmly grasp the hands of each of her parents.
"I think Ban Yue is saying that we should join her and sleep." Xie Lian and Hua Cheng settled as close together as they could. Hua Cheng slipped his arm over Ban Yue to reach over Xie Lian and intertwine their fingers. The two brought their faces together to seal their lips in a quick kiss.
"Good night San Lang."
"Good night Gege."