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Sometimes, Lin Fan felt like he had known Zhan forever.
(Maybe it was true, they had sworn to be friends forever, so the beginning of friendship had no meaning and no end; maybe it was the fact that Zhan hadn't changed, unlike himself in height, unlike Principal Hao in gray hair, unlike the nurses in wrinkles, after winters; maybe the fact that Zhan's constancy was not a worrying sign, but a safe haven for everyone in Qinshan: the sky was blue, demons were dangerous, and Old Man Zhan was always here.)
Lin Fan thinks that he matched Zhan as perfectly as Zhan matched him, like the details of the clouds that Zhan had pointed out to him in the pre-blizzard days merged into one big cloud — perfect.
Lin Fan thinks he remembers Zhang being tall, though suddenly blinking in his gaze-black eyes and the latter being a little shorter than him — feels good. Lin Fan thinks he knows Zhan warm, always and in everything: warm hands with needles that only make everything warmer at the right points (and Zhan isn't wrong, he knows what he's doing; if Zhan said so, Lin Fan believes him — that's an absolute); warm eyes, always finding him, always turning toward him, always delighting in him (always choosing him); A warm smile that he loves, no other way, every time, from hundreds to thousands, when Zhan smiles at him — Lin Fan remembers it all (and he'd like to watch it until the last sunset). Lin Fan thinks he treasures Zhan more than he realizes it — is the truth.
Sure, he knows he's a little different from people outside of the hospital, but that's okay, at the beginning of the basics of their friendship (the same place where his world begins and ends) Zhan told him that, and Director Hao confirmed it: everyone is different, and that's not a bad thing — just is. Just as some may think that Zhan's acupuncture has no effects — Lin Fan will prove otherwise; where some believe that he should not have been put in the same room with Zhan (he is not deaf and dumb, he can hear the nurses and nurses talking) because Zhan is hopeless — he will believe him until his last breath, because it makes Zhan happy. And Zhan's cultivation breakthrough methods do work, he's gotten stronger after all.
Lin Fan never doubted him, not a word of it, coming back time after time when they didn't have neighboring beds.
(Yi Zhan still wears the bow he gave him in his hair; it strangely makes his chest burn.)
Lin Fan is getting stronger, and the voice in his head is getting weirder and weirder; he doesn't like it when the voice takes credit for Zhan, but that voice makes him stronger; the stronger he is, the better he'll be able to protect Zhan.
From anything.
From anyone.
From everything.
There are more dangers when they go out, and now Lin Fan is constantly hungry, but that doesn't mean he won't leave his share to Zhan. And he also won't eat anything that Zhan doesn't like, or else he'll get upset. Luckily for them, there are enough cute and edible animals walking around (which is great, because when he catches Zhan, when he carries him away from the naughty animals, he seems so light, so thin under their mirrored pajamas).
Zhan is full and smiling, and despite his hunger, Lin Fan stares and stares.
As long as Zhan is happy and unharmed (as long as he's live-live-live), all is well.