Work Text:
The night was well settled, the wind made the trees slightly move and the fresh air could be noticed in the room, a bit too cold for a summer night. Tonight, only a few street lamps lit up the scenery. All of the neighbourhood’s windows were shut, the city seemed asleep. Although was it really ?
A figure, standing tall, hands behind his back, in the shadows of his dimly lit room, was pausing his usual routine to pay attention to the city he was in charge of.
Down the street, a few invigilators were walking back from the bar, their soft chatter could be heard from where You Huo was still, others were in formal attire, looking exhausted, carrying with them the burden of their day. If he paid close attention, he would hear cars and motorcycles going in and out of the main road further down the city. Straying his eyes from the street, the horizon before him was quiet, as even as a picture, frozen in time. Because it was not real, nothing here was real. But even so, this hand-drawn picture felt…familiar, almost calming in a way.
He knew he was being monitored, but at night, the eerie feeling always felt lighter, maybe the System also had to tone it down at some point.
Taking the time to breathe, You Huo slowly became conscious of the pain in his body, he could feel the itching of the scars that were not quite healed, the slight headache and the way all of his muscles were still tense reminding him of all the responsibilities he had on his shoulders. It even looked like he was tense just thinking about what tomorrow was going to be. It's okay, he was good at hiding it.
At least, there were no surprises. Every day reassembled one another, and things were better that way. They were predictable, and predictable meant safe. Not ideal, but safe enough. That way, he could hold on to what he had, and he could put on the same act again and again. It was the only approach he mastered, to be able to protect as much as possible, protect even the tiniest part of peace the residents of the city had, at least for now.
A sharp noise disturbed him from his thoughts, someone dropped their keys right under his house. Distracted from the window, You Huo was now going up to his desk, where he spent most of his evenings. The city could feel quiet and serene, but he knew that was an illusion. The overflowing papers he was in the process of dealing with acted as proof. He sat down, back straight, black-inked pen in hand, looking at the next complaints and requests. He got through a couple of them before noticing one, at the beginning of the pile, that was shorter than the others - one of the sides had peeked out unintentionally. Every paper should have the same layout, however this one was a bit strange, the shape and colour were off. Intrigued, he took it out.
It was not a form, it should not be there, in fact, this handwritten note should not even exist. And he knew exactly who wrote it and put it there. The person probably had guessed it would take him a while to find it, and for a reason, this note was dated to a month ago.
“Miss me yet ? Let's meet already, it's been a while.”
He read it, once, twice, and after lingering seconds, you could guess the ghost of a smile on his lips. How many more were hidden throughout his house ? When did he even have the time to sneak it in here ? Yet, this slight smile quickly turned bitter. How could his examinee do that to him ? A part of him knew Qin Jiu could not have predicted the future and another part told him it was just cruel. It had barely been a month.
Just thinking about it, he was in pain again. He was cold again. The wounds were fresh, on his body, in his mind.
They played with fire and got burnt. A relationship akin to an all consuming fire and a separation that left him with ashes. And a month was not enough to put out his love, it would last much longer. So would his suffering.
But everything was alright, it was what was best for him, for them. Right now, he just needed to take cover, hiding himself from the world under a blanket, anything that would bring him closer to Qin Jiu’s warm embrace. He quickly hid the note inside a drawer, where only he would know, never could he discard it, this memento was too precious to him. He would hold on tight to it, and who cared if he was miserable, reading it again and again, because he would do anything to revive some of the embers that were still lingering.
You Huo forced himself to take a deep breath, and walked to his bed.
His love was so great he could endure it over and over. He would helplessly wait. He’ll bring the System down and they’ll reunite, because surely they would. At least he knew he would be able to find peace simply after seeing him again. Only then could he say that the pain was worth it, only then could he say that his love had overcome all the hardships and separation. He was trembling, a little dizzy, lingering fears in his mind, spiralling thoughts, fantasies, mirages and wishes he could only say deep in his heart. He was hurt. But he loved stronger than any pain, and he was fine with that.
Soon enough, he fell asleep, cold as a broken heart. Tomorrow, he’ll be cold as the perfect leader he always was. He would sleep away these emotions, as usual, secretly waiting for them to come back and haunt him. Anything that would bring him closer to Qin Jiu’s warm embrace.