Ti slowed down as the red in front of Xiao Zai's gold robes spread. All the sound around him died down as if his ears were stuffed with cotton, his sight narrowed down to the bloom of red on Xiao Zai's chest. Everything else lost its colour.
He felt as if his feet were stuck in mud while he tried to make his way towards Xiao Zai, still falling backwards, one hand reaching for Chu Yun.
A scared, irrational part of his brain told him that if he reached Xiao Zai before he hit the ground everything would be okay.
He scrambled desperately for him, feeling as if the entirety of the universe's forces were pulling him apart.
Their fingers brushed for a split-second, and then Chu Yun's other hand was trying to hold up Xiao Zai by his sleeve but gravity was stronger than both of them, but at least he managed to slow down his fall enough that Xiao Zai fell mostly on top of him.
After that it was like all the ti that had been slowed down started happening all at once while only Chu Yun and Xiao Zai remained frozen among the chaos that descended on them.
Chu Yun was mildly aware of all the people rushing around them, of all the palace guards that had been patrolling the periter descending onto the ga grounds like hawks, the Zui soldiers who took part in the gas falling back into their own training.
He knew all of this was happening around him, but he could only hear the rush of the wind, his ears still felt muffled. He rested his hand over Xiao Zai's chest, keeping it pressed tightly over the wound, while he looked into Xiao Zai's wide eyes.
None of it felt real.
The palm of his hand was wet with Xiao Zai's blood, but monts before the two of them had shared a relieved smile that the gas were over and they would be able to return to their quarters and relax.
How could his entire world tumble upside down in the ti it took them to co down from the platform?
Xiao Zai's mouth fell open and a strangled sound ca out. Chu Yun wanted to lean over him and put his muffled ear to his mouth to try and hear him. He wanted to look up into the skies and cry. He wanted to scream. He wanted to find the person responsible and tear them limb from limb.
People were surrounding them more insistently. Soone was talking with him but Chu Yun couldn't understand anything. Xiao Ziyi's and Xiao Yuan's face appeared in the periphery of his gaze, they too were trying to tell him sothing but Chu Yun was beyond listening.
He felt hands around his shoulders and arms, pulling him up, away from Xiao Zai. That was unthinkable, he wouldn't let them.
He only realised his tails had unfurled when one of them struck a guard trying to get him to stand up.
Chu Yun's fingers curled into claws and his lips were pulled back in a dangerous snarl. He was going to tear out the throat of the next person who tried to take Xiao Zai away from him.
He was Chu Yun's mate and soone had hurt him.
He was going to make them pay.
A sea of red clouded his thoughts, as angry and wet as the blood coating his palms. He had never felt so much like the animal he was.
All the trappings of civilisation they had donned themselves with, all the rules and etiquette to hide who they were at heart, but all it took was a tragedy for them to resu being beasts.
Chu Yun could still feel Xiao Zai's heart pumping under his bloody hands, that was the one thing anchoring him to reality.
More hands tried to pull him away and he snapped his jaws at them, blinded by a bone-deep panic.
He wanted to gather Xiao Zai into his arms and disappear with him, put him back together in so secret way that only he knew.
It was possible that he was going insane.
There was a fierce pressure building in his middle scoring him from the inside. He had been ignoring it, but now it was making his vision swim.
With every mont that went by the pain only grew more blinding.
The next ti soone touched him, Chu Yun felt as if a knife was being driven through his ribs. He opened his mouth to tell everyone to let go of him but the words wouldn't co.
Suddenly, Hua Nanyi's pale face swam in front of his. She was trying to tell him sothing, but Chu Yun could only see her lips move.
He was in so much pain. It made him wonder if an arrow had hit him too.
The pain in his middle was like an inferno. He thought about the child and his hands flew to his stomach, wrapping protectively around the swell of his abdon.
Xiao Zai was already hurt, Chu Yun couldn't let anything happen to their child.
He needed to...needed to...
Before Chu Yun figured out what it was he needed to do, everything around him went dark.
---
Soone was crushing Chu Yun's hand in a painful grip. Chu Yun could feel thin bones grinding against his own as whoever was holding his hand gripped tighter. At the sa ti, he heard the muffled sound of sniffles.
He could tell he was on a bed from the smooth sheets under his cheek, but he couldn't rember how he had ended up there.
With a groan he pulled his hand free of the tortuous grip of the sniffling person, making them gasp and let out a relieved, "Dage."
Chu Yun turned his face on the pillow and saw Chu Hean's tear-stained face. He looked so pale it was as if he had never seen the sun. It had been years since Chu Yun last saw him cry like this -- like the child he no longer was.
It was the sight of those fat tears clinging to Chu Hean's upswept eyelashes that brought everything rushing back into his mind.
He gasped, choking with panic. The only thing he could say was, "Xiao Zai."
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