The One Who Listens

Step 17: Remember all 16 steps.

The finale. That's it.

Hua Cheng was seeing Xie Lian after almost a year. And he looked the same, not even a strand of hair was different from how he remembered.

But Xie Lian had changed.

He could feel that.

His eyes were tired, with shallow dark circles underneath the golden orbs.

Hua Cheng also felt that Xie Lian felt thinner, when their bodies clashed into each other.

The only thing he did not know from before was how Xie Lian tasted. Initially it was coffee, probably from the doze he had in the afternoon. Then it was sweet, but not that sweet - something Hua Cheng was already addicted to.

It was difficult to hold back.

He wanted Xie Lian to know how painfully he missed him, everyday, every waking moment he spent in the last year. He just wanted to hold Xie Lian and never let go, ever again. But for now, he let Xie Lian have his moment.

Which Xie Lian did, talking to the grave like one does to other breathing beings. Talking about his week, how it went and about his new and old patients. He talked about Hua Cheng and how he felt seeing him after so long.

E-Ming met heaven on earth when he finally registered it was Xie Lian who had appeared in front of him. The feline immediately got up, and pounced up taking his spot in his arms, and Xie Lian gladly carried the fully grown floppa around.

"Aw, did E-Ming miss me? I missed you too." Xie Lian cooed at him as E-Ming mewed like a kitten. Hua Cheng huffed fondly beside Xie Lian.

Yes, even E-Ming had missed his gege.

Poor Ruoye whined at Hua Cheng's knees, making him laugh. Hua Cheng patted the head full of clear white fur, and ruffled her fur over the head quite enthusiastically.

Ruoye was well trained, so she did not need a leash at all and the shelter was a five minutes walk from the church. So, they walked.

The street was empty with almost no vehicles. They walked slowly through the darkening twilight, over the light layer of snow. The sun had already dipped below the horizon, leaving behind red streaks of cloud hanging low over the sky. The birds' chirps were deafeningly loud, it was time to go back to their nests, and the leaves rustled violently.

"Ruoye, no matter how much you miss me and ma, you should not take off from the shelter." Xie Lian scolded him, before scratching at his ears. E-Ming gave Ruoye a nasty smug look when the shelter helper took the helpless Samoyed in.

'Really, E-Ming is competitive.' Hua Cheng noted.

And Xie Lian's cottage was far away. So they came back to get on Hua Cheng's bike. It was a close fit, with E-Ming's astronaut capsule bag stripped to Xie Lian's back, their knees touching.