Wei WuXian parked his car next to the warehouse marked for evaluation, and wondered for the hundredth time, why Wen Chao still had a job with the city. They worked together under planning and lease development but this block of warehouses had been on the list of demolition for years and his job as structural engineer meant he was usually on site within the first few weeks.

However, this building had been overlooked for the past six months because someone had just got out of one romantic relationship only to hold another with the bottle, and in doing so, was risking his job, and now Wei Wuxian’s.

He fastened his hard hat in place, securing it under his chin. He pulled out his notepad and smiled at the heart his little boy had drawn in the corner. A-Yuan was such a delight these days...and he wished he could have just stayed at home today, instead of driving out here in the middle of nowhere.

Work kept him from his son, and if it wasn’t necessary, Wei WuXian would have stayed home every day to spend time with him. His son was growing up in front of his very eyes, and he wasn't even there to see it.

Long ago, he'd had the genius idea of tying his pencil to his pad with elastic string, and he was glad because he was forever searching for something to write with, so now he made notes while walking to the very edge of the first wall.

A crack appeared in the thick concrete beam right in front of him, and before he could register what was happening, the whole building collapsed on top of him.

********

Lan WangJi loved his job as a paramedic.

The thrill of the chase to get somewhere fast, to hurry and save lives, that was what kept him going, and he was lucky enough that his brother worked in the same hospital, so they saw each other often enough. Still, Lan XiChen always made time for them to eat dinner or lunch once a week.

He lived far from work but he didn't mind the drive, the rural area broke up into a slew of deadbeat warehouses and those were the only blip, in an otherwise lovely skyline...but today, there was something different...

Lan WangJi pulled over to the hard shoulder and watched as the building collapsed before his very eyes. That was strange anyway because there was no signs of a demolition taking place and nor was the area cordoned off...so what was going on?

He had heard of buildings just falling down and the causes were many, from engineering faults to bad materials for construction, but this...to see it in real life...it was giving him goosebumps.

He wanted to continue driving, because otherwise he was going to be late for work, but something made him stop.

All of his life, he had relied upon his instincts.

His job was so unpredictable, and anything could happen in a split second, so now he was hardwired to listen to his internal voice whenever it spoke to him, and it was shouting at him now, to stop.

So Lan WangJi took the small exit road leading to the derelict buildings, just to take a look.

The dust was settling still as he pulled up next to a little red car, now covered in debris and stones...and why was it here? It looked so out of place, that Lan WangJi knew immediately something was wrong.

It wouldn't hurt just to take a look though...

*********

Wei WuXian groaned, his body full of hurts. Pain exploded in his chest as he tried to lift his left arm. For a few minutes, he felt dazed, trying to remember what had happened. He couldn’t move at all, something heavy was weighing down his body and he had to take slow deep breaths to manage the pain. His right hand was mobile though and he felt marginally better for being able to move, however slightly. He tried calling out, but that involved filling his lungs with air...and it hurt. And what came out was so feeble and barely above a whisper that he wasn't sure it was worth the effort.

But he had to try.

Once more, he prepared himself for the pain that would surely follow, but this time, he had to make sure his voice was stronger. So he gathered his strength and made a super human effort to call out.

*********

Lan WangJi was teetering on broken concrete slabs, when he thought he heard something. But when he strained his ears, there was nothing to support that, no noise at all and he was just turning around to leave, when he heard it again, and this time he was sure.

"Hello!?" Lan WangJi moved to where he thought the cry for help had come from.

He crouched down near the ground and peered into the tiny cracks of darkness that formed between the broken debris. It was too dark for him to see, but he put his mouth closer to the gaps and shouted, hoping that whoever was trapped under there would hear his voice.

Wei WuXian heard him moving about, and his call, and he could have wept with relief. The voice sounded so close now, and this time when Wei WuXian had to reply, he thought it would be easier.

"I'm here." His voice was soaked in happiness.

"Are you hurt? Where? What happened?" The voice sounded professional.

"I can't talk for long." Wei WuXian told him. "I can't move." The frustration of his situation was getting to him, and he started panicking, his breaths quick and shallow. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he really began to take in his situation. How the hell was he going to get out of here?

"Listen to me." The deep voice commanded with authority.

Wei WuXian paused, his thoughts stilling.

"Slowly breathe in and check your body for me. Can you do that?"

"Mn. Yes." Wei WuXian felt a little bit better.

This person was just outside, and he was going to help. Everything was going to be just fine....wasn't it?

"We'll do it together...alright?"

"Alright." Wei WuXian agreed, thinking that actually, the voice was very nice. It was making him feel safe, that he was in good hands.

Whoever the stranger was, it felt like they were really good at this, because right now, Wei WuXian needed that kind of reassurance.

"Okay, we're going to start now, alright? Are you ready?" The voice was insistent.

"Yes...ready."

"Take the first deep breath, and focus where it hurts the most. Can you do that for me?"

Wei WuXian cautiously breathed in.

"My chest...my chest hurts a lot."

Outside, Lan WangJi was making notes on his phone. If he was going to call this in, they would need all the information he could provide, just in case any emergency medical procedures had to be carried out right here.

"Alright, which side?" He demanded.

"The left. And my left arm...I can't really raise it. Everything is really dark...."

"Don't worry...we're going to get you out of there, okay?" Lan WangJi soothed. "Can you tell me anything more?"

"Something has fallen on my legs...I can't move..." Wei WuXian choked back a sob.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do...First tell me your name." Lan Zhan called it in, still listening intently.

"My name...you can call me Wei Ying." All this talking was making him more tired...but Wei Ying wanted to know too. "Who are you? What's your name?"

"My name is Lan Zhan." Lan WangJi was surprised at himself for giving his family name. In all his years, he had never wanted to before...but there was something about this voice he was straining so hard to hear...a desperation that Lan Zhan hated, but he was trying his best. "I'm calling for help, alright? Trust me, it's only a matter of time." He reassured the trapped man.

The emergency services told him they were dispatching a crew right away.

Lan Zhan tried moving some of the loose stones out of the way, and with a bit of perseverance, he was able to dislodge a couple of them.

"They're on their way, alright?" Lan Zhan waited for a reply but there was none.

"Wei Ying!" He shouted into the now larger gap.

Wei Ying had dozed off and he was startled awake.

"Er...sorry...Lan Zhan...I fell asleep..." Wei Ying could feel it happening again.

"You cannot, do you understand me?" Lan Zhan commanded, now a little more worried. "Do not fall asleep on me...alright?"

"Alright...I'll try." Came back the week reply.

Lan Zhan was reminded of a film his brother had made him watch a while back. So he said the line that had stayed with him for all this time.

"Trying is for wimps, and I don't think you are. Show me that you're a fighter. Tell me, without a doubt, that you're going to stay awake."

He heard Wei Ying's soft laughter.

"That first part...I know where that's from. But the escaped convict calls him a loser...or rather, tells him not to be one..." Wei Ying tried to lean forward but he let out a gasp of pain.

"Don't move...I mean it." Lan Zhan could hear everything now. The removal of the few stones in the way seemed to amplify whatever was happening inside that dark place. "If you try to move, you might hurt yourself more. Just stay still. Help is on the way."

There was silence for a while. Lan Zhan thought he might have fallen asleep again and was going to call out to him, when Wei Ying spoke.

"But Lan Zhan...I don't see any way any one can come down here..." there was a sinking of his hope intertwined within his words.

"Are you an expert then? On the sly firefighter?" Lan Zhan knew how important distractions were, in these sorts of scenarios. If a person spiralled into hopeless thinking....that could be the difference between life and....

No.

He was going to get this man out. And if he believed it, the man on the other side of these concrete blocks would believe it too.

"No..." uncertainty...

That was good. Lan Zhan could work with uncertainty. It was a a pair of scales, even matched, and all he had to do was weigh them in his favour.

"Then why do you sound so certain?" He didn't give him a chance to reply. "What's your real job?"

"I...I work for the city. This place was up for demolition."

"So why were you here this early in the morning?" Then he had another thought. "And where's your team? Are you alone?"

"Yeah..." Wei Ying winced. "Ah...I came by myself. My partner...he forgot that the report was due in this morning. I thought I'd finish it and submit it in time."

Okay, that was good because he seemed to be the only one trapped in there right now, but it was bad because had his partner been here with him, things might have turned out differently.

"What...what do you do, Lan Zhan?" Wei Ying liked his name, liked the way it rolled over his tongue like a wave.

"I'm a paramedic. I was on my way to work when I saw it happen."

"Then I guess I'm lucky, huh?" A wet laugh.

"Yes, you are. Do you know that it was a split second? I could have missed it and driven past, I could have been looking anywhere else..." this was making it more real.

Just the thought of the possibility, that Lan WangJi could have missed this, could have missed being here, at this exact time, brought home to both of them what a true miracle it was.

"If you had been just a few minutes late..." Wei Ying murmured.

How important each second was...

"Yeah..."

"I know." Wei Ying said. "I'm lying here and...and in spite of all this, I'm thinking of my boy."

"You have a son?" Lan Zhan was trying to shift more of the stones. Some of them were sharp and caught on his flesh, but he didn't think about it. Wei Ying was close, as the hole got bigger, Lan Zhan could hear him clearer too.

"Yeah...he's the best boy. I...I can't spend too much time with him...have to work, but he's like, he does not care about that at all..." Wei Ying was trying not to cry. "When I got here this morning, do you know what I was thinking?"

"What?" The hole looked big enough that Lan Zhan could squeeze his hand through...just a little more.

"I thought, wouldn't it be nice to spend a few minutes in bed holding him close? He was so warm and soft when I left..."

Lan Zhan could hear the raw emotions in his voice and was shocked to feel his own throat clogging up. He swallowed hard, trying to get past the lump.

"You know..." Lan Zhan cleared his throat. "You know, you should have listened to your inner voice."

Wei Ying laughed more, a sad choking noise.

"I know. I'm making a promise right now, and you are my witness. If I get out of here, I'm going to get another job...find one that I can do from home..or with flexible hours. I'm not going to let him have an absent dad."

"I haven't even known you for a full five minutes, but I can tell. I bet you're an awesome dad already." One more stone, but this one was stubborn, and Lan Zhan was having trouble trying to remove it.

"Am I really?" He sounded doubtful. "What kind of a dad leaves his kid with a neighbour all day?"

"I don't think you can measure it like that." Lan Zhan told him. "My father lived with us, but I don't think I can say he was a good dad."

Wei Ying thought he sounded sad.

"What do you mean?"

"He kind of led a secluded life...and especially after my mother died. My brother raised me more than either of my actual parents."

"At least you have your brother."

"Yeah, he's great." He was more than that, actually. Lan Zhan thought he was the luckiest little brother there was. Lan XiChen was supportive and nurturing, tough when he needed to be, and that made all the difference. "What about you? Any brothers or sisters?"

"I have an adopted brother and sister. But they live far away." Plus both led busy lives and Wei Ying didn't think either of them would come. "Do you ever feel lonely?" The question seemed to pop out of nowhere, as if it had been hiding, lying in wait for the opportunity to jump out of him.

"All the time." Lan Zhan was shocked at himself. Did he really feel like that? That was new...how long had he been feeling like this?

"Me too." Wei Ying carried on, unaware of the mini freak out happening outside. "I mean, the thing is, I'm always surrounded by people. Like at work, or even at home...but it's like there's no one to talk to. No one who gets me, do you know what I mean?" He was out of breath but he felt like he needed to get this out.

"Yeah...I do. And there's no point in trying to explain how you feel because no one understands." Not even his brother.

"Exactly...Lan Zhan...how long before they get here?" Wei Ying was feeling antsy and trying not be.

"They're on their way. It's just our luck that the nearest hospital is about an hour away." Ironically it was the one he worked for. Lan Zhan wanted to shout triumphantly when the stone he had been prying away from the hole, became loose and fell into the gap. "Can you hear me better now?"

"Yes."

Wei Ying's voice sounded much louder now.

"I'm going to put my hand in...see if you can touch it, okay?" Lan Zhan was already lying on the ground, but now he wriggled closer to the opening and stretched his arm inside.

For a few moments, there was only air but as he felt along the ground, he came into contact with something warm.

"Oh!" Wei Ying followed that contact and with his right hand, he grasped this hand with his own, feeling immense relief at the contact. This hand was slightly rough, but more importantly, it was warm. And Wei Ying was feeling very cold. "It's nice and warm..."

Lan Zhan felt his hand being lifted and then it was held against something really soft. He heard Wei Ying's sigh.

"Is this...is it okay...can I put your hand next to my cheek?" Wei Ying blushed but this was so comforting and it alleviated some of the cold.

But Lan Zhan was concerned.

Wei Ying felt cold...too cold.

"Tell me about your son..." Lan Zhan tried to keep the panic out of his voice.

Right now, it was imperative that Wei Ying stay calm and preserve his energy, plus they did not know how long his oxygen was going to last, even if Lan Zhan had helped by opening this hole bigger.

"My baby...A-Yuan is my bunny. He was only two when I adopted him. And that's about when Covid hit, so I had no trouble staying with him." Wei Ying stopped talking to take a break, his breathing quite erratic now. A few more deep breaths later, he tried again.

"A-Yuan is five years old now, and he's just started to form long sentences. He loves rabbits."

"So do I..." Lan Zhan admitted.

"Aren't they the cutest? I think, when I get home...I'm going to get him some to look after. I wish...I wish I had done it before."

"What does he like, your boy?" Lan Zhan was thinking hard about what else to ask him. With his free hand, he checked his phone and saw that twenty minutes had passed. Even if the ambulance and fire crew got there in half an hour, it was still taking too long.

"Carrots. A-Yuan loves carrots." Wei Ying yawned, struggling to stay awake.

"Wei Ying!" Lan Zhan pinched his cheek.

"Ow....thanks a lot, Lan Zhan!" Wei Ying complained.

"You promised..." Lan Zhan replied, without a hint of remorse.

"I...Lan Zhan...it's cold under me too..." Wei Ying sounded frightened.

"What do you mean?" Lan Zhan demanded urgently.

"There's no way...I can't tell...but I think I'm...I'm bleeding..."

"It's okay...the weight of your body pressing down on it will staunch the blood." He told Wei Ying, but he couldn't stop worrying about this. "Hold on, I'm making a phone call."

He dialed his brother. Unless his Xiongzhang was in the operating theatre, he would definitely pick up.

"Didi?" His brother picked up on the first ring.

"Xiongzhang...did you hear?" Lan Zhan told him everything, trying to keep his voice low.

When he finished, the phone was silent for a few seconds.

"I'm coming. We have another crew on standby." XiChen hung up on him.

This was why Lan Zhan loved his brother. Sharp and dependable, XiChen could tell when Lan Zhan needed him.

"Lan Zhan...do you believe in reincarnation?" Wei Ying was asking him. "What do you think happens when we die?"

"Wei Ying is not going to die." Lan Zhan replied, stubbornly.

"But what do you really think? Do we come back?"

"I don't know for sure." Lan Zhan thought about it. "I think this can't be it. I think there's definitely more, whether that involves coming back, or going somewhere else."

"Right? That's what I think. And if I get the chance to come back, then I wanna be able to come and see you at some point. I want my boy...I want A-Yuan too."

"Wei Ying..." Lan Zhan murmured...touched.

"Lan Zhan...I need you to do something for me." Wei Ying sounded both miserable and hopeful at the same time.

"Anything." Lan Zhan promised, without missing a beat.

"You seem like a decent guy...and...and I'm hoping you don't mind...but can you go and see my boy?"

"Wei Ying will see him, himself." Lan Zhan blinked back tears.

Wei Ying was losing hope.

"I didn't figure on you being a liar..." Wei Ying was nothing if not practical.

Ever since this happened, he had been looking around him and not seeing any way where rescue was possible. And it was only now he was letting himself think about the possibility that he may not survive this.

The pain in his chest was increasing with every breath, and his temperature was dropping. And there was still no sign of anyone coming yet.

"I don't know how much time I have left, but I have to tell you..." gosh, why...why was it so hard to continue talking when he really needed to? Tears of frustration fell from his eyes and Lan Zhan felt every one of his hot ears.

"Wei Ying...Wei Ying...please...don't do this..." Lan Zhan already knew what he was going to say.

"Please...you're the only one I have left...this is A-Qing's number." Wei Ying rattled off a number, and Lan Zhan could barely see, as he typed it into his phone, saving it. "Now...this is my address. A-Qing lives next door. A-Yuan will be with her." Wei Ying had to take another break.

Lan Zhan wiped the tears from his own eyes on his shoulder.

"You're going to make it out of there! Don't you do this to me!"Lan Zhan shouted out of frustration.

And then the very welcome noise of helicopter blades, and in the distance, sirens were getting louder.

"They're here, Wei Ying?" Lan Zhan was desperate. Never had he felt so alone.

"Lan Zhan...go see A-Yuan, tell him..." Wei Ying was struggling to stay awake now, the coldness beckoning him like a soft warm blanket. He would close his eyes for a few seconds, that's all, just after telling Lan Zhan that important thing..."Lan Zhan.." His eyes snapped open. "Tell my boy that I love him, and I'm sorry. I really should have...should have..." Wei Ying couldn’t hang on any longer, and he closed his eyes.

********

A/N

Don't hate me...I promise it's going to get better...

I'm kind of expecting a bad reaction, so I'm slinking away...Next update as soon as I can...

Good night Folks, and sweet dreams...

Charlie.