00.01 am

Lan Zhan was going to meet his brother, Lan XiChen at a bar in downtown Denver and he was late.

His car had broken down a few blocks back but the tow company had taken ages getting back to him. They finally collected the car around half an hour ago, and Lan Zhan was texting his brother while he walked down the deserted street.

The bar was called Love Bites and Lan Zhan was already uncomfortable about the whole thing. Normally, he would be asleep by now, but a string of bad luck had left him dragging out the day until now.

He couldn't wait to get this meeting over with so his brother could drive him back to his home.

But Lan Zhan was so distracted by the back and forth messages on his phone, that he hardly registered the black shadow that crossed over him.

And then, there was a sharp sudden pain on his neck and his entire body became numb. His phone slipped from his hand.

He was aware of falling...and then there was nothing.

*********

Lan Zhan drifted in and out of consciousness.

He noticed different things every time, but his thoughts were like the bubbles in fresh soda, popping and disappearing before he had a chance to grasp how important they were.

He knew he kept blacking out and time ceased to mean anything any more.

The sharp pain along his side was what roused him, lifting him up out of the quicksand of his mind. His whole body ached and throbbed, but it was the feeling of the growing cold which stood out.

All at once, he smelled gas from a passing car, the oils used in the paints of the graffiti somewhere nearby, soft traces of white spirits, and petrichor in the air; it was going to rain in approximately an hour.

How did he know that?

Where had these thoughts come from?

And overpowering all of those was the most tantalising scent he had ever, ever smelled, awakening his hunger. It was floral, enticing and Lan Zhan wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into whatever it was.

What was even more astonishing was that his mind could perfectly identify the scent...lotus flowers with a trace of vanilla...his mouth watered at the thought.

Unconsciously, his teeth accidentally bit his lip and his mouth flooded with blood...but rather than being disgusted by that, Lan Zhan licked it away, and was amazed to find that his hunger ebbed away.

When had his teeth become that sharp?

And wasn't he a vegetarian? Since when had meat become so appealing to him? Since that was where his thoughts drifted to, because Lan Zhan was imagining a steak, the rarest kind...in fact, the bloodier, the better...

This...he was appalled at.

Never once in his life had he ever considered eating anything that wasn't a vegetable...his most favourite dish was vegetable dumplings...but right now, he could literally kill for a steak.

That was a surprise...

And this scent!

Wherever it was coming from...it was close.

And it was making Lan Zhan feeling all sorts of things...but there was a major problem.

He couldn't move.

Not even to open his eyes.

His body was heavier than lead, his limbs refusing to cooperate. Lan Zhan was aware of everything, from the tiny ants crawling near his hand, to the heavenly fragrance oh so close to him now...but there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

His frustration was real.

And then, he kept blacking out...

Suddenly he was being raised up...that deliciousness so, so, near.

And the warmth!

Lan Zhan could have cried.

Whoever it was...they were a Saint.. and so warm...they were warming Lan Zhan just by being so close...and then they were attempting to lift him up. It was difficult and Lan Zhan was being jostled too much to be comfortable but he could be grateful for the heat given to him like a gift.

Lan Zhan kind of felt sorry for the smaller body; he knew he wasn't light by any means, and two hundred pounds of pure muscle wasn't easy to shift, but he had to hand it to the person helping him, they were managing adequately.

A change in the breeze warned Lan Zhan that a car was coming and this was proved by doors closing and the immediate stifling air of old tobacco and ....was that curry? Days old...perhaps the smell lingered...a stale, almost physical presence, only made better by the strong lotus flower perfume under his nose.

Lan Zhan couldn't move much but his entire being wanted to be swallowed up by this fantastic, enveloping fragrance. His nose touched something soft and Lan Zhan concentrated all his efforts on staying that close to the deliciousness.

His survival instincts kicked in when the hospital was mentioned though.

NO!

It rippled through his body with such a force that his mouth opened and refuted going there.

There was no way he was going to a hospital...not in this lifetime.

He had only ever been once in his life...and that was to see his mother for the last time ever.

He hadn't known that...at the time. And things had just gone downhill after that, the trauma never leaving him.

And he was never, ever going back there.

He must have passed out again because they were out in the cold once more...until they weren't. Lan Zhan was glad about that...and the verbal monologue going on beside him. That voice was grounding and musical, and Lan Zhan's newest improvements to his senses picked out the melodious nuances in that beautiful voice, simultaneously calming his mind.

He still couldn't move, not properly.

It was as if someone had tied boulders to his arms and legs and thrown him into the sea. He felt as if he was sinking fast.

His last thoughts were...would it be so bad? To let go of everything...just giving up...

********

Wei Ying dragged himself up from the couch, stretching to work out the kinks in his back. It cracked in three places and he scowled at the lumpy piece of furniture...but there was hardly anything he could do about it.

Hopefully his 'guest' would leave today and that would be that.

He felt a little disappointed by that...because he certainly was nice eye candy...but Wei Ying had no time to think about such things.

Not right now, when his eyes snapped to the time on his phone and he realised he only had minutes for the school bus. Wei Ying had never showered so fast in his life, running to the kitchen and putting the toast to cook before racing to A-Yuan's bedroom to wake him up.

Good morning kisses were on the fly as he carried the six year old to the bathroom, apologising for the rush and the fact that their breakfast was going to be a la bus ride today. And A-Yuan would probably have to shower at night now.

While he freshened up, Wei Ying went to butter the toast and he quickly checked on the stranger too, who might be awake.

The curtains were still closed; Wei Ying hardly ever opened them because he wasn't at home most of the time. That could be why the stranger was still asleep.

Wei Ying walked over to him, holding his breath just in case the guy woke up.

In the pale light of the room, muted by the curtains on the window, still Wei Ying could see. He had been right about the man being easy on the eyes...he was so much better than that.

His skin was flawless, pale and smooth, beautiful to look at. His features were lovely and Wei Ying had only a second to wonder if he was a professional model...Wei Ying wouldn't be surprised if that was true.

Arched eyebrows framing almond shaped eyes, his long lashes resting on pale, round cheeks...and his lips? Pink and plump and they looked ever so soft...Wei Ying wondered what they tasted like.

"Baba! I'm ready!" A-Yuan called out, jarring his thoughts.

Wei Ying could hear shuffling and knew A-Yuan was putting on his shoes.

He had no business thinking thoughts like that...he knew it too...and he stifled the pang in his heart.

He grabbed a piece of paper...it was a receipt but the back of it was blank, and he quickly scribbled a note, hoping ... he wasn't even sure what he wanted, but he was out of time now.

"Baba?" A-Yuan was definitely coming closer.

Wei Ying did not want his son coming in here and finding out about the man.

He wasn't even sure why, but all of his protective instincts were out in full force and he was determined to keep A-Yuan away from this stranger.

There was no point in A-Yuan knowing anything anyway, because this guy would probably wake up soon and leave...and that would be that.

Wei Ying could rest easy because they would probably never hear from him again.

He wasn't sure why that was so disappointing, either.

He raced out of the room and nearly collided with his son. Laughing awkwardly and pulling his bedroom door closed behind him, Wei Ying distracted his son with merry chatting, grabbing their breakfast on the go and they left to catch the school bus.

Eating on a mode of transport wasn't bad, and they had mostly finished it by the time they boarded, and yet...Wei Ying felt a twinge of regret at this life he was forcing his son to take part in.

If love could be measured in wealth, then A-Yuan would be rolling around in a heap of cash because Wei Ying loved him abundantly...the only upsetting thing here was how little time he actually got with his kid.

There was the usual five minutes before school, ten if he was lucky, and then maximum three hours after school and his own second job at Love Bites, the bar he was walking home from yesterday.

But more importantly, Wei Ying would move heaven and earth for those precious three hours. If he had to work twelve hours a day just so he could provide a happy if chaotic home for his son...then so be it.

They had a routine when it was time for A-Yuan to go inside the school building. They just made it in time, and still, Wei Ying pulled his kid closer. Softly, his lips kissed the chubby cheeks of his baby, first one side and then the other, followed by the last and most sweetest one on his forehead.

A-Yuan waited patiently while Wei Ying said goodbye like that. He knew those kisses were a sort of protection, and his father was only looking out for him...but his best friend, Lan JingYi...did not.

JingYi couldn't care less because the minutes spent out here saying goodbye were minutes he wasn't going to see again...and the moment Wei Ying finished, JingYi was grabbing his hand and pulling him away.

"Bye my love! See you in the afternoon!" Wei Ying stayed as long as he could until he couldn't see A-Yuan's light blue bobble hat any more.

Then, forlornly, he turned around to go the bus stop.

No matter how many times he had done this, it never failed to widen the cracks in his heart.

Being away from his son was hard, especially because for a long time now, they only had each other. Saying goodbye...always hurt.

Wei Ying managed to catch the bus.

He was glad because bad luck could only last so long...right?

He opened the door to the chimes hanging over the Coffee Carousel and smiled, inhaling the sweet aroma of well roasted coffee beans and chocolate.

He loved walking in to work, in this job. Not only was his first coffee free, but the mental image of coffees being as widely varied as the multicoloured horses on the ride it was named after provided a special kind of entertainment. He imagined people picking a horse and getting an appropriately coloured drink to match...and it was fun.

Orange horses meant pumpkin spices, brown ones chocolate related and so on...

His manager, Luo Qingyang, MianMian to her friends and Wei Ying, was waiting for him with a smile.

And his coffee.

Wei Ying grinned back and came around the counter, grabbing his apron and tieing it around his slim waist.

She frowned at him.

"You better eat something."

"I had breakfast!" He protested, accepting the cup of heavenly delights. "I save my coffee drinking for only you, though. NO one makes it like you do!" He beamed at her over the rim of his drink.

The problem was, MianMian knew about his situation.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that things were tight if Wei Ying was working so much, and she knew he had a kid. But Wei Ying had to draw the line at accepting free meals every day.

This was a business after all and he could not justify digging into the profits on a daily basis; he was already getting free coffee...it should be enough.

Before she could harass him further, the door chimed again and their day began. Wei Ying threw her a triumphant smile and got to work.

*******

Lan Zhan woke up on a soft bed.

Surrounded by the lotus flower and vanilla scent he had fallen in love with.

Slow, deep breaths in and out, and Lan Zhan convinced himself that it was filling all the empty spaces in his body.

He still couldn't move...and that was a concern for later.

For now, this nourishing fragrance was like a balm to soothe his battered soul.

He could tell he was lying in a bed, and he could tell that while there was more of this delicious scent here...it was not as strong as before.

He could also tell that his senses, all of them, had been sharpened like a knife. Refined and so much more accurate, Lan Zhan felt as if until now, he had completely missed the richness of life.

Just lying here, he could smell fresh toast but knew there was none left. He was grateful for the curtains shielding his fragile eyes for now, certain that the bright light of outside would hurt him.

He was hungry too, distractingly so.

That wouldn't do, so he bit his lip once more and savoured the taste of his own nourishing blood. It made him fall into a deep sleep, saving him from the overload of his own thoughts.

******

Wei Ying's alarm went off and he finished with his last customer of the day.

He grabbed his jacket and turned to leave, and MianMian pushed two sandwiches into his hand.

"You didn't get time for lunch." She insisted, knowing he was going to say no.

There wasn't even time for Wei Ying to verbalise his gratitude so he smiled instead and ran out to catch the bus to school.

A-Yuan was waiting for him with JingYi.

Wei Ying wasn't sure what was up with JingYi's parents; they lived a few levels up from where he and A-Yuan lived, so obviously they were wealthier...but their lack of care towards their kid often made Wei Ying angry.

Like today for example.

JingYi's parents had not contacted Wei Ying at all, and Wei Ying was only too aware of everything that could go wrong with the assumption that he would pick up their kid as well. Not that Wei Ying minded because JingYi was a delight by himself, often saying exactly what was on his mind, which made for priceless entertainment...however it did not sit well with Wei Ying, and too often he and A-Yuan would climb the four flights of stairs with JingYi to escort him home.

Wei Ying desperately wanted to have a go at the bad parenting...but he was in no position to do much.

All he could do was give the kids something to eat and hope for the best.

He handed them the sandwiches MianMian had given him and remembered that he'd forgotten to go and get groceries again.

When they got home, Wei Ying was arranging their shoes when JingYi spoke.

"Whose shoes are those? They're much bigger than yours." He exclaimed. "And they look nicer."

The shoes did look much nicer...and definitely more expensive.

Wei Ying looked guiltily back and hurried them along, avoiding answering them. He had totally forgotten about the extra problem on his plate today, the one who had hopefully left his home.

He got the children settled doing their homework and when he thought they were distracted enough, he slipped into his bedroom.

The man was still there.

Wei Ying felt a frisson of relief at that...and he refused to think about it.

But...had the stranger really slept all this time?

Wei Ying went closer, to get a better look.

He was lying exactly as Wei Ying had left him last night...well, early this morning.

Technically night, because Wei Ying was of the opinion that if the sun wasn't shining, it was still night time.

So...he hadn't moved in...fourteen hours.

That wasn't anything to worry about...right?

Wei Ying thrust two fingers under his nose to check for breathing, holding his own breath not to distract himself.

There was barely a breath...

He thought he saw the man's chest rise a bit...oh, why was this so difficult? How did doctors do this on the daily?

As if just thinking about her made her manifest in a weird voodoo sort of way, his phone burst into life.

It was Wen Qing.

"Is he still there?" She wanted to know.

"Oh, hello Wei Ying, this is your JieJie, how are you today?" He said, mimicking her voice in a higher pitch, but whispering because, you know, body on the bed...

"Cut the crap and answer the question." She snapped, clearly done with him.

"Well, yeah...he's still here." Wei Ying replied, super quietly.

"Is he still breathing?" Her voice came back urgently.

"Jeez, give me a chance. I just got home with the kids." He put his fingers under the stranger's nose once more. "And FYI, I can't tell."

"Kids? JingYi's there? And what do you mean, you can't tell?" She sounded disbelieving. "It's not that hard. You have two choices. Pick one."

Wei Ying let out a snort.

"I told you, I can't tell." He repeated, fighting the rising panic in his own chest.

"That's okay, calm down."

"I was fucking calm before you called!" He bit back sarcastically.

This was why they worked.

"Okay, listen. I can't make it there tonight, PoPo's coming instead. If he wakes up, give him something to eat, otherwise I'll see you tomorrow morning." She hung up.

Wei Ying was left looking at his phone with the dead dialing tone.

He looked at the stranger.

The phone dropped from his fingers because...

Golden eyes were staring back at him.