In this world, you only have a thousand words a day.

The government did something. No one knows exactly what. They just know that one day, after the announcements, the typical men in black had shown up at houses' doorsteps and it had been done. And now if anyone were to use up their allotted number of words by speaking, typing, writing or singing, their words would fail them. The thoughts, emotions, and images of description could well up in their minds, swirling like a rushing dam overflowing, but try as they might, the words would slip from their grasp like a life that God has taken.

It's still the topic of hot debate. Freedom of speech and impractically against the promotion of careful thought and the abolishment of careless words. But it's not at all important.

What is important is that the day this happens, Luhan cries.

~*~

Yixing is borderline autistic. His condition is enough that he's in his own world most of the time, but not enough that any appeal for a grant of extra words is approved for his caretaker. And Luhan needs those extra words. It takes so much to get Yixing out of his own world and into ours. The repeated instructions, the continuous murmurings, the endless call of "Yixing, Yixing, Yixing."

And it's never enough. Luhan barely has enough words to coax food into Yixing's mouth, let alone to tell Yixing how much he loves him.

~*~

And Luhan loves Yixing. He doesn't know why, but then, he supposes that's the way love is.

Actually, that's a lie. He knows exactly why. He knows he loves the way Yixing looks at the world - the way Yixing translates the things he sees differently in his head. The world Yixing sees is wonderful from what he's described to Luhan, and he understands why Yixing wouldn't want to come out of that world unless he had to.

And it's because of that that he loves the fact that Yixing always returns to this world when Luhan calls his name. He doesn't always respond with others, but he always does with Luhan. And he loves the way that when Yixing finally responds, it with that slow blink and then that wonderful smile spreads across his face. He loves the way, when Yixing says his name then, it feels like Luhan is the only thing that could bring Yixing joy in the world he usually hides from.

He loves Yixing despite the times when Yixing frustrates him to no end - when he's being stubborn or when he drifts off far too fast because it's probably something he doesn't like that Luhan is making him do. And sometimes, it's just one of Yixing's usual idiosyncrasies, but Luhan is human and fallible and it's irrational that something he's fine with just five minutes ago irritates him to no end now.

And he loves that despite all that, despite the pain loving Yixing sometimes brings, the thoughts of leaving Yixing are never appealing, because Luhan just cannot imagine life without Yixing. Because if Luhan can wonder how a simple comment or rather, the lack of comment, from Yixing can cause him such hurt sometimes, then it just goes to show how important Yixing is to him when the weight of Yixing's every action is magnified far more than it's actuality.

Simply put, Luhan loves Yixing because no one else could break his heart like Yixing could.

~*~

But he never says it, at least not anymore, because he doesn't have the words. He regrets not saying it more when he could. But regrets are like Tetris blocks placed wrong - once they're there, it's an uphill battle to get them to go away.

~*~

Then one day, it gets to be too much.

It's unexpected because today seems to be going well. Yixing has cooperated more than he usually does, and it's after Luhan has helped Yixing with his bath, the last task of the day, that he gets excited.

He still has words left.

It's three words, just three words. They're the campiest combination of words known to man, but those are the words he wants to say, that he wants to repeat until he's sure that Yixing knows. Because Yixing is autistic. Luhan knows he loves Yixing, but he doesn't know if Yixing knows.

It's a miracle that Yixing pays him heed the first time he calls. Luhan takes a deep breath, opens his mouth and says, "Yixing, I-"

And then, his words fail him.

If this was a normal day, Luhan would maybe shrug and pretend it was nothing, pretend that it was okay. But today, the tears well up before he can stop them, and a noise of pure frustration spills out of his mouth like an accident.

He can't let Yixing see him like this. It would upset Yixing. And so, Luhan turns and he runs.

He runs maybe a few meters, but it feels like a million. His heart is breaking into pieces and he doesn't know why.

He doesn't know why.

~*~

He feels Yixing's presence in the doorway. It takes him by surprise, because Yixing never does that. He's far from gathering the pieces of himself together, but what can he do? He turns to prepare to smile at Yixing, turns to act as if nothing is wrong.

But then, Yixing is wrapping his arms around Luhan's waist, pulling him up, and their lips meet. With his hand, Yixing caresses his lips, his hair, his body. With his hands, Yixing picks up the broken pieces of Luhan's body.

And throughout it all, Yixing makes not a sound.

~*~

Luhan doesn't use words to tell Yixing he loves him anymore.

Because in this world where words have their value jacked up by scarcity, everyone has forgotten that a picture paints a thousand words. And the picture that Luhan has is of Yixing's beautiful smile when Luhan calls his name.

Because, he knows.