恶梦 - Èmèng - Nightmare

"Xing-ge.." 

A soft whine pulled a fifteen year old Yixing from his biology notes. 

"What's up, Taozi?" He smiled as he swiveled his chair round to look at the fidgeting figure at his bedroom door. 

"I had a nightmare..." Zitao sniffed, arms wrapped tight around his worn panda plushie as he stared down at his feet. 

Yixing looked over at his clock, it was 10:16pm. He figured he'd studied enough for the night and turned to shut his books and slide them into his bookshelf as well as finally shutting down the laptop he was furiously typing on earlier. 

"Do you want to sleep with me, Taozi?" Yixing chuckled affectionately at the sight of his younger brother looking up between his black fridge with wet, hopeful eyes. 

"Get into my bed," Yixing yawned as he got up and stretched his weary body before walking towards Zitao's hunched figure and ruffling his silky hair, "I'm just going to go brush my teeth. Be right back."

As soon as Yixing left, Zitao ran and jumped straight onto his elder brother's bed, snuggling right into the blankets as he curled up into a fetal position, crushing his panda plushie into his chest. The comforting scent of detergent and cinnamon surrounded him and immediately relaxed his taut body. Zitao could feel his eyes drooping but he refused to fall asleep without his brother laying beside him. 

The soft clicking of the door alerted him of his brother's return, "Hurry gege~"

Yixing breathed a small laugh at the other's whiny voice, "Alright, alright, I'm here now."

Lifting the blanket, Yixing slipped in beside his younger brother who immediately shuffled closer to his elder brother's soothing heat. Yixing wrapped his thin arms around Zitao's smaller frame, drawing him into his chest where Zitao snuggled in, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Aren't you a bit old to be sleeping with your gege, Taozi?" Yixing whispered teasingly, running his fingers soothingly through black strands. 

Zitao let out a tiny whine, "Nightmare..."

"Want to talk about it?" 

Zitao let out a sound of protest, shaking his head as he gripped the fabric of Yixing's shirt between trembling fingers. 

Yixing merely hummed soothingly, pressing reassuring fingers into Zitao's back with his free hand. 

Time passed and the rhythmic warm puffs of air against Yixing's collarbones slowly lulled him into a state of relaxation. He could feel the sleepy tugs of unconciousness on his eyelids as his fingers came to a slow halt on Zitao's head.

Yixing jerked awake and looked down at the bundle of black hair burrowing impossibly further into his chest, "What was that, Taozi?" He thought his brother had already fallen asleep.

"Mama.." was the only muffled murmur Yixing got from the trembling boy in his hold. 

Yixing blinked, hands stilling momentarily before resuming their calming movements, "W-what about mama?" 

"Mama gone." 

Yixing gulped as he felt his shirt begin to stick to his skin, "Shh Taozi. I'm here. Gege's here. Gege will always be here." Yixing gripped his younger brother's quivering frame closer to him, tangling their legs together and erasing any slither of space between them. 

Sometimes he forgot Zitao was still a kid. It was easy to forget when he took such good care of the others when their Baba was working and Yixing was busy studying. Which suddenly seemed like all the time now. 

"Promise, gege? Promise you won't go? Promise it'll always be everyone together forever?" 

"I promise, Taozi," Yixing murmured, kissing the top of Zitao's head, pulling him that much closer, 'Because family is forever."

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Insight into the Chinese family~ ^^ Where could their mama be? :O 

Double update as promised! Sorry if they're both rather short... ;-; I promise the next one will be longer and will be uploaded by Friday the latest!!

Hope you enjoy this chapter :) 

xo