‘It was horrible,’ Luhan concluded. They were sat on the top branch of the pine and Luhan had explained his whole dream to Xiumin, who had listened intently, without uttering a single word.

‘There was nothing I could do to save you and the blood just would not stop, I-‘

‘Enough!’ Xiumin interrupted, ‘Look at me Luhan!’

Xiumin cupped Luhan’s face with his hands, forcing him to look straight into his eyes.

‘It was just a dream. I did not fall, I did not hit my head and there was no blood. I am fine.’

‘But…’ Luhan’s eyes welled with tears. The horror of dream had been so realistic that he had never been more scared in all his life.

Xiumin interrupted again, his own eyes watery from the sight of Luhan so distraught, ‘Luhan! I am right here beside you! Can you not feel the touch of my hands on your cheeks? I am perfectly safe, I promise! Nothing is going to harm either of us because there are no worries in our forest of dreams, the whole forest and everything in it is here just for us. Remember?’

‘I remember,’ Luhan whispered, throwing his arms around Xiumin’s neck, ‘I remember,’ his body shuddered as he sobbed, ‘I was just so scared.’

‘Luhan,’ Xiumin whispered gently, Luhan’s hair as tears glided silently down his cheeks, ‘don’t be scared. I am here, I am with you, don’t be scared.’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The day was swept away as night begun to fall so Xiumin made a fire under the pine and sat intently in front of it. Xiumin and Luhan sat a little way apart in complete silence. The only sound to be heard was the crackling from the fire and the occasional rustle of an animal in the trees. Xiumin turned his head to look at Luhan. His eyes were red and swollen from crying and he shivered every now and then from either the shock or the cold. How could a dream have upset him so much?

The moment when Luhan had pulled him up before he hit the ice had been incredible. Luhan managed to react so quickly, placing his arms around him and saving him, like an angel. A severe head injury too far away from help could have proven fatal to Xiumin, yet his angel saved him.

Seeing Luhan so broken over his dream tore Xiumin’s heart in two. Watching him suffer was worse than any pain and he could not bear it. Luhan was worrying about something that did not even occur; yet Xiumin’s worry was happening now. He moved closer to Luhan and put his arms around him.

‘Xiumin,’ Luhan murmured, ‘I cannot sleep alone tonight… what if the nightmare happens again?’

‘Hush Luhan,’ Xiumin replied, holding him closer, ‘I will go home with you, you will not be alone.’

‘Thank you.’

‘But it is your turn to promise,’ Xiumin spoke softly, ‘No more worrying, it will only feed your nightmares.’

‘Okay, no more worrying,’ Luhan nodded.

‘And also, you forget about it tomorrow. When you wake up, we will skip stones, chase rabbits and climb the pine as if nothing ever changed to upset you. Okay?’

‘Okay.’

‘Promise me. No more worries.’

‘I promise.’

They stood and Xiumin picked up their bags. Luhan took Xiumin’s hand and they began to walk in the direction of his house. The stars watched over them and the glow of the firelight they left behind protected them. This was a place where they could do whatever they liked in the sanctuary of the forest, where no one would disturb their peace and they could just be, together.

Xiumin refused to let one dream spoil that.

When they reached Luhan’s home they went straight to bed and fell asleep in the safety of each other’s arms.