The Collapse of Identity

Especially when he heard the words when he first came in; it almost drove him crazy. He dared not think about how scared Wenwen must have been, facing those men alone. The mere thought was enough to horrify him. He could only wrap Su Wen in his arms, holding her tight. He did not want to be apart, not even for a second.

"Hengyang?" Su Wen had not expected to see him back so soon. No buses commuted this far out into the countryside in the middle of the night. She had thought he felt familiar when those arms held her close; now, she knew why. She had not dared to believe it at first, trapped in her preconceived notions of him, but reality refused to allow her to look the other way.

"Why are you back?"

Zhou Hengyang held Su Wen close, burying his face in the crook of her neck. It was the only thing that managed to calm him enough to formulate a response. "I had a nightmare."