Looking back, it started with the little shiver he had coming off the plane from City H. At the time, he thought nothing of it. It was still cold outside, only a few days after new year's and airplanes always were a bit drafty. He had merely flipped the collar of his wool coat up and readjusted his scarf as he called a cab to go back to his parents' residence.
A few days later, still during his break, his mother noticed him quivering a bit as he was reading next to the window in the drawing room.
She immediately had him sit closer to the fire and called for the cook to make some ginger soup. "Qiu-er, make sure you drink all of it. This is why I'm always telling your father that he should take care of himself when he goes on the plane on his business trips. Make sure you don't catch cold. Go to bed early tonight, Qiu-er."
He had twisted his face at the bitter taste but obediently drank the soup. He was a Mama's boy, after all. Since his brother had gone away, someone had to be the one his mother could dote on.
He thought of his brother, sleeping in a dusty little storage room. Ye Xiu had always been the one with the stronger immune system. Even after eating cup noodles every day and staying up all night to game, he wasn't surprised that Ye Xiu hadn't gotten sick yet. He on the other hand... well, he was glad that he had his mother to care for him when he was unwell.
He poked a bit at their newly reformed connection hoping to complain a little. It was still thin, barely a thread. It looked like his twin was still sleeping right now. He twitched in irritation, but quickly smothered the feeling. It wouldn't do to snap the connection while it was still tender and healing after ten years of breakage.
Hmph! Well, let Ye Xiu miss out on the feeling of being spoiled then, he thought as his mother brought him a warm blanket and some tea.
It was soon spring. The leaves on the trees had started to unfurl in little green buds, and the irises he had planted in the flower boxes last year began to poke their little heads out of the soil. He looked forward to the warmer weather. He had taken to wearing several layers of clothes even in the house to offset the bitter winter cold.
He wondered if it was still cold in City H. It was further south, so the weather was always a few degrees warmer.
He poked his brother through their connection. He was awake this time, but sent back a feeling of annoyance. He garnered that he was distracting Ye Xiu from his game.
Well excuse you, he told him, I just wanted to know if it was any warmer down there.
Of course it's warmer, idiot brother, Ye Xiu sent back. I'm already wearing short sleeves here.
He contemplated going down south to visit his twin for their birthday coming up soon. Unfortunately, their father would be coming back then and he would be expected to meet him.
In the end, their birthday came and passed. The twins sent each other happy birthday messages over QQ, but didn't meet. Finally it was summer.
The weather outside was sunny and beautiful, but though he could feel the sun on his skin, he could not feel the warmth. Another shiver wracked his body.
"Boss, you're shivers are getting worse and worse each day, but the heat is turned on full. Maybe you should go home and rest." His secretary was dressed in the skimpiest outfit that she could get away with, but was still dripping with sweat. She wiped away a limp piece of hair from where it was stuck to her forehead.
He felt bad that she had to suffer through the heat, but he needed it. He was still wearing his thick winter coat, and underneath it two sweaters. "I'm not sick," he said with another shiver. "I don't even have a fever." In fact, he was colder than body temperature. He felt like the deep chill of winter had set into his bones and was slowly sapping away the warmth of summer before it could even sink past the skin. It made him sluggish and stiff and miserable.
"You can work in the lobby if you need," he told his secretary. She nodded, grateful to get out of the sweltering heat. She gave him one last worried look as she left.
As soon as she was gone, he let his head rest on his desk and tried to rub some warmth back into his hands. He gave a violent shudder. He was cold. He was so cold it was painful. He wanted nothing more than to fall asleep right there in his office, when suddenly he felt a tugging at his connection with Ye Xiu.
It hurts. Qiu-di, it hurts so much.
Me too. It's so cold.
I'm so hot. It's burning me up from inside and I can't make it stop.
Xiu-ge...
Please, Qiu-di. I need you. It hurts.
He felt a tear drip down from his brother's cheek. And suddenly their connection blacked out.
Xiu-ge! Xiu-ge! He mentally yelled into their connection, but his voice only spirals into the void. Their connection was closed off.
His mind went into a panic, but he somehow had enough sense to grab his extra scarf and his wallet and dash out in his thick winter clothing into the hall.
Teeth chattering, he barked at the shocked secretary, "Get me the next flight to City H! Now!"
He needed to get home and retrieve his passport. He gave the cab driver his black credit card. "I'll pay triple if you can get me home and to the airport in under an hour. I don't care how many laws you need to break. GO!"
The cab driver sufficiently motivated, Ye Qiu sunk into his seat, wracked with intense shaking, stomach lurching from the speed, all the while yelling into the void trying to reach his twin.
He was boarding the plane when he finally felt their connection shakily reopen.
Xiu-ge!
Ye Xiu was so delirious with fever that he couldn't even respond mentally. He sent back a feeling of pain and hurtHurtHURT.
I'm coming.
He vaguely heard through Ye Xiu's fever-blurred senses the voices of Chen Guo and Tang Rou.
"His fever is so high. He needs a doctor right away. It's already above the dangerous point."
"Will he be okay to move? He's already so weak."
"No," he heard his brother croak out weakly. "No, Qiu is coming. No hospital. I need Qiu."
And as if this was the last of Ye Xiu's strength, he felt their connection fade again.
NONONO! He yelled, but his brother was gone.
He sat on the plane, cold, cold, shaking, and helpless, willing the plane to fly faster. He looked out the window at the clouds passing underneath him and caught his reflection in the window's surface. His face was pale and his lips were starting to turn blue. Faster, faster, faster, he willed. He needs me. He needs me and I need him.
The cab to Happy Internet Cafe was taking too long. He arrived right as rush hour was starting, and they were stuck in gridlock traffic. He bounced his knees up in down, as much as in impatience as an effort to drive out the bitter cold. In the end, he could wait no longer and dashed out into the street.
Faster, he willed his legs, but they were stiff and numb, causing him to stumble. He received a lot of stares from the pedestrians, wondering why he was dressed so warmly in the middle of summer, but he didn't care. Faster. He's waiting for me.
He struggled with the door, trying to get his stiff fingers to operate. Finally, he burst into the internet cafe.
"Xiu-ge! Where is he?!"
He ran up the stairs as fast as his stumbling legs could take him and barged into Chen Guo's apartment. Ye Xiu was lying on Chen Guo's bed. Chen Guo and Tang Rou were replacing the washcloths on his forehead and body with fresh ones soaked in an ice bath. They looked intensely relieved to see him. His twin laid limply on the bed, his cheeks and forehead were red with fever. He had never seen his twin so sick. He sunk down next to the bed and clasped his brother's hand in his. He felt the heat sink into his bones, warming his hand. Relief from the cold washed over him like a wave.
Ye Xiu opened his eyes. "Qiu-di," he whispered hoarsely.
"Xiu-ge." Ye Qiu leant down to press their foreheads together and they both sigh at the warmth, coolness it brought to their bodies.
"You feel so good." Ye Xiu nuzzled his head into the crook of Ye Qiu's neck, underneath his scarf.
"You too." He could feel Ye Xiu's warmthwarmthwarmth bringing back the summer from the eternal winter that had been settling in his body for almost half a year. He shrugged off his outer layers, and eventually his sweaters and shirt, climbing into the bed and relishing the contact with Ye Xiu's warm skin.
"This is your fault you know," Ye Xiu whispered into his shoulder, "You missed me so much that you just had to overload the connection."
"I don't see how this is my fault when you were the same way."
They both laughed, in relief after a dangerous situation.
Ye Xiu and Ye Qiu were both good as new by the next day, as if the past few months had never happened. Ye Qiu was reluctant to leave his brother. He couldn't help but worry. He couldn't just hop on a plane every few months, and this time had been a close call. They both almost died. Ye Xiu was also reluctant to let his brother leave. He clutched at his brother's hand, refusing to let go.
"You could come home."
"You could stay."
Please, Ye Xiu whispered through their connection.
Will you at least let Mother and Father know where we are? He prodded gently.
"Fine."
Ye Qiu smiled. "It's settled then."
The brothers leaned into each other. Ye Qiu let the summer sunlight warm his face. Yes, his brother was his warmth, his sun. Now that they were together again, he would stay by his side and they would once again balance each other as twins should, like the sun and the moon shining brightly in the sky.