Author Notes: Hello again, everyone! As much as I adore WenZhou, I can't stop thinking of YBY, his unrequited love for RCQ and how he needs lots and lots of TLC. All that resulted in this little tale. Enjoy :)

Summary: An AU for A Wedding Worth Having which branches off after Chapter 6. What if YBY had fainted out of sight of WKX and ZZS?

Disclaimer: The Word of Honour drama series is based on the BL novel Faraway Wanderers written by Priest.

- Story Start -

Ye BaiYi watches as Zhou ZiShu pulls Wen KeXing into his arms, their tearful smiles causing a familiar pang in his chest.

If only Rong ChangQing had hugged him like that after Ye BaiYi saved his life by transferring the LiuHe Kung Fu from him. But that had been a matter of life and death. ChangQing had already qi deviated, at first overly strong and arrogant, and then later astoundingly weak and humble. In between, he'd been unconscious, barely breathing and lying at death's door. It'd taken weeks of dedicated care by the woman who brought him to Ye BaiYi before he'd even awakened.

Shifting backwards, Ye BaiYi slides off the white stone circle and onto his feet, swaying. Colourful dots are dancing in front of his eyes again. He just needs to rest while his body replenishes his qi and he'll be fine. For the time being anyway.

In retrospect, he should've rested before healing Wen KeXing's meridians, but he'd let Qin HuaiZhang's disciple's panic get to him. For Heaven's sake, it wasn't like that white haired brat was in danger of dying immediately!

Young people nowadays, so prone to dramatics.

Anyway, what's done is done. Looking over his shoulder, Ye BaiYi sees the two of them kissing and shrugs to himself. They deserve some privacy to make out or celebrate or whatever. He leaves the room, walking slowly and squinting past the colourful dots obscuring his vision. He's shivering. This place is freezing! He hadn't felt it when they first arrived but he'd had more qi then and the anticipation of finding the World Armoury at long last had distracted him from the icy chill.

He makes it to one of the smaller rooms lining the corridor before collapsing on the cold floor, curling up and shivering so hard his teeth are clattering together. His insides feel colder than the severest of winters on ChangMing mountain.

Closing his eyes, he lets himself fall into the darkness.

- o -

Some time passes and Ye BaiYi hears voices, the tone urgent even if the words themselves are indecipherable. With his ear pressed to the floor, he hears the thud of running footsteps. Things are tugging and pulling at him. Hands! Eager hands pulling and stripping off his clothes! Evil hands doing wicked things when he's already freezing to death!

He stops them easily.

No. He tries, but he can't. He's just batting weakly at them like a newborn baby while they strip him off what meagre protection he has against the unforgiving chill. He scolds them, but all he hears is this... this weak mewling. Surely not from him! A hungry kitten must've wandered into the Armoury.

One moment, he's naked and about to die from the cold - good heavens, is he going to the Naihe bridge clad in nothing?! - and the next, he's surrounded by blessed, glorious heat, like he's submerged in a bath of hot water. No, not water - what a silly notion! He's submerged in golden, pulsing qi.

He burrows and buries himself in that warmth, arms and legs clinging to whatever he can. Later, he'd find out that he'd suffered a high fever for a whole day. For now, all he cares about is that he can't get warm enough. It's an alien, disturbing, frightening notion.

He welcomes the qi that pours into him in twin golden streams, warming his insides, giving energy and life. He's bathed in that beautiful heat inside and out, surrounded by scents that are both familiar and grounding. Drifting in and out of consciousness, he catches flashes of light through half closed lids, and snatches of conversation.

At last, the violent shivers wracking him start to lessen. He keeps his eyes closed and his limbs wrapped around solid heat, finally feeling warm, safe and protected.

Such a silly notion. He of all people doesn't need protecting. It feels nice though. He could... he could almost get used to it.

- Chapter End -

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you enjoyed this chapter :)