just look and listen [hualian au]

:one:

ch.1-- can you hear me?

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"hey...hey, look! it's our little xie lian~!"

"awe...look at him! i was here since he was 15 and now look at him going to his last year of senior high!"

"waah...he grew up so pretty! i'm envious!"

xie lian tucked his hoodie down, biting his lips to prevent people (and ghosts) to see his flushed faces. 

yes, ghosts-- xie lian could hear dead people. and it wasn't such a grand occasion where he got it unexpectedly, but he had it since birth.

when he was five, he had heard countless whispers around him. at first, he thought they were just people outside his home, but even when he was alone he could constantly hear them giggle and wail.

and when he tried to tell his parents, they only laughed and patted his head telling him it was his imagination, that he was hearing things. but xie lian was determined and asked a lot of people if they could hear the same things he did.

(it always made him feel ashamed whenever they would look at him like he was a weirdo)

it wasn't until he was ten that there was a whisper around him when he was alone in the bathroom.

"...hey, hey? hello~~ can you hear me?"

xie lian dropped his brush in surprise and almost wailed to call his parents. but then the voice near him sigh heavily. "i thought so... hey kid, if you can hear me then nod because i have something to tell you,"

xie lian hesitated, but he heard the softness of the tone and he knew he wasn't those types of deceiving ghosts. so he nodded slowly and wiped his tears away.

"aiya...you poor child," xie lian could feel a cold gust of wind lay heavily on his head and his spine shivered. "so you really can hear ghosts, since you can hear me then do you hear everyone too?"

"yeah...i...I've been hearing them when i was five," xie lian whispered. "at first they were just murmurs and groans...but then-- then a few years later i could clearly hear them speak,"

the ghost shifted but xie lian could not see. "you've got quite the gift, kid," the ghost muttered. "tell you what, call me eira. I'll help you out for a while..."

"why would you do that?" xie lian tilted his head in the mirror reflection. eira laughed softly, "because i'm a good ghost! and good ghost helps little children."

xie lian laughed softly. "alright eira, thank you!" xie lian smiled, even if he couldn't see the ghost he knew eira was happy to help when he felt the cold air turn warm for a minute.

it wasn't until xie lian was in his first year of high school did eira began to wander around and occasionally visit him whenever. eira would even bring out some friends that soon began to dote on xie lian too. they would sometimes take turns in watching who would protect xie lian every day and always talk to him whenever he feels bored.

xie lian soon grew accustomed to ghosts coming and going by his ears, but he grew attached to eira who had been there ever since he was in a dilemma.

"hey...eira?"

"yeah, kid?"

"how old where you when you...you know..." xie lian tried hard to find the right words. "umm....unalived...?"

eira burst out a loud laugh at xie lian's words. he found his words very funny and creative. "you're really funny, kid." he ruffled xie lian's hair and xie lian felt the familiar gust of coldness rush through his head.