FicWad

Their world was a dark place, full of too much knowledge for minds so young; too much blood, too much danger. But they moved through it effortlessly and in tandem, understanding flashing between them without so much as a syllable spoken. It was the life they knew, the one they had always known. They both wore masks -- Ling his ever-present smile and sparkling eyes, Lan Fan the fiercely grim wooden facade painted with black and white. His made him seem non-threatening, hers made her appear invulnerable. Both were lies.

They knew what they were, and most of all, they knew what they were to each other. Time and circumstance prevented potential from rising to the surface, but it was all right.

They knew.

And within the world of secrets that they kept, the white lies he told and the truth she carefully didn't tell, were breathless moments of revelation and understanding as intimate as the one kiss he had stolen under the cover of darkness in the desert, her grandfather sleeping mere meters away.

"I don't know how long this will take," he had told her, apologizing, giving her an out. "I couldn't ask you to wait."

"You don't have to," she had whispered, and for the briefest moment, they were unmasked. But theirs was a harsh world, and masks were necessary for survival. They never spoke of their agreement again.