the art of cruelty

by butchgoth (GremlinGirl)

Chapter 27

Notes:

TWs in endnotes

The grey sky punctured with blue-ish evening light slurried over his head. A warm puddle pooled around his body, melting and carrying away the chill of ice. Even as snowflakes landed on He Xuan’s cheeks, the fire of a bullet wound melted them. Shi Qingxuan had been in his hands. Through the pain, he could still feel the gentle fingers stroking across the leather over his left eye. 

 

“He Xuan! He Xuan!” 

 

The crying came from somewhere near him, but his brain was too riddled to determine exactly where. The thunder of the gun still ricocheted in his brain, a bookend to his desperate ploy. There would be no salvation for the ones he loved. The sky blurred into grey above him, the shape of a person taking form, and then there was nothing but the fuzz of pain and fading warmth. As the blood met the snow, it cooled, and soon He Xuan was lost to its endless sea. 

 

Until the sparkpoint. A sizzle of pain shoved through his shoulder, and He Xuan shot forward to consciousness again. He screamed, voice echoing inside a room and slamming back into his ears. Hands forced him to lay flat against a table, hard beneath his tense muscles. “Shove something in his mouth, or he’s going to bite his fucking tongue off,” someone said, and when fabric pressed against his lips, He Xuan bucked wildly away from the hands. But when his mouth opened, they forced it in, and he bit down on the cloth. “Hold him still.” That was a female voice that he vaguely knew, speaking somewhere to his right. 

 

He Xuan could tell he was in some small space, but every sound seemed like it came from a hundred miles away. One of his arms was leaden, the other tied against the table. Even with open eyes, all he could see was a bright light hanging over his head, reflecting off the walls and back into his eyes. Jerking, he tried to move away from the hands on his shoulder, the fire of pain licking down his arm. 

 

“I need that rubbing alcohol. Have to clean this.” 

 

“We don’t have a lot of time.” 

 

“He Xuan isn’t going to help you if he drops dead of an infection.” 

 

The towel in his mouth was soon soaked with his own saliva, and He Xuan cried out around it. His head fell to the side, and he found two figures standing near his shoulder and talking. Another hand reached across his body and handed a bottle to the woman. She unscrewed the cap, dousing a rag in her hand. They didn’t seem to notice or care that he was awake. 

 

“You got the bullet out.” He finally recognized the voice. Xie Lian’s face was pale in the light, red eyes and dry lips. He’d pulled up his hair as best he could, the shorter strands falling out of the tie to hang against his cheek. He looked like the walking dead. “...should I just leave him here and take care of this myself?” 

 

“That is your choice.” 

 

The rag settled onto He Xuan’s shoulder, and he bit the towel and grunted with pain. Eyes rolling back, he felt the pressure increase as hands pushed down against the wound. Spasming against the table, He Xuan cracked his head against the wood beneath him until someone else grabbed him and held him still. He couldn’t see them, only felt warm, soft hands holding him still. And, finally, he could make out quiet sobbing. An undercurrent beneath the conversation. 

 

“I need a straight answer. Is he useful to me or not?” Xie Lian asked. 

 

The floaty, woman’s voice spoke to him with a patience his biting tone didn’t warrant. “I find, when a person’s family is on the line, they can fight through anything. Is that metal heated yet?” 

 

“Yes, Madame Yushi.” A different voice, from somewhere else. 

 

“I don’t have a lot of time,” Xie Lian said. “Bai Wuxiang will want to torture San Lang, but he won’t keep him alive forever. I’m leaving tonight. Soon. I need to gather the rest of our forces.” His feet echoed as he walked away. And a heavy door opened and slammed shut. 

 

He Xuan tried to tilt his head upward, tried to see the person holding him, but he couldn’t move that far and they kept shifting as other people walked around in the...room he was in. He Xuan didn’t know where he was, and the bright light hanging overhead was setting him on edge. And then he felt the rag lift from his shoulder. “I can see you’re awake,” the woman spoke, and her voice seemed to blur into thousands, all speaking in tandem. He Xuan tried to find her again, but the room was spinning. “Don’t worry. We’re attempting to take care of you, Black Water. But I’m about to shove a piece of hot metal into your shoulder to cauterize this gunshot wound. If you want to go after your daughter, I suggest your bite down hard on that towel and take it like a man.” 

 

With the towel shoved between his teeth, He Xuan was unable to reply. But Yushi Huang didn’t give him time to do so, anyway. He caught sight of glowing red, vision dripping, and then pain shot through his shoulder. He screamed behind the gag, the sound captured by cloth and dispensing in muffled bursts. Someone else laid a heavy arm over his chest to keep his body from flopping against the table, until the smell of burnt flesh stabbed into his nose. He Xuan’s head spun, and when the metal was taken away, the blackened skin left behind smouldered with pain. More alcohol was dipped over the top, and he jerked once before his eyes shut again. 

 

It wasn’t sleep. The pain laid in his body wherever he’d sunk to. Whatever this unconsciousness was, it wasn’t a relief from his suffering, rather a trap to keep him inside it. And on the cusp of every spike of agony was a face of someone he had failed. Shi Qingxuan, reaching for him. Hua Cheng, held in the arms of Ling Wen’s goons. He Yue, in his kitchen, as he promised her he wouldn’t leave again. The taste of failure was bitter and salted, as was the sweat dripping down his lip. When He Xuan began to wake, the first thing he felt over the pain was a set of fingers running through his hair. 

 

“...Qingxuan?” he asked, voice a pitchy rasp. 

 

Hearing a sniffle, he tried to open his eyes and find this person who cradled his head. His eyes wouldn’t open, sealed shut, and orange light seared the front of his eyelids. The fingers running down the side of his face felt familiar in the same way the last notes of a song on the radio did. When he turned on the car, only to hear the song trailing off, and his brain would shift and awaken some old memory. One that would yawn and stretch, then roll over to go back to its slumber. And he would be left with the unsettled feeling of unappeased nostalgia. 

 

“...Qingxuan…” 

 

“Wake up, A-Xuan.” 

 

He Xuan’s spine went rigid. And his eyes finally snapped open. There were no hands on his face, and the orange light shining over him disappeared as if it was never there. Sitting up, he found the restraints that had been on him were gone. Pants and shoes still on, only his jacket and shirt had been removed. He reached up and felt along the scarred flesh where the bullet had torn through him. It was patched up, for now. Looking around, he recognized his bedroom at Puqi Estates. It had always been left for him, upkeep taken care of by his family. Standing off the bed, He Xuan immediately fell to his knees. Huffing. Pain. 

 

Fingers sliding along the carpet, he crawled toward the table against the wall. Reaching up with his good arm, He Xuan leveraged himself to standing and leaned heavily on the table. It knocked against the wall with a thud. On the floor, rusty bloodstains followed a path from the door to the bed, and the sheets were soaked with drying red, already oxidizing. Finding a fresh shirt in the closet, He Xuan pulled his uselessly leaden arm into a sleeve, dragging it around himself. He didn’t bother buttoning it, hobbling toward the door. The hallway light was on, too bright, and he pushed through it with a wince. 

 

“Ge!” 

 

Turning his head, He Xuan found He Mingxia running down the hallway. She’d been leaning against the wall, tear tracks on her face. As she approached, arms swung around him, and He Xuan grunted against her shoulder. One arm wrapped around her waist as she clung to him, squeezing his injured ribs. His right was hanging down, heavy, and lifting it felt as doable as single handedly pulling a jumbo jet. “Mingxia-” 

 

She cut him off. “I thought-” Her eyes were shiny in the low-light, and her curls looked listless. “...we waited for a bit, to see if you would wake up. But you weren’t waking up.” 

 

His throat clicked when he tried to speak. Then, He Xuan shook his head. “Where’s Xie Lian?” 

 

“Uh, he’s talking to some people downstairs. Told me to stay with you. But I...sitting there and watching you on the bed, I...I know it’s pathetic, but I couldn’t stare at you laying in your own blood anymore.”  He Mingxia turned her head, stepping away from him. She kept her hands on him, like expecting him to crumple in on himself at any second. “...that nice lady, Yushi Huang, she’s offered to help.” 

 

He Xuan stared in the direction of the stairs, wondering why Yushi Huang was throwing her metal behind them, but his thoughts didn’t last long. The night was fading, and he needed to find Xie Lian. Starting to walk, he let He Mingxia put her arms around his waist and follow with him. “I tried, Mingxia, I really-” 

 

“Shut up. I know.” Her arms tightened around his midsection, and He Xuan held in a wince as she squeezed whatever internal damage still laid below the surface. “I-I didn’t mean…” Her lips twisted, unhappy with the circumstances, and He Xuan stared forward and gritted his teeth. “...you got shot. I’m just glad you’re still alive.” 

 

His breath quivered. “Yeah.” 

 

Down the stairs, He Xuan followed the sound of muffled voices, through the kitchen and into the dining room. Already, he could tell there was an argument going on. Inside, he could see Yin Yu and Quan Yizhen sitting close to each other. Feng Xin and Mu Qing were going at each other from either side of the table, and Yushi Huang had taken the place at the head of the table. Xie Lian was leaning against the wall, lips pressed together, looking positively white with stress. 

 

“We’ll do nothing until we figure out where they are, for sure!” 

 

“So, you wanna sit around and wait for a body to show up?!” Feng Xin knocked a fist against the table and made the whole thing shake. “What’s sitting around going to do?!” 

 

He Mingxia stood at his side, doing more to keep him standing than he wanted to admit to. As they entered the circle, people turned to face them. Mu Qing and Feng Xin took a pause from yelling at each other, and Yin Yu glanced up from the knife he was spinning between two fingers. Quan Yizhen sat on the ground beside him, and he stood slowly. Yushi Huang, with her large, burly guard at her back, gave him a once-over. 

 

“How does Black Water being awake change our plans?” she asked. 

 

From the corner, Xie Lian barely looked up. Scraggly, half-cut pieces of hair floated in front of his face, and he glowered at the floor. “It doesn’t. We figure out where they went and kill them all. That is the only plan I’ll entertain.” 

 

“But-” Yin Yu started and stopped when Xie Lian leveled a glare at him. With bandages wrapped around his head, he still seemed to have a shaky grasp on himself. And his gaze slowly moved back to He Xuan. Yin Yu wrapped his fingers around his knife and slid it down into the leather sheath. “Do you know where they might have gone?” 

 

His jaw worked, and he lifted a shoulder. “Maybe to get A-Yue?” 

 

“You just want to go to the cabin to save your daughter,” Xie Lian said, and their eyes met across the room. His gaze was tired and angry, rimmed in a red so deep it looked like blood. The shadows of his coiled hair stretched over his exhausted face, and He Xuan could only swallow his complaints. “Madame Yushi, tell him what you told us.” 

 

Yushi Huang was obviously the most calm in the room. She acted like there were hardly any stakes, arms crossed in front of her. Hair pinned out of her face, her plain clothing was much different than the usual garb she clothed herself in. He Xuan found himself twitching under her gaze. “Ling Wen was supposed to bring Bai Wuxiang out into the open. We had decided on a location weeks ago. Unfortunately, your plans bisected with my own, and I haven’t heard from her since yesterday.” 

 

“You’re working with Ling Wen?” He Xuan asked. 

 

“I’ve wanted Bai Wuxiang out of the picture for a long time. She came to me with a plan to accomplish that.” 

 

Angry, He Xuan broke away from He Mingxia and stepped toward the table. He slammed his hand on it, hard, noticing Yin Yu’s slight flinch. Yushi Huang dropped her eyes, briefly, then fixed him with a calm look. “What happened to your holier-than-thou neutrality? Why should we even trust you?” he asked. 

 

“Because I’m your only option, Black Water. I believe you are correct in the assumption that Bai Wuxiang has gone to the mountains, and I can show you why.” She removed a phone from her pocket and motioned for him to come closer. Straightening up, He Xuan held onto his arm as he crossed the room. Feng Xin and Mu Qing stepped out of his way, and he paused in front of her outstretched hand. 

 

“Just like she didn’t tell me all her secrets, I haven’t told her all of mine.” The screen of the phone was illuminated with a map, and a single green dot which blinked in a slow pulse. It didn’t move. The map labeled this as the highway west of the city, and He Xuan glared at it. Xie Lian shrugged away from the wall, circling around to look at the screen. “I’ve been tracking her phone since the beginning of our arrangement. Considered it security, in case an aggressor got their hands on her. It died somewhere between here and the mountains in the west, but that seems to be the direction she’s headed in.” 

 

“That’s the cabin,” He Xuan said. 

 

“How’d he even find out about that place?” Mu Qing asked. “Ling Wen?” 

 

“N-” He Mingxia spoke, and her voice was swallowed by the sudden gazes on her. She looked around, eyes seeming to trail along the weapons each of these dangerous men were displaying, but then they fell on He Xuan. “I told him about the cabin. I-he may have already known some details, but he wanted to know the layout and area around it. Didn’t know why he wanted to know at the time.” 

 

“That means that’s definitely where he is,” He Xuan said. Turning, he planned to leave the room. No use waiting around on decisions to be made. He’d storm after Bai Wuxiang himself. But, a spasm rocked through his body, and He Xuan crashed to the floor. 

 

“Ge!” 

 

Xie Lian beat her to him, bent down beside him and winding an arm around his chest. Dragged to his feet, He Xuan imagined his knees turning to steal. He couldn’t let them buckle. Not again. Shaking, he leaned against Xie Lian, teeth bared. “...Bai Wuxiang is a predictable motherfucker. He’s going where he can do the most damage to all of us. He has to kill A-Yue.” 

 

Behind him, He Mingxia made a distressed sound. Turning his head, he saw her deflated curls and foggy eyes, and his heart banged against his ribcage. Back to Xie Lian, he waited until their eyes met. “Trust me. That’s where he would go. I’m not just sa-saying it.” His body felt like it would snap in half at the slightest push, but there was no choice but to be strong. “I need to save him, too.” 

 

Xie Lian’s eyes were still and hard. They stared at each other, each with the intensity of an imploding star. “We’re going to the cabin,” he said, finally, and He Xuan stepped away and slumped against the table. “Let’s move out.” 

 

“You can take a few of mine with you,” Yushi Huang said. “Otherwise, I wish you both luck.” 

 

He Xuan’s eyes swept across her, but he didn’t dwell for long. Reaching up, he pressed a hand to his injured shoulder and grunted with pain. Heading from the room, he walked past He Mingxia and went toward the kitchen. His arm was still deadweight. Yin Yu’s gaze was glassy as it slid over him, but He Xuan didn’t have time to deal with that. A table of weapons was set up for them, and he grabbed up a gun and felt the familiar weight in his hand. He’d usually aim with his right arm, but that was out of the question. 

 

“Mingxia.” 

 

Without much preamble, He Mingxia stuck close to him. She helped him button up his shirt. He nodded down to the holster, and it didn’t take her more than a second to figure out what he wanted. She helped him slide his arms into it, then placed his gun inside it. “You stay here,” he said, speaking with a slight strain in his voice. 

 

“Like hell.” 

 

“You’re not coming with us.” 

 

She grabbed his shoulder, and He Xuan flinched. He Mingxia glared into his eyes, anger like a malfunctioning spark plug lighting up in her eyes. “I have to. I’ll stay back, I’ll-I’ll do anything, just...I need to know she’s alright. And...I can’t let you out of my sight again, because everytime I do you go off and nearly get yourself killed!” Her voice lowered when Mu Qing glanced at them from across the table, distracted from sliding knives into the hidden holsters under his sleeves. “Ge, you can barely walk.” 

 

He Xuan stared at her, his vision blurry around the edges with pain and exhaustion. He Mingxia looked at him, meeting his gaze with the steel she’d had running through her for as long as he’d known her. Settling a hand on the table, He Xuan leaned against it, head bowed. “I-I can’t lose you, too.” Behind his eyelids, failure danced like a dying flame. “I’m not-not strong enough to keep you safe right now.” 

 

“Were you ever?” 

 

His expression pinched. Guilt swallowed his heart. “Mingxia-” 

 

“Ge, I’m not six years old, anymore. Someday, you’re gonna have to stop protecting me.” 

 

Trying to disagree was making him ache, and He Xuan didn’t have time for this conversation. Turning around, he stopped when Yin Yu suddenly approached him from across the room. In his hand, a sling, and he tossed it. He Xuan caught it, staring at the blue fabric with a lifted brow. “I had to wear that after Qi Rong beat the hell out of me. Your shoulder must be on fire, especially with the weight of your arm hanging off it like that. So put it on.” 

 

He Mingxia grabbed it from his hand, unclipping the top band and looping it around his neck. He Xuan started at Yin Yu, eyes trailing the white bandage he could see peeking out under his hair. “You don’t look good.” 

 

“I don’t feel good. But we’ve got work to do, Boss. Same as always.” 

 

He Xuan looked down as he walked away. He winced as He Mingxia lifted his arm and slid it into the sling. The movement pulled at his shoulder, a tightening and twisting of the cauterized muscles, and his scalp prickled. “Stop acting like a baby,” she whispered, holding a note of exhaustion in her tone, and He Xuan relaxed while she moved behind him to attach the band together. His arm was held up, and after the painful shifting, He Xuan could admit it was better this way. “Tsk, tsk...how are you going to do anything? Ge, you need-” 

 

“Have to go.” He walked away, briefly pausing to cup her cheek. “I’ll get her back, o-or…” 

 

“Don’t say it. I don’t want to hear you promising you’ll save her or die trying.” He Mingxia nearly glared at him, through eyes that were quickly shrouded by tears. “Wait, Ge. Ge!” Her fingers weakly held onto his arm, but He Xuan pulled away and went from the kitchen to the front door. It was open, engines growling outside. Stepping onto the porch, he saw Xie Lian sliding into the bright, red convertible to lead the charge. And He Xuan went to join him.

 

“Black Water.” 

 

His footsteps paused in the grass, and turning his head, He Xuan found Yushi Huang exiting the house. A halo of light surrounded her, plain, black dress and soft coat  giving her figure a cottony outline. She was followed closely by her bodyguard, but with a wave, she made him stay back. He Xuan lifted his head to watch as she walked onto the porch. The chill of the air wound through him like a snake. “I have to go,” he said. 

 

“Of course you do. Before you do, I want you to know that I wasn’t aware Ling Wen planned to involve your family in this. I’ve never been a fan of involving the innocent - no more than they involve themselves. And I didn’t want you and your brother brought low, either. I do support balance in the city. Bai Wuxiang wanted to upset that balance, and I thought she could right the scales again.” 

 

“Too bad she’s just as much of a power-hungry bitch as he is, right?” He Xuan asked, with a scowl. 

 

“Blame me if you want.” Yushi Huang’s head tilted to one side, a kindness in her eyes that had He Xuan’s spine prickling with discomfort. He’d seen her nurture dying plants, and something in her expression reminded him of that. When her hand reached out, He Xuan stepped back onto the porch to take what she offered him. A golden necklace sat in her palm, Shi Qingxuan’s, and the lining of his throat thickened. “Go. I don’t imagine you’ll have much time after sunrise to save your family. The ones in my grasp will be protected.” 

 

Taking the necklace - she must have taken it from his pocket before doing impromptu surgery on his gunshot wound - He Xuan felt the charm between his fingers. Nodding, he stepped off the porch and headed toward the car. The rest of their procession was ready, and with a grunt, he slid into the convertible beside Xie Lian. As soon as his door was shut, the engine roared like a territorial lion, and Xie Lian whipped them around in the driveway and out the front gate. Carefully, He Xuan slid the necklace into his pocket. 

 

---

 

The road was long and the atmosphere tense. The rising sun was a pinpricking light at their backs, sucking away the darkness to reveal the road. He Xuan kept a hand on his shoulder, pressing into the muscles and feeling them contract and tense around the hole the bullet had burned through him. Fingers inside the sling twitched, wrist rolling slowly. Beads of sweat formed along his hairline, dripping down, and He Xuan grunted a few times as he forced his arm to work again. The heel of his hand pressed into the wound, pain zipping through every vein like sticking a fork in an electrical socket. 

 

“You’re not going to make yourself any better by doing that,” Xie Lian said, his eyes never leaving the road. They were driving on ice, fast, and any slight mistake could have them veering off the road and crushed up against the treeline. 

 

He Xuan didn’t reply. “There’s a turn coming up. Pump the brakes.” 

 

Xie Lian did, and the engine settled under them, purring a healthy vibration. He Xuan reached forward with his good arm and slid open the glovebox. He had to blink, to clear his vision, but the black gun sitting inside settled easily into his hand. No reason not to have two. Nudging the glovebox closed with his knee, He Xuan leaned back and worked the clip out to check that it was loaded. He pushed it back in with his knee, then settled the gun in his lap. 

 

“...I should’ve known the plan wasn’t-” 

 

“There’s no use in blaming yourself, He Xuan. I don’t blame you.” Xie Lian’s hands loosened on the wheel as the car slowed. The winding mountain road tangled upward before them. The white-coated green firs blurred in He Xuan’s eye. And he swallowed the guilty lump floating in his throat. “I just...can’t lose him.” 

 

“I’d rather die than let anything happen to him.” He Xuan reached a hand up, squeezing his shoulder again. Little flashes of fractured pain made the light flicker in his eyes. “Or-or-” He couldn’t say it. Xie Lian’s eyes fell on him, briefly. Like weight resting on the back of his neck, and He Xuan sagged forward. 

 

“We’ll get all of them.” Xie Lian spoke with authority and severity. “And then we’re going to burn the motherfucker alive.” 

 

Looking up, He Xuan’s eye narrowed. They carefully navigated a curve in the road. A single car smoked against a tree, half covered in snow. Lifting his hand, He Xuan motioned for Xie Lian to stop. They pulled onto the shoulder of the road, one tire bumping off the edge and into the snow. He Xuan pushed the car door open and swiveled his legs out. Holding the gun at his side, he moved forward with slow steps. The rising sun glinted off the edge of the car, warped metal sticking through the damage. Xie Lian followed carefully behind him, and the rest of their convoy came to a stop behind the convertible. 

 

Feet crunched through the snow behind him, and He Xuan dragged his quickly worsening leg behind him. The back passenger door was flung open, the inside empty. Slowly circling the back, he came to the horror scene on the other side. A single body laid, partly covered by the continuous snowfall, bare fingers reaching toward the sky. Frozen in the snow. He Xuan kicked it over and looked at the clumsy bullet hole through the chest. Not aimed well, but good enough to do the job. Looking inside the driver’s seat, He Xuan saw bent metal from the crushed engine and blood coating the seat. All dried, frozen even, but soaked deep into the fabric. “It’s fresh,” he said, looking up at Xie Lian who was standing on the other side of the car and waiting for his say. Cut chunks of hair swayed in front of his face, snowflakes catching in the strands. 

 

“What do you think happened here?” 

 

He Xuan looked down again, and he shook his head. “Someone got whacked. Maybe driver here got shot by someone he was carting around, crashed the car?” His teeth bared, cold wind knocking against them as he thought. “...or someone was running.” 

 

Under the snow, he could see red lines. More snowfall had mostly covered this up, but he could see blood beneath the top layer, as if the person inside had been pulled out and dragged to the edge of the road. Following the faint lines, he stopped and looked up. From here, he could see the small path that would lead them toward the cabin. “...someone got captured again.” 

 

“Do you think they’re still alive?” 

 

“No body here.” He glanced down. “Besides this one. I don’t think he was driving the car. No injuries on the legs.” 

 

Xie Lian circled around the car and walked onto the road. His fingers curved, trembling in the snappy chill. Eyes seeking through the trees, Xie Lian seemed to want to get a view of the cabin, but the thick trees and distance still shielded it. He Xuan dragged his leg through the snow to the edge of the road, and he stepped across the disturbed slushy ice which had formed in the intense cold. “...what should we do?” Xie Lian asked, quietly. 

 

“...driving straight through the trees is going to alert them immediately,” he said. “We need this to be subtle. Bai Wuxiang might kill them all out of spite, if he realizes we’re coming.” 

 

“That’s what I was thinking. How do you get to the back of the cabin?” 

 

He Xuan’s lips twitched. “Over a frozen lake.” 

 

“I imagine he feels very secure with that landmark behind him.. How wide is the lake?” 

 

“There’s a narrower point, about thirty minute drive from here. Straight shot to the dock. But-” Xie Lian’s eyes found his face, questioning gaze. “-winter is still early. I don’t know how solid the lake is.” 

 

“Will you risk it? With me?” 

 

“Do you really have to ask?” 

 

The look that cut into him was as cutting as it was grateful, and Xie Lian walked away without another word. He Xuan followed at a slower pace, listening. “Feng Xin, take this group and trek through the woods here. Stay out of sight. When we get across the lake, I’ll call you. Yin Yu, Mu Qing, Yizhen, you’re with us.” Walking back toward the cars, Xie Lian stopped with a slight incline to his head. “...you’re a sniper right?” 

 

One of Yushi Huang’s people, a girl too young for this line of work, sat on the hood of one of their cars with a cigarette smoking between her fingers. “Yes,” she said. “No height out here, though. Unless you want me to climb a tree.” 

 

“If you can set up across the lake, is it flat enough to see the cabin?” 

 

The girl - He Xuan thought her name was Ban Yue, but he didn’t know for sure - gave him a thoughtful look. “Probably.” 

 

“Then, get your gun and scope and get in our car. Let’s head out. He Xuan, can you drive?” 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

Xie Lian was on his phone, checking in with the split branch of their group, and He Xuan slid into the driver’s seat. Soon, they were storming back down the road to circle the lake. The cold did one good thing, numbing him to the panic that tickled under the surface. One hand on the wheel, he flexed the fingers of the other and traced the antsy pain up his veins. 

 

Turning the car around, He Xuan drove past the others. His mind was a thousand miles away, thinking of some failed escape plan, what Bai Wuxiang would do to the person who’d tried. He almost didn’t notice the tiny figure standing on the roadside, a dark smear against the white and snowy landscape. It was Xie Lian grabbing him that got his attention, and He Xuan slammed his foot on the brakes. 

 

“He Yue!” He threw the door open, running to her as fast as his legs could carry him. He Yue turned, long hair slick with snow and ice, and she stumbled backwards at the shouting. When she realized who he was, her feet slid on the ice as she tried to get to him. He Xuan dropped to the cold ground, holding her up, and he immediately found his chest the new home for her tears. “You’re freezing.” He would have ripped off his own jacket, but he wasn’t wearing one. Xie Lian caught up with him, pulling his off, and the fabric was draped around her. They both shivered in the cold as she sobbed against him. 

 

“...you came back.” 

 

Her little words were so muffled in his chest, He Xuan wasn’t even sure he’d heard them right. Standing up, he lifted He Yue with a weak arm. She clung to him, helping, and he slowly walked along the slick road toward the car. “She needs warmth,” he said, and Xie Lian nodded and pulled the back door open for him. Ban Yue moved to the other side of the seat as He Yue was settled in it, and she dragged Xie Lian’s coat tighter around her body. 

 

“He Yue, what happened?” 

 

He Xuan stroked the bruises on her face, wanting to wipe the purple imperfections away from her skin. He hated seeing her hurt. And her eyes were glassy, cold tears stuck to her skin. She was so cold. His hands were cold. He Xuan almost didn’t want to touch her, afraid that his hands would harm more than help. 

 

“...the car crashed.” 

 

Him and Xie Lian exchanged a glass. “Who was in the car with you, sweetie?” Xie Lian asked. 

 

“M-Mister Shi...he didn’t get out. I ran, but then there were...were people coming after me, so I hid o-over there. There’s a old tree. It fell down, so I hid behind it.” She shivered, violently, and He Xuan moved to the front and turned the heater up. “I-i-is Mister Shi gonna b-be alright?” 

 

Xie Lian gently rubbed her arm. “We’re going to do our best. He Xuan-” 

 

His head turned, slowly, eye stuck on He Yue. “What?” 

 

“Do you want to go back to the city with her?” 

 

Finally looking at Xie Lian, he felt his throat click shut. The sun was rising, beams of light across his face. Yellow and orange, reflecting dizzyingly across the white-capped mountains behind them. Grabbing He Yue, he pulled her out of the car, hugging her to his chest. “I have to get them,” he whispered, to her, felt her fingers curl into his shirt. Standing up, he walked to the Quan Yizhen and handed his daughter to him. “Take her back to the city. Get her to the hospital, and let Mingxia know she’s fine.” 

 

He Yue reached for him when he started walking, and He Xuan went to her and pressed their foreheads together, briefly. “...they’ll hurt them bad, won’t they?” 

 

“Yeah. That’s why I have to go.” He Xuan pressed a kiss to her forehead, then he stepped away and walked back to the car. Xie Lian waited for him inside. Both of them stared forward with hard gazes as Quan Yizhen took another car and sped away. It was the beginning of the end for them, no matter how it shook out. Hands on the wheel, he drove to the lake.

 

---

 

Ban Yue set up on a picnic table. She could almost look comical with the long gun in other circumstances. The stand propped the heavy barrel up, and she fitted the large scope to the top. Bending across the back of the table, she placed her hands expertly on the weapon and peered through the scope. Xie Lian and He Xuan flanked her, waiting. Her elbows were propped up on the frosty table. They’d swept the snow away. Smaller trees that lined the edge of the lake shrouded them slightly, but He Xuan could make out the shape of the cabin through them. They would hopefully be hidden, if any guards were posted outside the cabin. 

 

“There’s no one there,” Ban Yue said, alleviating the concern. “Lights are on in the back rooms.” 

 

“Bedrooms,” He Xuan said. “There’s three at the back of the house. I had them...had them made for Mingxia, the twins, and-and-” His voice stuttered out, and he chose to believe it was the cold wind lapping against his chest. “Can you see the back porch?” 

 

“Side of it.” Ban Yue looked through the scope, watching for any movement. “I can’t see anyone, and there’s no light. But if I swing…” The gun barely moved, and Ban Yue hummed. “I can’t see the front of the house, but there’s light from something over the cars at the front. No people. It’s so cold, I can imagine them taking watch inside.” 

 

“If we’re going to move, we need to go now,” Xie Lian said. “It’s already morning, and Bai Wuxiang is going to want to move on fast. He knows we’ll be coming after him.” 

 

“Unless he thinks we don’t know where he went,” Mu Qing said. He was leaning against a tree, twirling a knife in one hand. When he spoke, the light bleeding through the branches framed the puff of condensation in front of his lip. “For now, we’ve still got the benefit of surprise, right?” 

 

“For now,” He Xuan said. “But Ling Wen...she’s who we have to worry about.” 

 

“What do you mean?” 

 

“Think about it. She’s been working with Yushi Huang. Knows more than Bai Wuxiang does, even wants to kill him. This is a coup.” He Xuan’s head tilted, eye pointed toward the cabin. “I thought it was strange at the time. I nearly got a knife to Bai Wuxiang’s throat, and he had a good six or seven guys standing around, watching me about to do their boss in. I think she’s got the enforcers in her pocket.” 

 

“It’s not like it’s hard. Boss got some of his enforcers before, to help take Qingxuan,” Yin Yu said. 

 

“You’re not listening,” He Xuan said. “Dage never had their loyalty, either. Ling Wen knew about it, knew I was coming to the brothel, knew exactly what the plan was. We’ve been playing catch up this whole time, and I imagine she knows Yushi Huang is selling her out now.” 

 

No one said anything after that. They listened to the branches clack together overhead, all staring toward the cabin. Until Xie Lian made the decision to walk to the lake. He Xuan followed him closely, and the other two kept an even pace behind him. Xie Lian lifted the bluetooth from his pocket and slid it into his ear. Ban Yue picked up her phone and flashed him the screen. “Keep us apprised of any movement,” he said, and she gave a small salute before looking back through her scope. 

 

He Xuan moved around Xie Lian to take the first steps out onto the lake. It was frozen all the way to shore, and he carefully walked a few steps out. Stamping his boot down, he tested the strength of the ice. Hearing a crackle, he stamped again but the ice didn’t break. “Sounds good,” he said, and Xie Lian nodded at him. 

 

Yin Yu brought out the guns from the trunk, and everyone but He Xuan swung a strap over their shoulders and flicked the safeties off. He carried only his handgun, eyeing the sleek, black bodies of the semi-automatic rifles. Xie Lian looked them over, then he nodded. 

 

“Let’s go.”

 

Yin Yu walked first, careful steps out onto the ice. Mu Qing followed, with Xie Lian behind him. They walked three separate paths, careful not to step in the same place twice. He Xuan was the last across, eyeing the dock in the distance. As they walked, more snow began to sprinkle from the sky. Yin Yu kept the gun raised, tense with every step. Mu Qing couldn’t keep his eyes on the front, always looking around. Xie Lian was careful, determined, and his footsteps were light and even across the ice. 

 

It was a long trek. The wind coming between the trees created a tunneling effect, and their hair and clothes waved around their bodies. He Xuan stopped, forcibly bending his aching knee, lifting it. Stepping forward, he shuddered with the pain. Swallowing it down, he kept walking. The cold wind at least numbed his body enough to ignore how difficult his bruised ribs made it to breathe. The dock grew closer, as did the back of the cabin, and through the swirling snow he could see the yellow glow in the windows. 

 

On the next step, He Xuan heard a crack. Halfway across the lake, his foot froze, and he looked down. No visible imperfection parted the ice, so he shifted his foot to the side and stepped there. Another step forward, and he heard another crackle. “...let’s hurry it up,” he said, speaking up loud enough for the other’s to hear. Xie Lian’s eyes found him, head tilting back. Another step, and He Xuan felt the ice dip and give under him. 

 

Damn bad leg. 

 

Dragging himself backwards, his heavy, leaden knee locked up. When his foot hit the ice, it cracked, and He Xuan couldn’t move fast enough to get away. “Go!” he shouted, the last word before the breath was stolen from his lungs and his leg sunk through the ice. 

 

He Xuan had been cold before, even felt the frigidness of laying bleeding on icy concrete. He’d never felt a chill like this, though. The ice swallowed up his leg, cracking wider when his body hit it. To the thigh, he was swallowed in frigid water so cold it paralyzed him. His gun slid away, nails biting desperately into the ice to keep himself from slipping further in. Only one leg in the water, it was still enough to kill the ability to fight. 

 

“He Xuan!” 

 

“Boss!” 

 

“G-” He couldn’t speak to tell them to save themselves, and he watched the fractures in the ice grow wider around him. He tried to pull himself up, drag his leg from the water, but his body locked up like the ice was shrouding his bones. A hand grabbed his arm, Xie Lian’s eyes burning with fire. “G-” His choked voice cut out again, knee and elbows pressed to the ice. 

 

“Not losing you out here like this,” Xie Lian said, fire curling around his tongue. The condensation puffing from his mouth was like smoke, and he abandoned his gun and wrapped his arms around He Xuan and pulled. Yin Yu joined him, Mu Qing standing back with his gun sweeping the area for any sign of movement. The crackling ice broke off and drifted in the small hole he’d made as He Xuan was pulled back onto the surface. “Get over here and help him walk,” Xie Lian said, grabbing both guns as he stood straight. Mu Qing walked over, the ice continued to crack. He Xuan’s eyes were on it, waiting for the worst. 

 

Yin Yu got under his good arm, arm around his midsection. Mu Qing held him around the waist. “Come on, Boss. Help us out,” he muttered, grunting at the effort. He Xuan couldn’t make his leg work. But he hobbled with everything he had as they walked across the ice. He didn’t think these two had ever touched him like this before. Halfway became two thirds, and the shore grew closer. 

 

“Yeah, we’re fine,” Xie Lian said, speaking into the bluetooth. “We’re going into that grove of trees off the side of the porch. Need to get He Xuan sitting.” 

 

He Xuan’s teeth were gritted hard, jaw aching, and he shivered. The weak point in the ice was luckily, seemingly, only at the center. The edges of the lake ice were more solid, and they made it across in another few minutes. By the time they did, frost had formed on his pants, the water in his boot frozen into slush. He Xuan was dropped into the snow, and Yin Yu immediately dropped beside him and tugged the boot off his foot to shake the ice out. But it’s not like there were dry clothes for him to change into. Mu Qing took up watch, finger on the trigger and ready. Xie Lian crouched by his shoulder, hand hovering over his arm. 

 

“...come on, He Xuan. You’re gonna have to help us out here,” he whispered, and when He Xuan turned his head he saw the ice cracking over Xie Lian’s face as well. “We need- I need you.” 

 

His face twitched, shivers rolling through his body. He Xuan leaned back against the tree behind him, and he dug his fingers into his thigh and pressed hard until it hurt. Forcing away the numbness, he bent his knee and straightened it again. Yin Yu dropped the boot next to him, and He Xuan pulled it back on. “Give me my fucking gun,” he said, and Xie Lian placed it in his hand. “...call Feng Xin. If we go in the back, they’ll go out the front. He’s gonna have to be ready for them.” 

 

“If Ling Wen is expecting us, she’ll be the first out of here. I expect her to be the first out the door. Bitch.” Mu Qing kicked up snow, peering through the sparse trees they were hidden in at the house. “What’s the play?” 

 

“...I can’t kick down the door like this. Break a window?” He Xuan asked. 

 

“No. We need to be more subtle. Should have brought more around back, but I didn’t know if we would make it across the lake or not, didn’t want to waste time.” Xie Lian sighed, white billowing upwards. His eyes cut across the snow to the back of the cabin. The window to the nearest bedroom was high, and around the other side of the cabin was a storage shed. “Yin Yu, can you pick a lock?” 

 

“I need something thin and-” He stopped talking when Xie Lian pulled a pin from his hair and handed it over. “Easy. Are we sure no one is on the porch.” 

 

Xie Lian pressed a hand to his earpiece. “Ban Yue? Can you see anyone on the porch?” His face turned grim, and Xie Lian shook his head. “She can’t see the whole thing, because the house is angled away. We’re gonna have to take a leap of faith here. Mu Qing, call Feng Xin. Hang back with He Xuan-” 

 

“I’m going in with you,” He Xuan said. 

 

“You can’t even walk.” 

 

“I can.” Stubborn anger knocked against his skull, and He Xuan shouldered his way up the tree, legs shaking beneath him. Xie Lian stood beside him, arm wrapping with his to keep him standing. “...I’m your shield,” he said, then swallowed pain.

 

Xie Lian stared up at him, then he shook his head. “Let’s go. Mu Qing, coordinate with Feng Xin. When they start running out the front, follow us in.” 

 

Before they walked away, He Xuan turned and violently kicked the tree a few times. Until he could feel the pulses of pain in his toes through the numbness. They quietly snuck toward the porch. A few sparse trees separated the back of the cabin from the lake, and the porch sat just before a break in the trees. (If He Xuan stopped to remember the days sitting with his parents and staring at sunrise over the water, the smell of coffee and sweet syrup, taking breakfast together with the summer wind playing coyly around them, he might shut down. So he didn’t stop to remember it.) 

 

There was no one on the back porch. Relieved breaths clogged the air with condensation, and they quietly walked up the steps. Not trudging through the snow made it easier to walk, and He Xuan leaned against the wall by the door while Yin Yu bent to insert the pin into the deadbolt and start working it. He Xuan put his ear to the wood, trying to hear anything from inside, but the cabin was quiet. So, so quiet. 

 

Something wasn’t right. 

 

“...no. Stop.” 

 

Yin Yu glanced up at him, and Xie Lian’s head swiveled. 

 

“Stop. Stop.” He Xuan stepped away from the wall, and he motioned for them to fall back. Xie Lian backed down the stairs, a confused look on his face. Yin Yu moved to the side, grabbing his gun, and He Xuan heard the mechanical metallic clank of a shotgun being cocked. “Get down!” Throwing himself forward, his arm met with Xie Lian’s chest, and they both fell into the snow at the base of the porch. A bullet tore through the back door, wood splintering out, and He Xuan covered Xie Lian’s body with his own as bits of the door scattered over his back. 

 

Yin Yu threw himself over the porch’s railing, gasping in pain as he hit the ground. It was easy to forget other people were injured as well. Struggling to his feet, he turned around and pointed his gun at the door. He Xuan rolled off Xie Lian, hands gripping onto his arm to pull him back to his feet. The gun cocked again, door swinging open off its hinges, and he shouldered Xie Lian to the side. They ran horizontally, and another bullet tore through the air. A tree near them was hit, bark splintering. 

 

Mu Qing emerged from the trees, gun up. “What the fuck?!” he shouted, and Xie Lian motioned for him to duck down. Back into the grove, they all ran, Yin Yu getting there last. Looking out, they watched as people stepped onto the porch. Rifle barrels appeared and a man with a shotgun stepped out. He reloaded, cocking the weapon loudly. Xie Lian scrambled backwards against a tree, rubbing his surely sore shoulder. “Feng Xin said they kept out of sight. How did they realize-” 

 

“Doesn’t matter,” He Xuan interrupted. “Keep your fucking head down.” 

 

“We lost the element of surprise,” Yin Yu hissed, voice like metal grinding together. He dug one knee into the snow, gun up and pointed through the trees. 

 

“...let’s storm them,” Xie Lian said. “Feng Xin from the front, us from behind. Ban Yue, can you take out a few?” 

 

The answer came with an answering bullet striking through a man’s skull. He had been leaning over the porch, looking toward them, and the sniper rifle tore a hole through his skull. He fell to the snow, blood and bits of brain matter smearing into the white. With Xie Lian’s signal, their guns began a barrage. Sparks lit up as they fired from between the trees, and bullets hailed back toward them. He Xuan pressed his bad arm against a tree, aiming around it. Hell came to earth in the sound of gunfire and shrieks of pain. He emptied the clip. 

 

An arc of blood erupted from Mu Qing’s arm, sizzling across the snow where it landed. He spun out, losing control of the gun, and a line of bullet holes appeared in the wooden siding. His finger slipped off the trigger as he fell, gun down, and he crawled back and gripped his arm. Blood leaked from between his fingers, a scowl on his face. 

 

"Stay down,” He Xuan said, dropping his empty gun. He had no more clips for it, so he took out the second, from the holster around his side. Mu Qing rolled to the side and pulled his phone out, tapping the screen with bloody fingers while his other arm spasmed. The enemy fire let up, and He Xuan cautiously peered around. The survivors of their assault had retreated inside, and all He Xuan could see on the porch was a littering of the dead and dying. “Let’s go,” he whispered, and they slowly made their way out of the thinning grove. Bark sported new bullet holes that would scar the trees for life, and trees lived a very long time. 

 

“There’s movement at the front of the house,” Xie Lian said, “according to Ban Yue.” His fingers briefly readjusted the earpiece. “Feng Xin is gonna have hell coming out the front door.” 

 

“Hope he’s ready for it,” Yin Yu muttered. 

 

“Shut up.” He Xuan kicked a body away from the porch steps, walking up them himself. Long streams of smoke leaked from his mouth as he panted, the condensation swirling. He walked toward the door, gun lifted and aimed. But he saw no one waiting for them. Stepping inside, he immediately shuddered as the heating vents sent warm air rolling down his back. The wood underfoot creaked quietly as they entered the very back of the cabin. There was a door branching into the hallway, another that would lead them around toward the kitchen. This room consisted of a washer and dryer, and a few shelves of storage with non-perishable food on them. Bullets had broken through the wood outside, puncturing cans of soup which leaked down the shelves and onto the floor. 

 

He Xuan nodded toward the kitchen door, and Yin Yu went that way. Xie Lian went the other way, and He Xuan followed him. As they stepped into the hallway, He Xuan shoved him against the wall, barely missing a whizzing bullet. He fired his own gun, straight into a man’s gut. Blood burst like the popping of a strawberry, and he went down. 

 

“Move.” Xie Lian pushed him off, and he aimed. As more gunmen came into the hallway, he clicked the trigger down and sent a wave of bullets directly through them. Riddled to pieces, the gunmen never even had a chance to defend themselves before falling in bloody piles. From the smoke, they continued. He Xuan walked behind Xie Lian with a heavy limp, checking each room they passed. Throwing open one of the bedroom doors, his stomach dropped at the bloodstains smeared across the floor. He stood, fingers twitching inside the sling, and he wondered sickeningly which one of them had bled this much. “Let’s go. No lingering.” 

 

Listening to Xie Lian was difficult when the sound of a roiling sea was bashing through his brain. Through the static of his mind, he heard an eruption of gunfire from the front of the cabin become a new cacophony. Quick exchange of glances, then they ran down the hallway and to the front. As they came into the living room, the picture window in the front suddenly imploded, glass shooting inward. Xie Lian tucked against him, and He Xuan hid his face from the shards and did his best to cover him. They bent, crawling away from the window and the gunfire outside. “...sounds like the going-away party is going great,” He Xuan hissed, dragging his frozen leg and his injured knee. He crawled over the glass and barely even felt it cut. 

 

A shrill scream suddenly lifted up from outside, crescendoing like the high-point of an opera, and He Xuan’s head shot up. “Wait, He Xuan-!” Not listening, he stood up and ran for the door. Bullets tore through the wood, barely missing him, but he didn’t care. He knew that scream, that voice. The door was cracked already, and he pulled it inward and shot through. And he was thrown into another firefight. Their fighters converged from the woods, Bai Wuxiang’s forces taking cover behind cars. He Xuan threw himself off the porch and into the snow, falling with a heavy thump. And his eye wildly swept the chaotic scene. 

 

When Shi Qingxuan made eye contact with him, his heart stopped. Covered in blood, he was held up on his feet by Bai Wuxiang. One of his legs was mangled and bloody, soaking easily through the white slacks. The arm around his waist kept him standing, but also clearly used him as a shield. He Xuan couldn’t shoot him. And Bai Wuxiang slid into the back of a dark car, dragging Shi Qingxuan with him. The door shut as they peeled off, and He Xuan screamed at the top of his lungs. 

 

“Car!” Yin Yu landed in the snow beside him, bullets fired into someone who had turned their weapon toward him. “There! That one’s engine is running. Go!” 

 

Getting up, He Xuan ran for it. He threw himself into the driver’s seat, tugging the door shut. The back door opened, and he looked briefly in the rearview mirror to find Xie Lian inside. The headlights cut through the tangle of people, guns up and firing, and He Xuan stamped on the gas. His knee locked up as soon as he pressed it, and he bent his head backward as they pulled away from the cabin. Twisting the wheel, he drove after Bai Wuxiang’s disappearing car.

 

They soon pulled off the pathway and thundered down the road. Bai Wuxiang’s car wasn’t any faster than the one He Xuan was driving, and he had no self-preservation. Swerving off the road, he drove on the shoulder, tires tearing through white snow. Twisting the wheel, they slid back onto the road, over the ice, and spun in front of Bai Wuxiang’s car. The pursued hit the brakes and spun a few times, tires meeting the snow on the side of the road. Xie Lian broke out the back window, and the gun slid through. He aimed for the tires, riddling them into useless ribbons of rubber. 

 

Throwing the door open, He Xuan stood from the car and limped across the icy road. Bai Wuxiang emerged from the car as well. He tugged Shi Qingxuan with him, bringing him around in front of his body. Holding onto his throat, he lifted him up. Shi Qingxuan pressed his toes into the concrete, one leg hanging worthlessly. “Stay where you are,” he commanded, and He Xuan briefly paused. His head twitched, toward Xie Lian, who was still in the car. He shook his head, and He Xuan turned back, knowing there was no safe shot. “Good. The dog can still understand commands. I’m genuinely surprised, considering your recent behaviour.”

 

“Let him go.” 

 

“Do you think it’s going to be that easy?” There was movement in the car behind Bai Wuxiang, and He Xuan tried to see who was inside, but two bodies were blocking his view. And it’s not like he was seeing very well, regardless. The driver’s door opened, and Ling Wen stepped out. She pointed her own gun toward He Xuan, expression unreadable. “Give up, Black Water. You can barely stand up. Do you think this is going to suddenly go your way?” 

 

“Where is San Lang?!” Xie Lian suddenly called. The door opened, and he stepped out, gun still raised. His hands were shaking on it, frost and snow stuck to his sleeves. He Xuan turned his head an inch, watching him uncertaintly. “Where is my husband?!” 

 

Bai Wuxiang didn’t even entertain the question. In his hands, Shi Qingxuan struggled, voice catching and choking as the hand squeezed around his throat. “I want my property back,” he hissed, voice a stream of condensation snaking through the air. “You will-” 

 

The back door of the car was thrown open on the other side, and He Xuan’s head twitched as Pei Ming stepped out. He circled around the car, gun in his hand. His hand briefly brushed over the trunk, and He Xuan watched this with a slight lift of his brow. Bai Wuxiang had turned his head, staring at Pei Ming with a small scowl. “Watch out, Boss. I don’t think Xie Lian is bluffing with that thing. Might wanna give him what he’s asking for.” 

 

“Oh, stay out of this!” 

 

“I’m fucking down with this charade.” Ling Wen stood straight again, stepping from in front of the car. “Your husband is in the trunk.” 

 

Xie Lian’s gun twitched toward her. “What?” 

 

“You bitch-” 

 

She fired her gun, and Bai Wuxiang scrambled backwards. And he nearly dropped his shield in the process, moving away from the bullet aimed at his feet. Shi Qingxuan let out a strangled cry as he was dragged. Ling Wen glared at him. “I don’t have the same reservations they do. I’ll shoot through your meat shield to kill you, bitch. I suggest you run.” 

 

“Are you insane? What are you planning to do?” 

 

"When I get back into the city, I'll tearfully explain to the surviving Plagues how our fearless leader was gunned down by his ex-pet and then take your place. The castle-keep will fall into my hands. But, I like the idea of you running for your life through the snow. So run. And think of me while you do." 

 

“I’d do what she says,” Pei Ming said, and his gun swiveled onto Bai Wuxiang. He Xuan didn’t think he’d ever seen realization like this before, every shade of it from shock to anger. 

 

“Try your luck with the snow. The Plagues are mine now.” 

 

Bai Wuxiang’s nostrils flared, and he began to back away from them. “I’ll find my gunmen, then I’ll make a special place for you in the shittiest, nastiest brothel I own.” Every gun was aimed on him now, every eye ripping him to pieces. And, when his feet slid off the road and into the snow, he sped up. He Xuan started forward, watching Shi Qingxuan’s face, warped by pain and fear, but Bai Wuxiang hurried into the surrounding woods and soon vanished from sight. 

 

“Consider this a peace offering - a ceasefire,” Ling Wen said, and him and Xie Lian snapped back toward her. Their guns on her, she lifted her hands and pulled her finger off the trigger of her little handgun. “Let me get away. I'll let you hunt down Bai Wuxiang and have your way with him.”

 

“...He Xuan, check the trunk.” 

 

Nodding, he moved toward the trunk. Pointed his gun at Pei Ming to get him to back up. “Keys,” he said, and Pei Ming went and got them from the ignition. “Open it.” He Xuan put his gun to his head, watching him, and he shoved Pei Ming to the side when he saw his brother. Tied and gagged, he jerked upwards when the trunk swung open, and He Xuan reached in to take the gag from his mouth. He laid the gun down, pulling the ropes free. 

 

Shaky, Hua Cheng crawled out of the trunk, grabbing the gun from inside, and he stepped away from the car. Blood had leaked from the side of his head, dried along his face and in his hair. “Didi.” The back of his neck was grabbed, and He Xuan stepped closer, shaky hand gripping his brother's sleeve. “Fuck, you’re alive. Gege?” His eye was wild, shaky with familiar panic, but Hua Cheng was doing the best he could to hold himself together. 

 

“San Lang, I’m fine!” 

 

Ling Wen moved toward the car, and Hua Cheng lifted his gun and pointed it at her. She jerked to a stop, eyes narrowed. “Kill me, and the plagues will strike revenge on you. I planned all of this, okay. Those idiots back there - easy to beat!” She pointed toward the distant sound of flying bullets. He Xuan started backing up. "Let me back to the city, and we'll have our own territories and none of us have to die."

 

“Lying bitch.” 

 

“Dage…” 

 

Hua Cheng turned his head, slowly, and He Xuan kept walking backwards. His knee wouldn’t bend, but he hobbled toward the treeline. “Where are you going?” 

 

“Qingxuan,” he hissed, pointing behind him. 

 

Realization colored his face. Xie Lian looked his way as well. “Go. We’ll catch up.” 

 

Turning around, He Xuan hurried away. Reaching down, he bashed a fist against his knee until it could bend again. Then, he trudged into snow that was easily up to his calves. Racing away, he left behind the confrontation with Ling Wen and instead hurried after the deep footsteps and drag marks left behind. Bai Wuxiang wasn’t fit for running through the snow like a prey animal. He’d never been one. There was blood in the snow. 

 

“Shut up. Shut up!” 

 

“Let me go!” 

 

Bai Wuxiang had headed back toward the cabin, but he’d branched away at some point, and He Xuan knew he was probably getting himself deliriously lost. In the woods, in a panic, the white snow and dead trees all looked the same. Catching up with him, he found Bai Wuxiang backed up against a tree, holding Shi Qingxuan tightly to him. Choking him. Shi Qingxuan fought, feet kicking as more blood leaked from him and onto the snow. 

 

“Black Water, stay there!” 

 

He didn’t listen, stalking forward. Eyes hard. “...let him go, and I’ll let you go.” 

 

His hair had fallen from the ponytail it was in, cheeks red with cold and pumping blood. Eyes looked around, the sounds of distant gunfire seeming to come from everywhere. Disoriented, Bai Wuxiang tightened his grip on Shi Qingxuan, unwilling to give up his last bargaining ship. “You’re nothing compared to me. None of you are.” 

 

It was time to end this. Throwing himself into the fastest run he could manage, He Xuan headed toward Bai Wuxiang and Shi Qingxuan. He couldn’t wait anymore. The snow was a constant barrier, but He Xuan forced his way through it with determination. Shi Qingxuan was clawing at Bai Wuxiang’s hand, but his arms shot forward as He Xuan drew nearer. They were reaching for him as He Xuan single mindedly ran toward the sun. Bai Wuxiang’s sudden wide, mad smile tried to eclipse the light and failed. 

 

“He Xuan!” He Xuan focused on Shi Qingxuan. On his arms. He Xuan reached out for him as well. 

 

Shi Qingxuan watched him, long hair knotted with dried blood and dampened by the swirling snow flurries landed in the treeses. He Xuan pushed himself faster through the snow, body nearly ready to crack in half as he pushed over the threshold of limitation. Pain wasn’t even a fizzle to him, the fire in his gut eating it like fuel to make him faster, stronger, unstoppable. Or so he thought. 

 

He didn’t see the gun. Shi Qingxuan must have felt it against his back, the barrel pushed into his skin. Because his arms weren’t reaching out. They were palm up, warding him back, and He Xuan was too stupid to realize until it was too late. The bullet shattered through skin and muscle, blood splattering outward. He Xuan watched it eat through Shi Qingxuan, the exit wound large and undeniably gruesome. 

 

“When’s the last time you saw blood and felt sick?” Hua Cheng had asked him once. 

 

Today. Today he felt sick at the sight of blood. 

 

He was right in front of Shi Qingxuan when it happened, and the same bullet going through him hit He Xuan as well. He felt it lodge inside his gut, no exit wound. Bai Wuxiang tossed Shi Qingxuan forward like a limp rag, and He Xuan caught him. The weight brought them both to the ground, Shi Qingxuan laying over the top of him. Blood soaked into him, over him, a warm liquid rush. Rolling, He Xuan placed Shi Qingxuan on the snow. And he wrapped him up, protective panic fluttering through his body. Fighting with his useless arm, he tugged it free of the sling, heavy hand landing over Shi Qingxuan’s wound. He pressed down, heard the pained gasp it elicited. When Shi Qingxuan’s mouth opened, blood leaked from the corners, and glass eyes swiveled toward him. 

 

“...Qingxuan. Qingxuan.” He Xuan coughed, blood rising from his own lungs and drowning him out. He slid closer, leaning over him, and Shi Qingxuan’s hazy eyes focused on his face. Hands twitched against the snow, but he didn’t seem to have the strength to lift them. “Qingxuan...no, no…” 

 

“You just refuse to die,” Bai Wuxiang said, sneer in his voice. He Xuan didn’t even give him a look. “A fucking cockroach.” The heavy barrel of a gun pressed to the back of his head, and He Xuan bent forward. He buried his forehead against Shi Qingxuan’s ribs and felt the weak, sputtery beat of his heart beneath him. “Come on, Black Water. Show me that infamuous rage.” 

 

His hand shook, fumbling for his pocket. “Sorry, sorry,” he whispered, blood leaking from his mouth. Shi Qingxuan gasped beneath him, a deathly sound. His fingers found the necklace in his pocket. “S-sorry...wanted to-to save…” 

 

“Black Water.” Tense with frustration, Bai Wuxiang kicked him in the side. 

 

The pain barely even touched him. Snaking fingers of numbness were working through his body, and he lifted the necklace so that Shi Qingxuan could see. “T-took this…” For the second time, he slid the necklace around Shi Qingxuan’s neck. Numb fingers couldn’t work the clasp, so he let it sit there, shining in the low light. “...love you.” The taste of blood in his own mouth mixed with Shi Qingxuan’s. Kissing. 

 

Not getting what he wanted, Bai Wuxiang finally stumbled away. He Xuan didn’t even look up. His eyes were on Shi Qingxuan, fingers cupped around his face. He left blood wherever he touched, over the wild bruises around his eye and down to his throat. 

 

“...He-xiong, ggnah,” his head fell to the side, tears freezing on his pale cheeks. 

 

“Qingxuan.” He moved to his neck, feeling the weakening pulse. 

 

“...He Yue? Did you-did you…” Blood dripped from his mouth, onto the ground. “F-fi-” 

 

He Xuan couldn’t answer. The world was narrowing to black. He shut his eyes, crystalized tears freezing in his lashes. “Y-” Soon, she’d be safely in a city hospital, getting treatment for the cold. Dage would take care of them. He Xuan shut his eyes. 

 

“D-don’t leave me...it hurts…” 

 

Throat shut, He Xuan lifted his bloody hand from Shi Qingxuan’s stomach. He was doing nothing to stop the blood flow, anyway. “N-not going anywhere.” And he didn’t, as his brain found darkness beyond the pain, and Shi Qingxuan’s heartbeat faded with him. 

 

---

 

He Xuan, 29, passed away in a fatal accident in the early morning. Born in Fu Gu, He Xuan has been a resident of the city since his release from Tonglu Prison where he worked as head of security for the famous Paradise Manor nightclub and bar. He Xuan is preceded in death by both his parents, his wife, Song Mei,  and daughter He Yue. He is survived by his business partners, the owner of the Paradise Manor, Hua Cheng, and it’s operations manager, Xie Lian. He Xuan had no formal education past high school, but he was known by those who loved him as a quietly intelligent man. No funeral services are planned. He Xuan has been laid to rest beside his wife and daughter in Fu Gu’s city cemetery. 

At 29, Shi Qingxuan was a bright light to those who knew him. Early in the morning, he lost his life in a car accident in the mountains. Shi Qingxuan was born to a middle class family in the city of Xu Li and was known to be closest with his elder brother. Educated at a nationally accredited university, Shi Qingxuan worked as a financial manager at the Water Tyrant Financial Services until its closure in the fall. Shi Qingxuan is preceded in death by both parents, and his older brother Shi Wudu (37). Few friends survive him and wish for his soul to be at rest. No surviving family members intend to hold service, and he has been laid to rest with his brother at the Pine Grove Cemetery in Xu Li. 

 

---

 

A glossy black stone had He Xuan’s name etched onto it. The plot was fresh, dirt still resting over it. Hua Cheng crouched next to the headstone and brushed his fingers along the top to clean it off. A bouquet of fresh flowers sat on each of the ones framing He Xuan’s, one for a wife and the other a daughter. The plot for He Yue’s grave was smaller, still just as fresh. Standing up, Hua Cheng walked backwards and came shoulder to shoulder with him. 

 

Looking at his own gravesite didn’t conjure the type of emotions that He Xuan had expected it to. His cane pressed into the frosty ground, hand setted on the top of it. He should feel uncomfortable, disquieted. Instead, he felt nothing but a cooling sort of relief in his bones. Of course, he would feel that. 

 

“Do you need anything?” Hua Cheng asked. His own face was framed with the scars of his last beating, but the bruises were long faded. To He Xuan, the extended hospital stay had mostly been a blur. He hardly remembered it, through the haze of drugs and pain, and as soon as he was out of critical care, his brother had brought him home to Puqi Estates to heal. “You have that distant look in your eye.” 

 

“My eye,” he said, somewhat bitingly, and he reached up and pushed his fingers beneath the eyepatch still covering his left eye. Or, where it had once been, anyway. 

 

“If you rub at it, it’ll only feel worse.” 

 

Twitching, He Xuan dropped his hand and looked back to the graves. “I need to sit down.” Hua Cheng stepped closer to him, arm circling his waist, and together they hobbled back toward the cemetery gates. There was still pain in places, the healing hadn’t completely taken. The physical therapist he’d been forced to see said that some of it never would. He Xuan took that as a challenge. And when his feet were off slightly spongy dead grass, it was easier to walk. Three cars sat in the parking lot - Hua Cheng’s eyesore, and two black cars. He Mingxia was sitting against the hood of one, staring off into the distance. Until they walked up, and she turned around and came toward them. 

 

“Ge,” she said, switching places with Hua Cheng. Another few steps, and they arrived at the bench beside the open gates, and He Xuan sat down. The sky was intensely blue, and he tried not to look at it directly for fear of a headache. “Did you really need to go in there and see that?” she asked, and his head turned toward her. 

 

“Less about seeing mine. More about seeing hers. One more time.” 

 

He Mingxia nodded, and she grabbed his hand. Squeezing it. Hua Cheng braced his elbows on the back of the bench and leaned over it, watching them with a slight smile playing over his face.

 

“Where are-” 

 

“Playing. Over there.” He Mingxia turned her head, then pointed toward where she’d been looking earlier, and He Xuan followed her gaze. An old tree occupied the field beside the cemetery. Eventually, it would probably host more plots for the infinitely growing number of dead. For now, the only occupants were children, and two men who probably enjoyed the blithe job of babysitting kids to their usual jobs. Yin Yu was sitting on the ground, still, but Quan Yizhen was chasing the boys around the tree, buoyant curls bouncing with his running steps. 

 

He Xuan didn’t remember salvation in the form of his brother and Xie Lian. He didn’t remember winning the firefight at the cabin, or being put across the convertible’s backseat. They’d heard the gunshot and let Ling Wen and Pei Ming escape, choosing to come for him instead. All of that had been spent with him standing on the doorstep of death, clinging onto life with strength he didn’t know he had. He Xuan’s expression softened, watching the boys play. At least they had come out of this mostly unscathed. 

 

When Yin Yu noticed them, he got Quan Yizhen to herd the boys back toward the parking lot. And he offered his hand to the girl sitting at his side. He Xuan stood up again as they approached, leaving his cane leaning against the bench. He Yue pulled her hand free from Yin Yu’s and came to him. Bending down, his knee hit the cold concrete, and he hid the small wince this brought as small hands found his shoulders. Ignoring doctor’s orders was something He Xuan excelled in, and he lifted He Yue up as he stood, even knowing he wasn’t supposed to pick up anything. 

 

“When...when are we leaving?” she asked, softly. 

 

“When the others get here,” he answered, and her shining eyes met his easily. He Xuan was getting to know her slowly, recognizing the pieces of her that she got from her family. Her aunt’s spine, the softness of her mother’s tone, but those eyes were all his. He Yue was herself, too. And she had her own darkness creeping behind her eyes. That would be another thing to learn, He Xuan knew, how to help her keep that at bay. How to keep his own from swallowing him. “Do you want to sit in the car, out of the cold?” he asked. Wind bitten cheeks were turning red, and He Xuan had already started walking to the car before she nodded. 

 

The keys in the ignition twisted, the heat came on, and He Yue quietly played with the radio dials as He Xuan watched He Mingxia gather the kids and bring them toward the car. The twins, tugging on each other’s hair and clothes, were forcibly separated, and she sat in the middle of them. Once they were settled in, He Xuan got out of the car and pushed the door closed. Hua Cheng was already ready to meet with him, cane in his hand extended toward him. 

 

“Thanks,” He Xuan whispered, and Hua Cheng gave him another smile. A smirk, because that’s usually all he could manage. “...the airport is still another two hours drive from here,” he said, lowering the cane to the ground. 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“You could still...buy a couple tickets and come with us.” 

 

Hua Cheng leaned against the side of the car, listening to the soft notes of music coming from the inside speakers. Just loud enough to hear from just outside the car. “...I could.” 

 

“But you’re not going to.” The top of the cane formed into a round piece of metal. It was nice, basic, sleek. The exact type of design He Xuan had always found himself drawn to. But around the body of it, marker drawings swirled in chaotic shapes. Flowers and bulbous cylinders that were apparently rocket ships according to He Zitao. “...I’m not sure why.” 

 

Hua Cheng stared at the horizon. His fingers drummed gently against the metal of the car. “I don’t think I get it, either. But I just...can’t give it up.” 

 

“Ling Wen might-” 

 

“I’ll deal with her, eventually. All that matters is that everyone else in this world thinks you and your own are long dead. No one is going to hunt down a dead man, He Xuan. That’s all that matters. You. Safe. But...you’ll be safer when she’s the one six feet underground. Pei Ming, too, even if he-” 

 

“Helped.” 

 

“He chose his side, too. And it’s not ours.” Hua Cheng didn’t leave a lot of room for argument, not that He Xuan ever had chosen to try. That didn’t change now, even with a million more pleas dying in his throat. They’d already had this conversation, and nothing would change it. There was rarely escape from this world. A deadly cycle to get stuck in. He Xuan had to take his chance now or lose it again forever. “Someday, someday I might get bored of this, didi. Hell, without you, we might lose everything and have to run, right?” 

 

He Xuan started at Quan Yizhen and Yin Yu. They were smoking together, hovering around the bench and standing in each other’s space. Close enough to taste each other’s smoke. Quan Yizhen slid a hand onto the small of Yin Yu’s back, and they grew nearer and nearer. If he let his eye blur, they’d melt into one. His tongue burned for a cigarette, but he ignored the craving and the itch. 

 

“Nah,” he said, after a moment of thought. “You don’t need me.” 

 

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong. But you always have been about that, haven’t you?” 

 

Their eyes met, and He Xuan slowly exhaled. Stepping closer, he leaned against Hua Cheng’s arm. “...shut up. You’re starting to sound as sappy as your husband.” 

 

Hua Cheng laughed, wetly. They were mirrors of each other now. He Xuan lowered one hand, reaching, fingers touching the side of Hua Cheng’s. And they slowly connected again, reaching out and curving around each other. If he’d been up for crying, He Xuan wasn’t sure he’d have staved it off this time. It was a harder thing to prevent than it had been before, but he wasn’t convinced this was a bad thing. But the day had already been long, and he was tired, so he just held his brother’s hand and waited for the rest of their people to get there. 

 

A van did appear on the road, not long after. When it turned into the cemetery parking lot, He Xuan lifted his head and watched Xie Lian park the clunky vehicle a few spots down from them. Hua Cheng pulled away from him, going to greet his husband, and He Xuan waited. Silent. The back door of the van slid open, Feng Xin jumping out. Mu Qing unfolded himself from inside, stretching his arms above his head. “Get out of the way,” Feng Xin said, shoving him in the chest. Mu Qing shoved him back, but their juvenile fight eventually moved across the parking lot. 

 

Slowly, one leg at a time, Shi Qingxuan emerged from the van. He Xuan went to him, watching the crutches hit the concrete. He needed to make sure Shi Qingxuan wouldn’t slip. And he didn’t. His steps were stable, even if they were labored, and Shi Qingxuan’s head lifted, bright eyes meeting to polish the dull tone in He Xuan’s. “Hey,” he greeted, and He Xuan’s will melted onto the sidewalk. He dropped his cane, pushing himself between the crutches which were attached to Shi Qingxuan’s forearms. Arms around his waist, He Xuan helped to hold him up, and after a moment, Shi Qingxuan willingly leaned into him. 

 

“Hey.” 

 

“Poetic.” A good natured smile greeted the banefully blank expression on He Xuan’s face. Shi Qingxuan was good at that, though. Giving more love to a brick wall than it deserved. “It’s been...a long drive,” he admitted, and He Xuan nodded his head. They’d gotten here the night before, to see if there was anything else He Mingxia could pick up from their repossessed apartment. A couple thousand bucks slipped under the table by Hua Cheng had certainly helped. 

 

Pulling him away from the van, He Xuan made sure there was plenty of room for the rest of their suitcases to be piled into the back of the van. There were three rows of seats inside, plus an empty space at the back. “Did you-” 

 

“I stopped to say goodbye to Ge.” Shi Qingxuan smiled at him, his eyes reflecting the blue of the sky. It mixed with the auburn, beautiful. “Don’t you think it’s odd to see a gravestone with your own name on it?” 

 

“...I was just thinking earlier how...I didn’t find it odd at all.” 

 

Shi Qingxuan shook his head, fondly. “Of course you wouldn’t. Of course not.” He winced, and He Xuan helped him back to the van. The front passenger door was opened, and Shi Qingxuan sat inside. He Xuan took his forearm crutches and slid them into the back with the rest of the luggage. He Mingxia gathered the kids and put them into the van. He Yue waved at Shi Qingxuan as she waited to be let inside, and Shi Qingxuan smiled back at her. “...He-xiong?” 

 

Attention gained again, He Xuan lifted his brow. “Hmm?” 

 

“Come here?” 

 

He stepped closer, one hand braced on the frame of the doorway, and Shi Qingxuan gently cupped his face. A thumb brushed briefly over his eyepatch, soft and exceedingly gentle. Treated like glass, He Xuan sometimes felt like it these days. The first time seeing Shi Qingxuan outside of the hospital had nearly shattered him on the spot, and he felt like every day with him was stolen from the hands of Death itself. “Our money is in the blue bag, in the back.” 

 

“From your brother?” 

 

Shi Qingxuan nodded. “All of it. It was surprisingly easy to get, but…I think that was by design. We gotta be careful with that one. It’s a whole new life for us. Without it-” 

 

“We’d still be okay.” 

 

His brows lifted. “Oh, really?” 

 

“...yeah. ‘Cause we’d be together. All that matters to me.” He Xuan took his hand away from his face, and he stepped back and placed five kisses on the point of each finger and thumb. Shi Qingxuan watched him, face flickering between fondness and worry. But He Xuan’s kisses eventually chased the latter away. And Shi Qingxuan lifted his hand and placed it atop his head, smoothing along his hair. 

 

The doctors had dug the bullet from his gut during surgery, and He Xuan had learned to live with the aftermath of that kind of injury. But not as splendidly as Shi Qingxuan did. He was unstoppable, in ways He Xuan had never been. Glowing ethereally with his own refusal to give in to the darkness. They’d relearned each other, in the afterward, and now He Xuan could knit their fingers together and kiss every knuckle and know that Shi Qingxuan’s smile was just as genuine as it had always been. 

 

Pain changed them, but it didn’t make the happiness any less real. 

 

“...let’s get out of here.” 

 

Quick to please, He Xuan stepped back. He Mingxia smiled at him, her hands on either of the twins heads. He Yue had claimed the third seat all to herself, the gaming device Hua Cheng had bought her in hand. The only other occupant sat in a cat carrier, next to He Yue, and every now and then she’d slip her fingers through the grate and pet the soft fur just beyond it. He Xuan gave her hair a gentle ruffle before sliding the back door shut. Xie Lian had stepped up to the seat Shi Qingxuan was in, whispering to him. 

 

“I stashed sandwiches and snacks down in that compartment there, so make sure everyone eats before getting on the plane. He Xuan, especially, you know how he doesn’t like to take care of himself.” Their hands were linked, between them, and Shi Qingxuan was nodding along. He Xuan grabbed his cane off the ground, leaning on it heavily with a loud sigh. 

 

“You know, if you’d actually use that the way you're supposed to, maybe you’d stop aching like an eighty year old.” Hua Cheng stood back, watching him. And Xie Lian shut the car door as he stepped away. They moved together, closer, drawn by each other’s gravity, and soon He Xuan found himself pulled in as well. Xie Lian was sniffling, eyes glassy with tears he was desperately trying not to shed. The bob he'd cut his hair into was starting to grow out again, strands a bit wild as they curled around each other. “Come on, didi. Don’t pretend you’re not gonna miss us.” 

 

“Who’s pretending?” he asked, and was surprised by the crack in his voice. They moved closer together, and arms circled around his back. Crushed into a hug between them, He Xuan shut his eyes and tried to enjoy it. The last one. The last time. At least for the foreseeable future, and He Xuan wasn’t sure he wanted to hope for more, because he knew how much the world liked to take from him. But he crushed himself closer and put his arms around them both, eye betraying him and starting to leak. “I-I’ll buy a burner phone whenever we get to our final destination,” he choked out. 

 

“You fucking better.” 

 

“If you forget, we’re hopping on a plane and coming after you,” Xie Lian said, squeezing him tightly. 

 

If it hurt, He Xuan realized he didn’t care. Pulling away from them was more painful than any damn bullet wound, anyway. And he circled the van and got inside. Shi Qingxuan’s head turned, looking at him as the engine started. It thrummed under his hands, and He Xuan stared at the steering wheel. Until a hand cupped his cheek. Wiped away the tears. Turning, he looked at Shi Qingxuan. In one gaze, he’d never known a person better, and He Xuan leaned across the short distance for a kiss. 

 

They might have stayed there forever, if it weren’t for a small but loud voice from behind them. “EW, stop kissing!” 

 

“A-Jing!” He Mingxia cupped her hand around his mouth, and they both turned to look into the seat behind them. 

 

“You’re gonna have to get used to that,” He Yue said, leaning over the back of the seat. “They kiss all the time. Like, constantly.” 

 

“A-Yue.” 

 

“What? It’s true, Auntie.” 

 

“Sit back and put your seatbelt on.” 

 

Shi Qingxuan laughed, a healthy flush in his cheeks, and He Xuan looked toward the back as he pulled the van out of the parking lot. They circled around, passing by the people standing by. Feng Xin, Mu Qing, Yin Yu, and Quan Yizhen had taken up places behind Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, and He Xuan only dwindled for a bit longer. His hand lifted, briefly, pressing to the window. Hua Cheng responded, lifting his hand as well. Then, they were gone. 

 

The road out of Fu Gu was lined with trees, all covered in snow, and He Xuan drove carefully in the clunky vehicle. One hand on the wheel, the other holding onto Shi Qingxuan’s down in the cupholders. 

 

“Are you sure you want to come with us?” He Xuan had asked, two weeks earlier. He was sitting, watching Shi Qingxuan struggle on his new crutches doing laps around the room. Over and over again. He was supposed to be doing the same exercises, but Xie Lian had approved a break. Shi Qingxuan seemed unwilling to stop, though. 

 

“...there’s nothing left for me here.” 

 

“You could always make a new life here. Without me, I doubt anyone will try to-” 

 

“He Xuan. Without you, what’s the point? You are the only thing I have left. And I want to be with you.” 

 

They drove into the sun, inexplicably linked. 

 

---

 

“Okay, what does this button do?” 

 

“They’re not called buttons, Dad. Keys.” 

 

“Keys, keys, right. I remember now. What does this one do?” 

 

He Yue giggled. “It doesn’t do anything. It just plays a note.” 

 

He pushed the key down, listening to the note. “Okay, okay. I understand.” He Xuan pressed the key again, the note ringing in the air, in the otherwise quiet apartment. He Yue reached over and chased his hand off the keys, and she placed her fingers over the ivory instead. The grand piano took up more space in their apartment than most might be willing to give up. But every inch was worth the concentrated look on He Yue’s face when she started playing. 

 

Calm, she seemed to enjoy the piano. He Xuan liked listening to her play. A set of rings gleamed on a chain against her chest. He Xuan rubbed at his creaky knee as she played, head tilted to listen. There were no imperfections to him. He Yue didn’t fill entire concert halls, but the school auditorium was a good enough stage for her. Hands in his lap, he adjusted the new golden band wrapped around his ring finger. 

 

The first time he’d seen He Yue play in person had struck He Xuan in the chest like a full-steam-ahead locomotive, but there was something even better about having the sounds of her playing an almost everyday occurrence. She always came here to practice, and once she got that focused expression, He Xuan gave up the spot on the bench beside her and let her play. Grabbing his cane from where it was leaned on the piano, he used it despite how much it made him feel like an old man. What was wrong with a bit of pain? But he'd get nagged if he did, and it was a small thing to make people happy.

 

Sunlight streamed through the part in the curtains and from the balcony doors. The simple arrangement of furniture around a large area rug had been decided on by Shi Qingxuan. He Xuan didn’t insist on making every decision about every little thing that might affect him anymore. Control was a funny thing to give up. When he handed it to Shi Qingxuan so completely, he tended to forget why he’d ever wanted it in the first place. 

 

He sat down on the loveseat, placing the cane to the side. The music eventually coaxed Shi Qingxuan from the bedroom, and he emerged with a slight bedhead and an armful of happy, chubby cat. Fishbone yawned, pink tongue bright against the midnight black of his fur, and Shi Qingxuan plopped him on the table when he passed it. It was filled with pictures - some from Shi Qingxuan and some from He Xuan - all smiling faces and happy memories. They were making them, slowly but surely. He approached the loveseat and sat beside He Xuan. A tangle of brown hair fell against his arm, and He Xuan lifted a hand and spun the strands between his fingers. 

 

Fishbone - never one for letting anyone ignore him - jumped off the table and onto the piano. He stepped down onto the keyboard, walking across it, and He Yue’s song came to a discordant end. “Hey!” She lifted him into her arms, and Fishbone settled against her, having gotten what he wanted. “I have a concert next weekend. I gotta practice.” 

 

“Logic will not work on him,” Shi Qingxuan said, an easy smile on his face. “Only food.” 

 

“I’ll feed him dinner,” He Yue said, and she slid off the stool. 

 

Fishbone had filled out significantly since finding his new role as comfort pet of the two most important people in He Xuan’s life - and the litany of treats probably only served as half a reason why, considering the creature did nothing but sleep all day. He Yue went through a door to the kitchen to go feed the cat, and Shi Qingxuan leaned back against He Xuan’s arm. 

 

“Anything hurt?” He Xuan asked. 

 

“Hm. Fine for right now.” 

 

“What do you want for dinner?” 

 

“I was thinking we order something. Remember that nice place from last week? I really enjoyed the matolete.” 

 

“The what?” 

 

Shi Qingxuan laughed. “It wouldn’t kill you to at least learn what food is called here, He-xiong.” Shi Qingxuan turned his head when He Xuan bent to kiss his shoulder, and his eyes grew narrow with a fond hum building in the back of his throat. “What do you want?” 

 

“...Matolete, I suppose.” 

 

Shi Qingxuan laughed at him again. He Xuan still thought there were few sounds in the world that were better than this. They were lost in each other, heads bent together, when the apartment door opened. They didn’t even hear the key, but they certainly heard the pounding footsteps coming down the short entryway. He Xuan let out a chuckle as Shi Qingxuan’s head turned, and they watched the twins run into the room and straight through toward the back hallway. The apartment was large and spacious, and there was a game room set up for when the kids came to visit. 

 

“You two get back here. We’re not staying long!” He Mingxia followed her kids, looking similarly frazzled to how she usually did. But the edges of her snaps were filed down and fonder than ever, and when the boys didn’t even have the decency to respond to her, she simply walked over lean on the piano. “Hi, Ge.” 

 

“Hi, Mingxia. Long day?” 

 

The look she sent him might have made a weaker man shrivel, but He Xuan could see right through her. “You know, I almost miss just running a single classroom. This district-wide decision making is making me...crazy.” Despite the complaining, a small smile did eek its way onto her face. “Wouldn’t be able to do anything without your help, Qingxuan. French lessons are-” 

 

“It’s no problem,” Shi Qingxuan said, waving his hand. 

 

“The kids can stay tonight if you need a break.” 

 

“I might take you up on that this weekend, but you are shit at making them do their homework.” She cupped a hand around her mouth and called, “boys! Put down whatever games you picked up and get out here. And come on, A-Yue, time to go!” Hand dropped, she continued, “anyway, I brought you tickets for the concert. And the twins have a football match, too. They’d love it if you came.” 

 

“We’ll be there.” 

 

He Mingxia smiled at him. Then, she went to manually round up the kids who were choosing to be very stubborn for the day. When they left, the apartment quieted, and He Xuan laid his head on Shi Qingxuan’s shoulder and vaguely watched him flicking through menu items on his phone. Peace hadn’t been a reality for He Xuan...ever? Since childhood, since his parents had been alive and the world didn’t seem so scary. After the food was ordered, Shi Qingxuan left his phone on the coffee table and stood up to walk onto the balcony. 

 

After a second, He Xuan stood up and followed him. Choosing to leave his cane behind, his limp became a bit more pronounced. It was early fall, and there was barely a nip in the air yet. Shi Qingxuan ran his fingers through the flowers they grew on the lining of the balcony in small planter boxes that hooked to the iron edge. The cold hadn’t killed them yet, but it was nearly time for them to shrivel and grey until next spring. Below them, cars drove, and lights across the city beamed toward them. The sun had gone down, minutes ago. In the distance, the yellow gleam of the Eiffel Tower came on and bathed over them. He Xuan leaned against the side of the balcony, questioning eyes on Shi Qingxuan. He would talk when he was ready. It didn’t take long. 

 

“I dreamed about things last night.” 

 

“...how bad?” 

 

“Mild.” Shi Qingxuan laughed. “How useless. Mild nightmare. Who cares how mild it is?” He cupped his fingers around the back of a small, blue flower. It was the runt of this batch, never getting as big as the siblings around it. “...you have them, too.” A golden ring glinted softly on his hand.

 

“Hm.” He Xuan didn’t need to confirm it. Shi Qingxuan knew him, slept beside him every night. 

 

“Which are worse? Tonglu nightmares or-” 

 

“Bai Wuxiang.” 

 

Shi Qingxuan seemed surprised. 

 

“I’d rather go through Tonglu a dozen more times than ever lose another person I love again.” He Xuan turned his head, looking across the city. The sky was still navy, but the stars were just starting to blink through. There weren’t very many in a city that seemed to never fully turn off. There were always lights on, a drumming pulse that beat underneath every person, car, and beast. “...probably sounds like a lie.” 

 

“No. It sounds like something you’d say.” Shi Qingxuan let go of the flower, then stepped closer to him. He Xuan fitted his arms around Shi Qingxuan’s waist, and they leaned close. Warm, together, eyes swimming with light. “But I think I understand, in a way. My dreams about Ge are the worst sometimes. But when I wake up, all I want is you. He wouldn’t be happy with this.” 

 

He Xuan didn’t disagree. 

 

“But, I’m glad to be here with you, even if this isn’t right.” His head fell against He Xuan’s chest, tucked under his chin. Settling in his hair, He Xuan held Shi Qingxuan as close as he could. The wind blew around them, lightly. Black hair floated around his face, shadows dancing. “I’m glad you’re alive.” 

 

“I’m glad you’re alive.” 

 

Shi Qingxuan’s laugh nearly branched into the wild, panicked giggles he used to give. But the nervousness settled when He Xuan rubbed his back. “I don’t think we’re going to win any awards for being the most functional couple, if that’s all we can say to each other.” 

 

“I love you.” 

 

Shi Qingxuan pressed harder against his chest. “I love you, too.” 

 

He Xuan waited, listening to the long, low bleat of a car horn in the distance. “Who needs awards, anyway? The only thing I’ve ever excelled at is killing people. I think I’d rather be average.” 

 

“Let’s eat out here tonight.” There was a table and two chairs, perfect for them. Maybe someday they’d add a third, when He Yue might live with them and bring her light into the apartment. He Xuan wanted that. Like he wanted a hundred other things. 

 

Most of all, he wanted Shi Qingxuan to be happy. And he’d do anything to make that a reality.

 

The warehouse had smelled like iron when they’d been brought to it. Shi Qingxuan claimed he needed this, and He Xuan only went because he’d been asked to be there. Their near-deaths had distracted from finding Bai Wuxiang, but not for long, and Xie Lian was no helpless flower. He’d once been the terrifying enforcer who stalked the city, before there was Black Water, before Crimson Rain. 

 

Blood pooled on the ground beneath him, dripping from holey pants, knife marks in long lines down his chest and bang. His hands were tied above his head, attached to a rope which looped over one of the pipes above them. He Xuan leaned on his brother, eyes narrowed, and Shi Qingxuan watched from the wheelchair next to him. 

 

Tortured, Bai Wuxiang could barely give them a sneer. And Xie Lian put a bullet through his skull. “Done,” he said, voice echoing through the room, an empty tone beneath the single word. A death knell. 

 

Hua Cheng went after Xie Lian when he stormed away, and He Xuan grabbed the back of the wheelchair and turned it away from the scene. Limping around it, he went to the floor with a tired sigh, loose hair hanging in front of his face. The hand he offered was taken by shaky fingers, and He Xuan watched with one eye. He didn’t move until Shi Qingxuan gripped his hand, then he gripped back. 

 

“...I thought I might feel better. Like a weight. Gone. But…” 

 

“Doesn’t work that way.” 

 

“Am I a bad person for wanting to see it? Needing to know for sure? Because I don’t feel bad.” 

 

He Xuan thought of Scarface - fish eyes staring at him, the swinging light over his head, blood dripping down his arm. “No. You’re not a bad person.” He shifted forward, placing his head on Shi Qingxuan’s knee, and he looked up at him. Teary eyes gazed at him, blinking. After a moment, he smiled. A weak flicker. It was the first one He Xuan had seen since. 

 

There were no words for the warmth lit in his chest. 

 

The sky was a black blanket settled over their peaceful existence. They ate the delivered food. Hands never let go of each other, under the table, thumbs stroking across knuckles. Soft was still a language he was learning, and it was a lot more important to perfect than French. It would be pointless to count days, but he Xuan thought of one year earlier. Where he was then, drunk on his patio and staring at an unforgiving moon. Now, he kissed the love of his life in the City of Love, and no one threatened their peace. This happiness. He Xuan could have it, and he could share it, and when Shi Qingxuan smiled at it there was no transaction to earn another. It was as simple as offering a bite of food from his own plate, or stealing some of Shi Qingxuan’s dessert later, or going to their bedroom and laying quietly beneath the comforter. 

 

He Xuan had scars, and Shi Qingxuan’s matched. Understanding was not a fickle thing to be taken for granted. Everyday becomes theirs, a life to share, a poem to write, a smile to keep.

Notes:

This is the end.

I am so amazed by the response to this story. Every time I post a chapter, so many people choose to leave comments, theorize, compliment me, and express their love of this story. I don't think it's possible for everyone to understand how much the positive reception of this fic has impacted me. I'm sitting here now, writing the last author's note on a saga I started at the beginning of the spring, and thinking of all the kindness that has been shown to me because of this fic. Frankly, I'm in awe. And I'm so happy to bring the final chapter to you all. My sincerest wish for everyone reading is that you enjoy the finale, even if it's unexpected. I've poured my all into this, and I can't wait for everyone to read it. To the people who have been here since the very first chapter: thank you from the bottom of my heart. To the people who joined later: I'm so happy you chose to come on this journey with me. To everyone who left kudos: it makes me feel so special that you all liked the fic that much. To everyone who has commented: your support literally got me through the hardest parts of this fic, and it wouldn't be here today without you all. To my Discord server, you are ALL inspirations to me. You will never know how much you kept me going. To MistressEast, my best friend, my absolute joy, without you nothing I write would be half as good. I love you all. Enjoy the final chapter.

TWs: Death, Blood, Knife Violence, Gun Violence, Injuries, Wounds, Near-Death Experiences, Mentions of violence against a child, Near Hypothermia, Sniper Rifles, Semi-Automatic Guns, Shootout, Caurterizing a Gunshot Wound

Notes:

New beefleaf, yay! So, an organized crime au has been bouncing around in my head for awhile, so I decided to sit down and write it....and a second one that I haven't quite hammered down the details of yet. (We're not here to talk about that one, though.) Anyway, I'm not sure how long this is going to be, but I have the whole plot figured out. Just depends on how long I wanna ramble, I guess lol. And I got to fit the romance in there. Obviously this is not a fic where beefleaf starts out with any good will toward each other.

Most of the time, I generally approach writing He Xuan as a bit of a underdog, going up against enemies that are more socially/politically/economically powerful than him, and I decided to flip the script for this fic. It was born from the question, "what if He Xuan held all the cards?". I'm excited to explore how that changes dynamics between the three of them. Obviously, this fic is going to deal with a LOT of potentially triggering content, so please take care of yourselves. This is a blanket warning for THIS FIC INCLUDES FUCKED UP SHIT. But if there's anything horrible, horrible, horrible in the chapter, I'll put a specific warning in the end notes, just like I normally do. And I promise that nothing...untoward is going to happen between beefleaf. But be aware that this isn't a light fic.

TW: specific warning for this fic. Shi Wudu gets a finger cut off. It's pretty violent.