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Just because the Hsin Tien group was legitimate now, didn’t mean that there weren’t still problems.
This was one of the bigger ones.
He had been expecting it, but honestly it had come a lot later than he’d thought it would.
It had taken a whole six months since his release for something like this to happen. Long enough for him to get suspicious, but not enough for him to get complacent. Although he doesn’t think he ever would, not with how his life had been up to this point. There wasn’t anything in the world that could let him get that comfortable, even despite how good his life was now.
No matter what happened, he would always be looking over his shoulder. No matter how clean they got, he would always have a target on his back. Something he had to always be mindful of.
Which leads him to now. Fighting alongside the only bodyguards he’d taken to the office with him, Wang Xie and Kuan Lin. Three against, what he guesses to be about seven.
Not great odds. But they’d beaten worse.
“What do you- fuck WHAT DO YOU EVEN WANT?!” He yells, dodging another punch from the lackey who had been set on him. There’s two of them on him, and he ducks again as the other aims an overly ambitious high kick towards his head.
Their leader was simply stood back and watching. Arms crossed as he called out orders every now and then on where to aim for and the like. The group had been lucky to be able to corner them in this alleyway. And with the leader standing at the entrance to the dead end, gun visible at his hip, it was clear he felt he held all the power.
Amateur.
“WHO EVEN ARE YOU?!” He shouts again when he doesn’t get a response. Lashing out at the man in front of him. Landing a hit against the side of his head that has him stumbling into one of the men attacking Wang Xie, and he takes the opportunity to throw himself at the pair, knocking them both over in their unsteadiness as he barely keeps his feet underneath himself and reaches a hand in front of himself to keep Wang Xie on his feet too.
He aims harsh kicks towards the man closest to him on the floor. Shifting as somebody grabs onto his jacket to try and pull him back as he manages to kick the other guy in the stomach and then shoulders. Getting as many in as he can before he’s dragged backwards, hands on his jacket turning into an arm around his throat.
“Can- Somebody answer my f-fucking- Question!” He tries to yell as he gets choked out.
The pressure around his windpipe is terrifying, as it always was. There was something about the physicality of getting choked that scared him more than staring down the barrel of a gun ever would.
He won’t succumb to the panic though. He’d been taught too well for that, even as his heart speeds up and he gets uncomfortably sweaty with the anxiety. He gasps and then holds his breath, trying to keep the air in his lungs as he throws his elbow backwards, over and over again as he tries not to move his shoulders so as not to have the grip tighten, even as he’s dragged back on his heels.
But momentum is on his side again then and he’s able to use his unstable footing to his advantage as instead of fighting it, he just lets it happen. Dropping all of his dead weight onto his captor as they both go crashing to the floor. Thankfully, on top of the lackey. Even if Tang Yi jolts his arm against the concrete, but that’s something he’d feel the pain of later.
The force is enough to wind the guy and in the split second of his loosened grip, Tang Yi is able to break free, ignoring the ache in his throat at the force he’d had to use to get out of his hold before turning around to half get up and grab the guy's greasy hair before he viciously smacks his head against the floor.
Once, twice and then three times is enough to knock him out, sickening thuds of the act drowned out by the shouting and other noises of violence around them. And with one of them successfully down and no longer a threat, Tang Yi gets back up fully, rolling his shoulder a few times to try and get the tingling in his fingers to stop as he assesses what’s happening.
Not that he gets the reprieve as he’s immediately jumped on by the men who had been on him in the first place. Not giving him even a split second to get his breath back as they both surge on him.
Neither seem to be armed, much like the others. Their leader seemed to be the only one with a weapon, and that’s reassuring.
Because they were.
He ducks down out of the way of a wide swing, taking the few seconds it affords him to fish into his inside suit jacket pocket to get his brass knuckles. They slip on easily, the movement second nature to him as he comes back up swinging. Metal familiar and comforting over his fingers, warm from his pocket and soft on his skin from years of use and upkeep.
The guy who had just aimed a punch at him gets an uppercut for his trouble. And his head snaps back with a loud crack as his mouth snaps closed, blood immediately spurting from between his lips (most likely bitten his tongue near in half, if Tang Yi had time to guess) as he staggers backwards, giving Tang Yi a chance to step forward and over the body of the unconscious man still at their feet to advance on the other man attacking him.
This man poses more of a challenge, already quicker than his gang mates as he shifts backwards easily, stepping over the other man, pushing the man that Tang Yi had just uppercut towards Kuan Lin, apparently wanting to take Tang Yi on one on one.
“All this fucking talk.” The guy laughs. “Come on then.”
“You’ve got more people down than we do.” Tang Yi snarls, and takes him up on his offer.
The man dodges the first punch Tang Yi aims at him, although in doing so he telegraphs his moves a mile off and Tang Yi is able to dodge the kick that should have hit his stomach.The adrenaline already running through him kicks into high gear.
It doesn’t do anything to his already ragged breath as he swallows back acid. But with the sharp tang of it in the back of his throat he throws himself forward. Grabbing onto the guy's shoulders in a move that he knows the guy doesn’t expect, he pulls him forward forcefully, bringing his knee up at the same time to smash his head there.
It’s not enough to knock him out, not as he takes the move to bring his hands up to Tang Yi’s waist and push him over again. Grappling him to the ground as he forces him to his back. Their legs scrabble against one another as they both try and gain the upper hand. Tang Yi keeps his up, the one throbbing already from the previous impact even as his back echoes the sentiment.
“Stay. Down.” The man spits in his face, and Tang Yi punches him in the jaw for it. And he’s able to use the brief loosening of grip again to reverse their positions, knees and then legs kicking him up and then over clumsily. Not that the guy doesn’t put up a fight as he gains his wits almost immediately, struggling against the hold Tang Yi has on him with his knees. They’d roll over a few times if it weren’t for the few bodies already on the floor, and thankfully that works to Tang Yi’s favour as he’s able to keep the upright position.
He holds the man down with one hand on his chest, knees digging into his stomach and then the floor as he uses his weight to keep him in place. Brass knuckles only getting dirtier and more blood splattered as he punches the man in the face over and over.
The man reaches out at some point, hands going to Tang Yi’s neck to strangle him. Nails digging crescent moons into the soft skin there as Tang Yi chokes for breath. But he doesn’t stop. Doesn’t let the panic and terror overtake him as his air supply runs out again.
Instead he just carries on hitting until the grip goes slack, going limp underneath him. Another one down.
With strength he knows is only from the adrenaline, he pushes himself up. Coughing and spluttering as he tries to steady himself. Knee going weak underneath him before he steadies. Stepping once again over the now multiple bodies.
“Boss?!” Kuan Lin yells, sarcasm dripping from his tone despite how hard he’s breathing. “Who said it was a good idea to only bring the two of us out with you?”
“Oh shut up!” Tang Yi huffs, chancing a look over at him, grimacing as he watches him fight against one of the lackeys, grabbing his head in the same move as Tang Yi himself had just done to smash it against the wall, over and over again against the brick in a spray of blood.
Not that Tang Yi can get distracted as he lunges towards one of the two men on Wang Xie. Reaching forward to the one closest to him, grabbing him by the back of the jacket clumsily to haul him away and onto the floor, throwing him towards their leader before he steps forward, slamming his heel onto the guys head before he can get up, skull so much harder under his foot than anything else, but not strong enough as the guys temple and then cheekbone fracture under his sole. Crunch almost audible despite that being impossible.
Fuck, he should have worn boots today instead of his stupid dress shoes.
Kuan Lin is still wailing on the man who had been pushed towards him behind him with the collapsible baton he preferred. A weapon Tang Yi didn’t understand, but knew how much damage could be dealt with in the hands of his men.
“Call them off.” He snarls, stepping towards the leader again. “Tell me what the fuck you want!”
It’s infuriating how the man just steps back, but at least the move is telling enough that he’s able to turn around in time to take the punch to the side of the face instead of the back of the head, which would have been disorienting at best. Right now he couldn’t feel the pain. But he would later.
“Oh for fucks sake.” He ducks to the side, punching the guy currently on him in the side with his brass knuckles. Ribs crunching with the force as the guy howls. It’s the first time one of them had made any noise other than grunts or groans, or the sound of impact. The noise echoes around the alleyway, loud and pained.
It’s awful and sickening and disgusting.
But it’s the reality they’re currently living.
And that’s only brought back home again as another gut wrenching scream next to him fills the space before it’s abruptly cut off. Followed by the telltale slick sound of a switchblade getting pulled out of someone's gut that seems to ring even louder than the scream had.
Not that he can think about it as he follows the man down, aiming for his ribs again as it had seemed to be a weak spot. Making sure he’s down and unmoving, even as his friend slumps next to him, covered in his own blood as it continues to pool around them from the stab wound Wang Xie had inflicted. Already slipping out of consciousness as the blood thickens on the already disgusting floor.
From how much he’d been pushed to the floor, he’d be burning the suit he was wearing rather than just having it dry cleaned. And not just because of the blood. He really didn’t trust alleyways.
He doesn’t pull his punches until the man seems not to move anymore, eyes tightly closed. And well, the guy probably hasn't passed out, with how tight his eyes are, but from the looks of it he wouldn’t pull anything now, and Tang Yi has more pressing issues to take care of than a coward on the floor.
Turning away from the other bodies already strewn across the concrete. And knowing that Wang Xie and Kuan Lin will have the last man covered, he finally gets back up to look at the one who had caused this mess.
He looks a damn sight more frightened than he had just been. And in the moments Tang Yi had been on the floor, he had gotten the gun from the holster and was currently pointing it straight at Tang Yi.
It’s not as terrifying as the choking had been. Despite the anxiety sweat that had only gathered even more at the small of his back. Fuck, he really was going to have to burn this suit.
At least this was familiar. As was the fear in the man's eyes.
“Now tell me what the fuck you want.”
To his credit, he doesn’t run. Tang Yi will give him that. Instead he just cocks the gun, grip shaking ever so slightly.
“Connections. You wiped them out. But that means you know where they went.”
“So that’s what this is about.” He sighs, only barely resisting the urge to pinch between his eyebrows which had become his ‘long suffering stress’ response habit. Honestly, this was his most expected reason for getting sought out. So at least he’s not surprised. And for this, he actually has an answer.
“Yeah-”
“Any connections I burned are either dead or locked up. And any connections left wouldn’t be interested in a no name startup gang who can’t even defend themselves against a reformed group who fucked you up with only three of them.”
“What the fuck do you mean-”
Amateurs are always bound to make mistakes. And this man makes a small, but important one. In his confusion, anger, whatever it is, he drops his gun slightly and that’s all the opening Tang Yi needs.
He kicks out, foot already aching from before. But he hits his mark, making contact with the guy's wrist as the gun goes skittering onto the alley floor. Trusting Wang Xie or Kuan Lin to grab it, he surges forward to grab the guy by the throat, swinging him around to slam him against the alley wall.
The ‘smack’ sound he makes against the brick is satisfying in a way that Tang Yi hates as he chokes the guy, hands almost crushing his windpipe, but just loose enough so the man stays barely breathing. Tight enough to hurt, loose enough to keep him alive.
“What I fucking mean.” He snarls, getting into the guy's space, kicking him in the shin to get him to buckle as he uses his other hand to grab the guy by the shirt to keep him slightly upright. “Is that you need to leave me and the rest of my men the fuck alone. What I mean.” He tightens his grip, ignoring how the guy tries to pry his hand away, scratching at his hand with too long nails that would sting like a bitch later and were starting to bleed now. Getting droplets of blood onto the guys shirt. But well, it was his own doing.
Tang Yi lets go of his shirt to punch him across the face before grabbing onto the arm, finally reaching his limit as he roughly moves his grip to the guy's wrist, holding it up next to his face. “Is that if you or any of your stupid fucking lackeys curse us with your presence ever again.” He grabs the man's hand awkwardly, although that doesn’t put him off as he starts twisting it. “We won’t stop here.” He warns, before the man's wrist finally breaks with a clean ‘snap’. If he had much breath left, Tang Yi is sure he would scream as all of the blood leaves his face. Mouth gaping open horrifically as Tang Yi can see the yellow of his unbrushed tongue.
“Disgusting.” He mutters, dropping him to the ground, who does so with an awful wheeze as he crumples to the floor before Tang Yi turns, looking for his men. The noise from them had died down, obviously they had finished off the last of the henchmen. “Are you both done?”
“Yeah.” Wang Xie and Kuan Lin chorus, getting up and dusting themselves off as they come towards him. They’re both bloodied, much like he is. But a quick scan over them doesn’t show any signs of anything fatal.
“Come on. We’ll stop by-”
He’s cut off with a sharp gasp as fire rips up the back of his leg, starting at the top of his calf before it drags down slightly, and then there’s a wail as he whirls around, watching as Wang Xie stomps on the lackey’s head, the one who had apparently just stabbed him in the back of the leg, and the one that Tang Yi had been too flippant with, as he thought he had given up and let the coward keep his eyes closed on the floor.
Fuck. He was stupid, stupid and arrogant. And that anger at himself is the only thing that keeps his leg from giving out as he fights to keep his pride in the face of his blunder.
“Sir-” Kuan Lin immediately rushes to him as Wang Xie continues to kick the man’s head in, thuds echoing in tandem with the whimpers that had started coming from the head of the group who was still curled up on the floor.
“S’fine.” He chokes, because that’s all he can get out. His leg feels as though it’s on fire, the stab wound had been deep and ragged, although as he looks down, there’s not enough blood pooling around his foot for it to have hit anything important.
It still hurt like a bitch though, and his head starts swimming although he’s sure that that’s only because he’s seen all the blood, although it probably would be due to the blood loss soon.
“Leave them now.” He barks out to Wang Xie as he shrugs his suit jacket off. Both thankful and regretful he hadn’t worn a tie today. It would have been easier to use as a makeshift tourniquet, but would have been a lot more dangerous during the fight. “Kuan Lin, call Jin Tang and tell him to meet us back at home.” He starts tying it around his knee, ignoring how the pressure on the wound makes the pain immeasurably worse despite how he knows it will help. “Tell him i’ll need stitches and whatever you both need.”
“Hey, maybe he’ll bring that nurse I like.” Kuan Lin tries to joke as he comes up to support Tang Yi under the arm, pulling his arm over his shoulders so they can support each other before he reaches into his pocket to get his phone, and Tang Yi manages a strained smile as they make their way back through the bodies down the alleyway.
Kuan Lin calls as they stagger their way back to the car park outside of the office building, and Tang Yi tries to pay attention to the one side of the conversation he can hear, but it’s getting harder and harder as the sharp pain in the back of his leg starts to get more and more insistent, taking his attention over as Kuan Lin makes periodic noises of affirmative before the call ends.
“He said to go straight to the hospital. He’ll get us a room set up.”
“Alright.” He manages to bite out before all of his focus then goes onto walking, or limping, the last few meters to the car. Even with the support of Wang Xie and Kuan Lin helping keep him upright, the blood loss had finally started getting to him despite the makeshift tourniquet he had used his jacket to make.
Obviously the stab wound was a lot deeper than he had initially thought, and that would also explain why he hadn’t adjusted to the pain yet to be able to power through it until he could crash.
So it’s a relief when they finally make it to the car, and he all but falls into the back seat after handing over his keys to Wang Xie so he could drive. Making sure his injured leg is up across the seats, he grimaces at the brief thought about how much cleaning was going to cost before it turns into a grimace of pain as he pulls himself back onto the seat, propping himself up against the car door which causes his leg to hit the back of the seats.
He doesn’t make a sound, but he inwardly curses as he carefully resettles himself, leaning forward to tie the jacket arms around his leg tighter just underneath his knee as Wang Xie starts driving them to the hospital. The fabric that had been dragging behind him is already red with blood, and despite how woozy he is with the evident blood loss, he’s able to fold the fabric up and then around the wound, using the lapel pin he was wearing to pin the fabric together with clumsy fingers. It’s not nearly tight enough, but it would do to keep a bit of extra pressure on the wound to help stop the blood flow.
His entire body was aching, and he’d have to remember to ask whoever saw to them to check his throat too since there had been multiple attempts to strangle him. But despite his breathing being laboured from the pain and from where he’d hurt his ribs, nothing seems to be obstructed or torn as he can still breathe.
A phone ringing snaps him out of his mental check over, and it takes him a second to realise that it’s his. Fumbling in his pocket, he bites back a gasp as his elbow sends a lightning sharp bolt of pain through him when he bends it to get his phone out and he adds that to the list of things he needs to tell whoever looks him over as he switches his phone to his other hand, glancing down to see who’s calling.
Shao Fei. Of course it’s Shao Fei.
Relief at just seeing his partner's name floods through him, pain forgotten for a second as he picks up the call and hears his voice.
“Tang Yi, where are you?” Shao Fei doesn’t bother with a greeting, instead he sounds impatient, and Tang Yi can’t help but find the tone amusing as it’s not serious, it’s definitely more whiny than anything else. “You were on my ass all week about getting out of work on time so we could make the reservation and now you’re the one that’s late!”
Fuck, he’d forgotten about the reservation they’d had at the expensive sushi place downtown that had just opened. He’d had to beg Shao Fei to go after the other had seen the menu prices and had finally worn him down after a lot of pouting that he’d never admit to.
They were meant to go that evening.
“Ah-Fei.” His voice comes out shakier than he was expecting. “I’m sorry.”
“Wait, what’s the matter? What happened?” Shao Fei’s voice goes from whiny to concerned in a split second at hearing Tang Yi, and Tang Yi feels awful. He didn’t want Shao Fei to worry about him or feel anxious in any way because of him.
But he knows he was the exact same when the roles were reversed. The anxiety and fear was unavoidable. And that’s why he tells Shao Fei exactly where they were headed. Despite the initial spike in worry and anxiety the information would cause, it would be eased a little with knowledge that things were getting sorted.
“Got jumped on the way to the car. We’re on the way to the hospital now.”
“How bad is it?” Shao Fei’s voice gets a panicked uptick. Something Tang Yi is quick to remedy and smooth over despite two of his subordinates being in the car. Usually, he wouldn’t be like this with his men around, but Shao Fei being okay and settled came first.
“I’m still able to talk to you, aren’t I baby?” He says, trying to keep his voice soft and level. “Jin Tang is waiting for us at the hospital. Everything’s going to be fine.”
“I’ll meet you there.” There’s rustling on the other end of the phone. And Tang Yi is glad to hear that his voice starts shifting back to his usual,more confident tone. He knew Shao Fei would feel better knowing he was going to the hospital, and that Jin Tang had been informed so they would get seen to right away.
His next question is unexpected, although that’s only due to the state he’s in. And he’d roll his eyes at it if he were able to open them. “Where did you leave the guys who jumped you?”
“They won’t be there if they know what’s good for them.”
“Don’t tell me then.” Shao Fei huffs, and Tang Yi barely manages a smile. “See you soon. Don’t die before I get there.”
“Don’t break any speeding laws.”
“Shut up. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
The call ends with an easy click and Tang Yi immediately drops the phone into his lap, head falling back heavily against the window as his vision immediately swims when he tries to open his eyes. With his focus no longer on Shao Fei, it’s as if his body dumps all of the pain back onto him in a large wave.
Everywhere hurts, and the leg that had been stabbed is starting to fill with the feeling of pins and needles, fizzing uncomfortably under his skin as bile rises in the back of his throat with how dizzy and disoriented he’s become. His lungs constrict with another bolt of pain up his arm from his elbow, and his vision starts fading at the corners.
“Boss?” He vaguely hears one of the men say from up front, but he can’t tell if it’s Kuan Lin or Wang Xie. “Boss?!”
That’s the last he hears before he fades into a fuzzy state of semi-consciousness.
He can still see and hear things, but everything is muffled and sounds incredibly far away. The things around him turn into nothing more than blurry shapes and colours as the edges of his vision pulse slowly from colours to a blackness that seems to creep closer to covering his entire vision with every tiny shift he makes. Lolling back against the car door as he can’t help but go slack.
At some point, he almost falls backwards when the solid mass behind his back falls away, and he’s pretty sure there’s a bunch of yelling straight after. He can’t make out any words though, not with his hearing getting filled with the sound of the slow rush of his own blood as he’s moved. All he can feel is pain, even as he distantly registers that he’s being moved and placed onto something. The grey’s he had been seeing turn to a dim blue as he thinks he’s laid down, and then the blue turns to a dull white as the noises around him increase.
There’s yelling and noises he’s pretty sure are general hospital noises, which is good since it means they’ve arrived safely. But then there’s fresh points of pain in both of his arms that have him cringing away from everything that briefly make him think it was a bad idea to come instead of just going home.
“Easy, easy.” A voice says, and the tone is familiar but he can’t place it. “Shao Fei will be here soon.” The name he does recognise, and at the mention of his beloved he can’t help but try to get up to find him. “No no, you gotta lay back boss.”
He tries to argue, but there’s pressure on his shoulders carefully pushing him back down. And his mouth isn’t working anyway, unable to form any actual words.
“Shao Fei will be-” Is all he hears before the darkness around his vision that had been getting more and more overpowering by the second finally fully takes hold and he falls fully unconscious, the only clear thought in his head being Shao Fei.
-
When he wakes up, his vision is clear and the pain he had been feeling is all but gone. Looking down slowly as his eyes adjust to the slightly dimmer lighting of the overhead lights, he finds that he’s hooked up to two IV’s, one probably for pain meds since he was only really feeling pain now in his leg where he had been stabbed, and another for blood given that he can physically see it going through the tube.
He must have been given a blood transfusion. Which also makes a lot of sense to why he was feeling better, even if everything still felt slightly fuzzy at the edges. Carefully, he turns his head to where he knows there’s usually a chair for any visitors to sit, and the mixture of joy and relief he feels at seeing Shao Fei in the seat scrolling on his phone gets rid of the rest of the pain he can still feel.
“Ah-Fei.” He mutters, finding his throat feels better too if a bit dry, although he forgets about that too when Shao Fei immediately looks up, phone dropping to his lap before he pulls the chair closer to the bed, hands immediately going to gently hold Tang Yi’s where it still rested on the bed, careful of the blood transfusion IV in his arm.
His hands are warm and careful, and Tang Yi manages to squeeze it, settling it more seculey in his own hand as he finds he’s got the strength too. It must have just been the blood less then that had gotten to him, and like he’d assumed the rest of his injuries weren’t that bad. The blood transfusion IV is in the arm he jolted, and he can’t feel any pain in it even as he moves his arm carefully to hold Shao Fei’s hand tighter. It was either bruised badly or had been dislocated and they’d already set it for him while he was unconscious.
“Sweetheart.” Shao Fei leans forward to kiss his cheek and Tang Yi turns his head into it, head still resting against the pillows where he was propped up. “How are you feeling?”
“Better.” He says truthfully, unable to look away from Shao Fei’s wide eyes, which hadn’t left him since he’d realised Tang Yi was awake. “How are Wang Xie and Kuan Lin?”
“Fine, back at home already.” Shao Fei rubs his thumbs over the back of Tang Yi’s hand. “Both are pretty scraped up and Wang Xie has a fractured collarbone. But other than that they’re alright.”
“How long was I out for?”
“Only about an hour.” Shao Fei takes one of his hands, reaching up to gently start stroking Tang Yi’s hair. Probably using their time alone in the room to do so, as Tang Yi wouldn’t allow it in front of anyone else. These soft moments were for them alone, nobody else deserved the right to see either of them like this.
It’s lovely, having his hair played with and Shao Fei’s hand in his own. “I got here just after you knocked out, but by then they’d already started the transfusion and hooked you up with meds. Honestly it’s a good thing you were out of it while they stitched you up. It was disgusting.”
“Really?”
“Hm. I didn’t watch when I got sewed up myself, but seeing it done to you…” Shao Fei trails off with an overdramatic shiver and Tang Yi lets out a laugh that catches in his throat, coming out more like a cough and Shao Fei is instantly sitting up, letting go of his hand and his hair to pour him a cup of water.
Shakily, Tang Yi tries to sit up and Shao Fei helps him, free hand going to help pull him up carefully under his arm to settle him so he’s sitting up a bit more comfortably against the pillows. “Here.”
His hand immediately goes back to Tang Yi’s hair when Tang Yi takes the cup, although the other hovers underneath it until Tang Yi has finished it, drinking the water greedily as his throat finally feels eased, before he puts the empty cup back on the nightstand and continues his hold on Tang Yi’s hand.
“Did they say when I can leave?” He asks quietly, eyes slipping closed as Shao Fei plays with his hair, now able to do more of it since Tang Yi’s head is mostly up and not against the pillows like it had been.
“Jin Tang said he’d come and see you once you’ve finished the transfusion and then go from there.”
Tang Yi glances up at the bag which still had about two thirds of its contents left. Ugh. His disgust at how long he had left must show on his face because Shao Fei laughs, bright and easy in the warmth of the room.
“It’s okay, you can sleep a bit more. The time will pass quickly that way.”
“No, i’m awake now. I want to be able to sleep tonight.” He just about stops himself from shaking his head. And he must sound stubborn enough about it that Shao Fei just nods.
“Alright. You might be bored for a while though, i’ve got a few emails to finish.”
“I don’t mind.”
“Do you want your phone then?”
“Hm.” Tang Yi doesn’t whine when Shao Fei lets go of him, but it’s a near thing. And he takes his phone grumpily as Shao Fei unplugs it from where it was charging behind the jug of water.
Unlocking it, he groans out loud at how many notifications he has, and ignores Shao Fei’s answering chuckle as he scours through them to find the important ones, thankful that his phone is still at it’s usual low brightness.
First, he answers the texts from his sister.
Hong Ye: SHAO FEI JUST TEXT ME
Hong Ye: WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WERE ATTACKED?!
Hong Ye: ANSWER ME TANG YI
Hong Ye: WHEN I GET BACK HOME YOURE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!!
There’s a break in between them of about ten minutes, and from there her texts get a lot calmer.
Hong Ye: okay shao fei called
Hong Ye: text me when youre awake
Hong Ye: idiot >:(
“What did you tell Hong Ye to make her stop yelling at me?” He asks.
“What? Oh, I saw how much she was texting you after I texted her so I rang her to explain what was going on. She spoke to Jin Tang too and he said you were going to be fine.”
“Ah.”
Own: I’m awake now.
Own: And i’m fine.
Her reply is immediate.
Hong Ye: good
Hong Ye: you should have listened to me when I told you to take more security out with you
Hong Ye: I told you so!!!!!
Own: Yes you did.
Own: Did it make you feel better to tell me that you told me so?
Hong Ye: …
Hong Ye: yes
Hong Ye: whatever
Hong Ye: how are you feeling now???
Own: Better. I’m on pain medication.
Own: Hopefully Jin Tang is merciful and lets me go home tonight.
Hong Ye: he might just to get you out of his hair
Own: And I will be grateful for that.
Hong Ye: well as long as youre okay, ive gotta go
Hong Ye: but I WILL be shouting at you when I see you for being stupid <3
Own: I’ll accept that. Are you going out to eat with Dao-ge?
Hong Ye: shao fei gave us your reservation for that fancy sushi place since you couldnt go
Hong Ye: so were at the place now, its very elegant here!
Own: Have fun. Let me know when you both get home.
Hong Ye: I will! Love you <3
Own: Love you.
Tang Yi sighs heavily. At least the reservations weren’t going to waste, but he still felt bad. Partially about not being able to taste the food himself, he’d really been looking forward to it. But it was mostly about ruining his and Shao Fei’s date. Even if he’d had to convince Shao Fei to go initially, he knew how much Shao Fei liked being taken out.
He wouldn’t admit it out loud, his pride was far too much for that, but Tang Yi knew how much he liked it when Tang Yi went all out and made him feel special. And despite complaining about the food price, Tang Yi asking him to dress up to go to a fancy new place so he could show off how pretty Shao Fei was on his arm, was one of the ways he enjoyed Tang Yi making him feel special. Especially because he knew how much Tang Yi enjoyed showing him off.
“I’m sorry about our date tonight.”
“Why are you sorry?” Shao Fei asks, putting his phone down so Tang Yi can see him frown properly. “Did you taunt the guys into jumping you?”
“No.”
“Did you ask to be stabbed and lose so much blood you needed a transfusion?”
Tang Yi bites the inside of his cheek. “No.”
“Did you purposefully say to those guys ‘hey i’ve got a date tonight and actually want to miss it so please ruin my evening’?”
“I would never.” Tang Yi is close to gasping in offense at that. Just the idea of doing that making him feel sick.
“Then you’ve got nothing to be sorry for.”
“But we were supposed to go out.”
“We can go out any time.” Shao Fei lies, because that was very much not true. It took weeks and weeks of planning for them to both get an evening off together. But he knows what Shao Fei means. “That place will be there for ages considering how popular it is. We’re not in any rush.”
Now that was true. “Hm, I guess.”
“And in the meantime, we can spend our evening at home. You know i’ve been tired lately anyway. Maybe this is a fucked up blessing in disguise.”
“A very fucked up blessing.”
“Very fucked up.” Shao Fei nods in agreement. “But it means that when we get home we can cuddle on the couch and catch up with that trashy dating show. We’ve missed the past few weeks' episodes. And we can order in too.”
“That does sound nice.” He begrudgingly admits. And then the last part of Shao Fei’s sentence catches up with him. “Wait, haven’t you eaten yet?” He checks his phone and it’s just past seven thirty.
“I was too stressed.” Shao Fei shrugs and Tang Yi nods in understanding.
“You can order now if you want, i’ll get something once they clear me.”
“Nah, you shouldn’t be here for much longer, I can wait. Zhao Zi brought leftovers so I had a pretty big lunch.”
“Alright.” That eases his worry a little bit, about both Shao Fei’s feelings about the ruined date and his dinner plans. So he’s able to settle easily back against the pillows and go back to checking his phone.
He’s got recent texts from Xang Wei, and as he reads them over he feels a strong sense of vindication wash over him.
Wang Xie: Asked a contact of mine to ask around about the guys who attacked us.
Wang Xie: Like we thought, they’re no names trying to get a leg up.
Wang Xie: I think we actually took out most of their ‘gang’ in the alleyway.
Wang Xie: And any left will be dealt with, the contact owes me a favour :D
Wang Xie: Nobody will miss them. Apparently they’ve been digging around places they aren’t wanted for a few months now.
Wang Xie: So we’re in the clear on that front.
Own: Thank you Wang Xie.
Own: How are you feeling? Shao Fei said you had a fractured collarbone?
Wang Xie: Yeah, it should take about ten weeks to heal the doctor said, and i’m in a sling for almost half of that.
Wang Xie: But don’t worry boss! I’m still good for duty!
Own: Absolutely not. You’re on paid leave until the sling is off and we can go from there depending on how you heal.
Wang Xie: But boss! I swear I can do my job still! Seriously, i’ve been okayed to drive and everything!
Tang Yi never understood why some of his men refused to take paid leave. He’s pretty sure he’d managed to gather every workaholic in the country. He sighs again, tapping the side of his phone.
“What’s the matter?”
“Wang Xie is insisting on working.”
“Ah.” Shao Fei nods. “What did he say?”
“That he swears he can still do his job and he’s been okayed to drive.”
“I doubt that, he’s in a sling.” Shao Fei snorts. “Just put him on house duty. Reduce his hours a bit so he’ll be getting enough rest.”
Tang Yi didn’t like that he’d been lied to, and he feels irritation run through him, even as Shao Fei reaches out to pat his arm, as if he knows what Tang Yi is feeling. “It’s almost his mothers birthday, you know he needs distraction right now.”
Tang Yi hated that he was right about that. So with another sigh, this one heavier than the last and pointed because he hated it sometimes when Shao Fei subtly reminded him to be a good person when things like this were concerned, he replies.
Own: Don’t lie to me about being okayed to drive.
Own: You have tomorrow and the next day off. Tell Kuan Lin too.
Own: You’re on reduced hours on house security until the sling comes off.
Wang Xie: Sorry boss.
Wang Xie: Thank you boss.
“Hm.” He clicks out of the text chat, setting a reminder to himself to sort out Wang Xie’s new schedule in the morning and send it over to him. He’s about to lock his phone since it was starting to hurt his eyes, content to watch Shao Fei for however long, but the noise of the door sliding open has his attention turning that way.
“How long have you been awake?” Jin Tang asks as soon as he comes in and spots Tang Yi upright with his phone in hand, narrowing his eyes as he turns to Shao Fei who cringes.
“Sorry, I should have alerted a nurse.”
“Yes you should have.” Jin Tang sniffs, coming over to the bed and Tang Yi refuses to look apologetic as Jin Tang checks over his vitals, as well as both of his IV’s. “Well. Considering how quickly you woke up, and how you seem to be doing on the fairly minimal pain medication, you should be able to go home as soon as the transfusion is finished.”
“Really?” Shao Fei beats him to the question and Jin Tang nods, marking a few things down on the clipboard he had taken from the end of Tang Yi’s bed.
“Yep.” He flips the clipboard closed before turning to him, and Tang Yi already hates the teasing smirk spreading across his features. “Seriously Tang, you’re losing your edge. You wouldn’t have fainted from something like this a few years ago. You’re getting old.”
“Oh fuck off.” Tang Yi flips him off, unable to swipe at him, as all Jin Tang does is laugh and wave him away.
“I’ll be back again once the bag is almost empty.” He says easily, swanning out of the room as easily as he had come in. And Tang Yi shakes his head as Shao Fei laughs quietly under his breath.
“He’s such a jerk.”
“He is.” Tang Yi agrees fondly.
“Are you sure you don’t want to nap until we can go home?” Shao Fei asks, tone totally wheedling.
“Why, you think i’m old too?” he can’t help but poke back and Shao Fei gasps.
“No! You were just squinting at your phone which means your eyes hurt and you don’t have your glasses. So napping seemed like the best option.”
“What if I want to talk to you instead?” He reaches out to grab Shao Fei’s hand, tangling their fingers together to rest them on the bed and Shao Fei hums.
“If you’re still awake by the time i’ve finally finished these emails and a report that’s just come in, then of course we can talk.”
“Fine.” Tang Yi takes the challenge, already fighting back a yawn as he settles fully against the bed. Even still upright, just having his head supported by something soft felt as though it was the most luxurious bed in the world with the way he was feeling right now.
Turning his head slightly, he lets his gaze fall to where it always wants to be. Shao Fei is rumpled from his day at work, and his brow furrows as he goes back to answering emails he apparently needs to get to that Tang Yi had been distracting him from. But he still looked gorgeous. His fringe is a mess around his head, just barely resting above his eyes as the rest curled around his ears and nape of his neck in messy waves that Tang Yi would run his hands through later. And his clothes are in the same rumpled state with his jacket thrown over the chair.
There are still dark circles under his eyes, although not nearly as bad as they had been when Tang Yi had first come home. And there’s a bit of colour in his cheeks as he frowns down at his screen, biting at his bottom lip as his fingers get a little more aggressive in his typing. Obviously, something or someone had pissed him off, and Tang Yi only feels a little bit guilty in being able to see the emotion of it across his face. Shao Fei was hot when he was pissed.
And that’s how he falls asleep, in an eerily similar but much less drastic way to before, thinking about how hot his boyfriend was and admiring him. Images of Shao Fei flashing behind his eyes as this time he falls into a willing unconsciousness.
-
When he next wakes up, he’s woken up by a soft hand running over his jaw and an even softer voice in his ear.
“Sweetheart, the bag’s almost empty. Jin Tang will be back soon.”
“Urgh.” He tilts his head into the contact, opening his eyes a crack to see Shao Fei watching him with a soft smile.
“I knew you needed a nap.”
Tang Yi blinks heavily, vision slowly coming back into full focus. “Did you get everything finished?”
“I did.”
“Good.” He smiles as Shao Fei leans forward, kissing him on the bridge of his nose before sitting back fully. Giving Tang Yi some space to wake up and get himself mentally prepared to see more people.
“I can’t wait to get home.” Shao Fei stretches, back cracking as he pulls his arms above his head. “What are you thinking for dinner? I’m craving some sort of soup.”
“Beef noodle soup?” Tang Yi asks, and he can already feel his mouth watering at the thought of it. He always craved it after getting injured, and he’s unsure if it’s coincidence that Shao Fei had thought of it or not. Although it’s not exactly something he cared to find out about. Coincidence or not, he was getting his damn soup.
“Sounds good. I’ll put an order in now and it should be there when we get home.”
“Hm.”
They’re quiet as Shao Fei orders, although it’s interrupted by the sound of the door again as Jin Tang and a nurse bustle in.
“Ready to get out of here?” Jin Tang asks and Tang Yi nods. “Good, let me check your blood levels and then you can get out of my sight.”
The nurse with him laughs, coming around the side of the bed to start checking his charts and unhook him from the pain medication IV.
“Here.” Jin Tang hands Shao Fei a bundle of paper. “Discharge papers and prescriptions. You’ve got a full week of strong pain medication and anti-inflammatories. If you need any after that let me know, but you should be fine.”
“I’ll go get him checked out and put these through then. Wait until i’m back Ah-Yi.” Shao Fei says as he gets up, taking everything before hustling out of the room with a squeeze to Jin Tang’s shoulder and an easy smile at the nurse.
“I can’t believe he puts up with you.” Jin Tang snorts before he goes about checking Tang Yi over again.
“And who’s your latest relationship? I can’t even remember this guy's name.” He fires back and then smirks when the nurse chokes on a laugh. The slight jealousy he had felt over Shao Fei smiling over her is easily soothed by the vindication he feels at her reaction to the jab.
“Alright alright I get your point.” Jin Tang pokes him sharply in the chest. Checking whatever it was that gave him readings that was connected to the transfusion IV. While he’s doing that, the nurse takes out his pain medication IV, and he really hopes whatever they had him on lasts until he was in bed later on and could sleep through it wearing off.
“Hm, everything looks okay.” Jin Tang muses, double checking some things as he goes between the clipboard and then the few machines by his head above the bedside table. “Let me check your head then you’re good to go.”
Tang Yi suffers through the usual (probably way too late) concussion ordeal, as Jin Tang checks his eyes with a small torch after getting him to follow his finger around with his eyes only.
“Yep, nothing in there as usual.” Jin Tang says happily after he’s clicked the torch off and Tang Yi is happy to find that it doesn’t cause him any dizziness or his vision to swim when he pointedly rolls his eyes back at him for it.
“So am I free to go?”
“When i’ve unhooked you and Shao Fei is back, yes.”
“Hm.” Despite his sharp words, Jin Tang is gentle as he takes the needle out of Tang Yi’s arm, disposing of everything like the nurse had in the cart they had brought in with them before putting a plaster over where the needle had been.
“Make sure to continue hydrating when you get home. Water only until tomorrow. Heat it if you need to. And no caffeine until you’ve finished your course of pain medication.”
“Got it.”
“I know you won’t listen to me if I tell you not to work for the next week or two either. But if you can, take the full day off tomorrow, and try to work remotely. Elevate your leg as much as you can and keep the wound dry for two days minimum. I’ll visit you in a week to check on your stitches and we can go from there to see when they can be removed.”
“Thank you.”
“Hm. This is all written down too, I gave a list to Shao Fei.”
“Thank you for that too.”
“You’re being overly polite. I don’t like it.” Jin Tang laughs. “Your clothes are underneath the bedside table in the locker, and the crutches at the end of the bed are for you until you can put your full weight back on your leg which should take a few days.”
“Hm.”
“We’ll leave you to it. Tell Shao Fei I said bye.”
“Thank you.” Tang Yi thanks the nurse as she leaves but reaches out to gently punch Jin Tang in the arm which the man reciprocates before leaving with a wave over his shoulder.
Once they’ve both gone, Tang Yi throws the covers back, shaking his arms out slightly to get them feeling back to normal before swinging his legs over the side of the bed. The pain doesn’t hit him like it would do if he wasn’t medicated right now, but the pins and needles had returned with a vengeance, and he tries to put pressure on both of his feet as he leans forward, sitting as heavily as he can to get his legs to go back to feeling something more manageable.
He could deal with the pain, but there was something about getting pins and needles that always went straight through him. As a distraction, he reaches down to the locker to get his clothes out. And he’s surprised to find that instead of his bloodied suit, there’s a pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt and a hoodie instead.
He’s about to call Jin Tang back and ask about it, but Shao Fei comes back into the room carrying a bag from the pharmacy, and before Tang Yi can even ask, he answers his question.
“I made a stop on the way here and got you some clean clothes. I chucked everything else out. All the stuff from your pockets is in my bag.” He gestures to his satchel, unzipping it to put the pharmacy bag into. “I hope you didn’t like that suit.”
“I wanted to burn it.” Tang Yi admits and Shao Fei snorts.
“Well it definitely might end up that way. Come on, do you need help getting dressed?”
Tang Yi nods, because the pins and needles still hadn’t gone away and he needed to lean on Shao Fei so he could get the damn hospital gown he was wearing off.
“Alright, come on then, turn around for me and lean against the headboard.”
“You want to do it in a hospital?” Tang Yi acts scandalised, doing as he’s told and letting the bed take most of his weight as Shao Fei unties the ribbons at the back of the gown. “I didn’t think you were into that baby.”
“Oh shut up or i’m leaving and taking your crutches with me.” Shao Fei gently smacks him in the arm, more of a brush of movement than anything. “Done, turn back around and sit down.”
The standing had helped with the pins and needles a bit, so he’s okay to sit down even as he slides the gown off. Leaving him in nothing but his boxers as Shao Fei sorts his clothes out.
He’s about to reach out to grab the t-shirt from the pile Shao Fei had made next to him but Shao Fei catches him by the shoulder, eyes roaming over his body searchingly as he finds every bruise and scrape that Tang Yi had acquired from the fight.
“They really did a number on you.” He says quietly, and Tang Yi reaches up to wrap his hand around Shao Fei’s wrist comfortingly. Rubbing his thumb over the underside of it. Delicate skin soft under his touch as Shao Fei continues to look him over with concern and a thinly veiled anger.
“I’m okay.” He tries to reassure him, letting it hang in the quiet as a few more minutes pass of Shao Fei looking him over. Visibly mentally cataloguing every tiny detail of injury that was littering Tang Yi’s aching body.
“I know.” Shao Fei finally looks him in the eye a few minutes later, taking a shaky breath. “I know.”
Tang Yi gently takes his hand from his shoulder, kissing his knuckles and then his palm and then his wrist before placing it gently back at Shao Fei’s side so he can get dressed. And Shao Fei is quick to help him, especially when Tang Yi winces at the sharp twinge in his ribs when he lifts his arms up to put his t-shirt and then his hoodie on. Doing so efficiently but carefully before he drops to his knees on the floor, swiping the sweatpants from the bed.
Tang Yi would try to make another joke if Shao Fei was in the mood, but he clearly wasn’t. So he keeps his mouth shut as Shao Fei picks up each of his feet to put into the pants legs before pulling them up and over Tang Yi’s knees, slipping some cheap looking house slippers onto his feet that usually Tang Yi wouldn’t be caught dead in. But understood that they would be easier on his feet than his dress shoes right now, so he doesn’t even need Shao Fei’s stern look to slip them on his feet.
“Up we get.” Shao Fei says when he stands, taking Tang Yi’s hands in his as he does so to help the other man stand up before he lets Tang Yi pull the sweatpants the rest of the way up, settling the waistband as he feels the fabric scratch along the large dressing on the back of his calf.
Standing is okay as long as he can put most of his weight on the uninjured leg. Even with the pain medication, the dull ache that was now making itself throughout his body gets more intense in his calf when he experimentally tries to put pressure on it. So he’s grateful for the crutches that Shao Fei is quick to pass over to him.
They’re awkward under his arms, but they’re enough of a help that he can’t be annoyed, and he finds that he’s able to find a rhythm fairly easily as he makes his way to the door, stopping at the threshold to look back to where Shao Fei hadn’t started following him.
“Let’s go home.”
-
The beef noodle soup is waiting for them in the kitchen when they finally make it home with a note that lets them know Chih Hao had got the delivery for them before he’d clocked out for the night. Leaving the night shift guards to their duty. And Tang Yi could cry with how happy he was just from the smell alone.
“Let’s get you set up on the couch and then i’ll heat the food back up.” Shao Fei makes the decision and Tang Yi nods. He had initially wanted a shower or to at least somehow wash his hair when he first got in. But smelling the food had quickly changed his mind. As had the bone deep exhaustion that had slowly been creeping up on him as soon as they left the hospital.
“Hm.” He heads back towards the livingroom, letting Shao Fei fuss around him and the couch before letting him sit down. He pulls one of the foot rests closer, putting a pillow onto it before guiding Tang Yi’s injured leg up onto it gingerly by the ankle and Tang Yi continues to let him fuss as a remote is pushed into his hand and a blanket is thrown over his lap and tucked around his middle.
“Find that dating show while I heat the food up and change.” He instructs, and then blesses Tang Yi with the first proper kiss they had been able to share since that morning before they both left for work.
Tang Yi reaches out to grasp helplessly at Shao Fei’s jacket as the man takes his face in his hands, cradling him as he kisses him soundly. And he can’t help the contented noise that slips free from his mouth when Shao Fei licks into it, and he feels him smile with the way his lips pull up before he sucks on Tang Yi’s lower lip.
“I’m glad you came home safely.” He whispers when he pulls away, and Tang Yi leans forward for another kiss, unable to get the words out to reply. Instead, he pours his emotions into the kiss, hoping that his relief and contentment and gratitude are loud enough in his action for Shao Fei to understand.
He kisses him, still careful but deeper this time as Shao Fei leans into it, letting go of Tang Yi’s face with one hand to steady himself on the back of the couch as he leans over Tang Yi, letting himself be kept there as Tang Yi kisses him.
Shao Fei tastes like the last remnants of his day. Like stale coffee and the chapstick Tang Yi had bullied him into using when the other hadn’t been able to cure his chapped lips overnight like he’d claimed to be able to when the weather had started getting colder. And Tang Yi covets it, despite how gross it probably was. He was human and warm and real and sighs into Tang Yi’s mouth when Tang Yi licks across his upper lip.
They pull apart soon after, but it’s enough to keep Tang Yi going as Shao Fei stands, reaching out to gently tug at his earlobe before disappearing from view with a soft smile. Leaving Tang Yi to find the dating show on whichever platform it was on, because he could never remember it.
He’s just about found it by the time Shao Fei comes back, hauling two lap trays in first so they can eat comfortably before bringing in the bowls of beef noodle soup.
“What episode were we on?” ShaoFei asks after he’s sat down next to him, own bowl of food on Tang Yi’s lap to keep it steady as he gets settled partially under the blanket he had stuck around Tang Yi before grabbing another one to cover him the rest of the way, before pulling his own lap tray across himself as Tang Yi gives him him food and utensils back.
And that was something Tang Yi did remember. “We’re four episodes behind. Another one was released yesterday.”
“Well we’ve got a lot to catch up on then.” Shao Fei nods before flailing his hand at the tv and Tang Yi grins, picking the remote up to put the episode on before settling back to finally enjoy his dinner and the rest of his evening alongside his beloved.
The pain would be back tomorrow, and his sleep would probably be restless as he processed the attack. Plus, he had to work out Wang Xie and Kuan Lin’s new schedules out until they were healed, and they had to be sent over tomorrow too, which was more work he really didn’t want to do.
But right now he was warm and safe eating one of his favourite foods with Shao Fei already adorably gearing up his remarks about the contestants and what was going on beside him. He was being cared for, and that would undoubtedly continue on until his leg was fully healed. There was seemingly no further action needed towards the attackers, and any legitimate work he had to do could be done remotely over the next few weeks as had been asked of him.
He was content, for now. And switching his spoon over to his nondominant hand he reaches out to hold Shao Fei’s hand from where he had already been pointing at the screen to indignantly point out one of the male contestants shortcomings, smiling as all Shao Fei does is tangle their fingers together and continue on his point, spooning some of the broth into his mouth as he carries on talking.
“Hm.” Tang Yi agrees with a hum, turning his focus back to the screen so he can see what Shao Fei is going on about, and is more than happy to let the contentment wash over him as he settles in for the night, knowing full well he’ll probably fall asleep on the couch and need to be moved later. And knowing equally as well that Shao Fei will continue to take care of him and love him.