Love Me To Death..

Chapter 13. I am fine!!!

Zhan made his way to the room where all the evidence was kept and tried his damnedest to push the box in his hand to the top shelf, cursing when his shoulder acted up again. "Fuck! God, that hurts."  Zhan pushed the box with his other hand, hissing and the entire thing would have toppled over if someone from behind Zhan hadn't helped. An arm stretched over Zhan's head pushing the box and Zhan let out a sigh as the box reached its place. "Thanks. It wa-", Zhan was turning as he said the words and the rest of his sentence got caught up in his throat when he saw who was standing in front of him. Dark eyes were staring at Zhan just as icy they had been yesterday and Zhan licked his suddenly dry lips. The movement caused Yibo's eyes to drop to his mouth and an image from yesterday, him backed into Yibo's desk while they kissed with wild abandon, flashed in Zhan's mind.

"What happened to you?", Yibo asked bringing Zhan back to the present and the elder cleared his throat rather loudly. "Nothing. I'm fine."  He moved away giving Yibo space and had just taken a step away when a hand encased his wrist. "What happened to you?" This time the question came out more as a growl and Zhan involuntarily shuddered at the low sound. Yibo was holding onto his wrist, staring at the red marks on his pale hand and seeing the younger glaring at the red welts, Zhan covered them with his other hand. "It's nothing."  "It doesn't look like nothing. Who did this to you?" Zhan wasn't sure what to make of the venomous tone and pulled his wrist back. "Got robbed last night. The guy wanted to take my watch too but didn't succeed. The struggle caused the marks."  Each word made Yibo's face darker, his eyes narrowing to slits and Zhan felt the need to reassure the younger. "It's alright. I hit him and got away."  Zhan tried to smile but the way Yibo's eyes were locked onto him made him uneasy. His blood burned hotter, his body reacting to the proximity and Zhan mentally face palmed himself. He was a proud man and the idea of being reduced to nothing but a horny teenager in front of Yibo didn't sit well with him.  He took a step back thinking the distance would calm the lust in him but Yibo took one forward and his heart galloped when Yibo's forefinger tipped his chin up, a fierce scowl etched on Yibo's face as he gritted, "Did that bastard cut you?" Zhan swallowed hard at how close they were. Yibo's breath hit the side of his face and goosebumps rose on Zhan's skin. His brain told him to stop daydreaming, telling him that Yibo was just checking him for injuries but as his lungs filled with Yibo's scent, his head turned fuzzy with want. "I asked you if he did this to you", Yibo pressed but Zhan didn't meet Yibo's gaze as he said the words. "It.. It's just a scratch. He barely got me." 

'Just a scratch?'  An anger so pure and strong rose in Yibo's heart that he had to restrain himself from taking Zhan by the shoulders and scream in the elder's face that it wasn't just a scratch. The mere sight of the wound on Zhan's skin was enough to drive Yibo crazy with anger and here was Xiao Zhan actually downplaying the entire thing pissing Yibo off even more . "Did you report this? I'll ask Yubin to have a composite sketch made and we'll look for this guy. Do you remember his face?", Yibo's dark, scrutinizing gaze ran over Zhan's face and Zhan shook his head when his eyes met Yibo's. "I reported the incident but I don't remember the guy's face. It was too dark and he was behind me."  Yibo's jaw tightened, the words not being what he wanted to hear and an image of Zhan struggling against his assailant flashed in his head causing fury to rush into his head.

"I am fine. It could have been a lot worse. I got away", the words were meant to be reassuring, Yibo realised but they did nothing to calm him. If only, they made Yibo even angrier. Angry at the man before him for being so careless with his safety, angry at the crime that existed in the world and anger towards himself because even after so many years, Yibo hadn't been able to make an ounce of difference in the world. Zhan cleared his throat looking away from him and Yibo stepped away finally aware of how close they were standing. He cursed himself for being too soft-hearted. He just saw the cut on Zhan's skin and couldn't control himself, fumbling all over in the elder's space. Zhan wasn't meeting his eyes, probably annoyed at his forwardness and Yibo cursed lowly under his breath. "Were you looking for something particular?", Zhan asked and Yibo shook his head. "Just going through the old records."  Zhan nodded his head putting his hands into his pocket and Yibo noticed the slight frown on the man's face when he moved his hand. "You should get that looked at", he suggested motioning at the elder's shoulder and like he had expected, Zhan waved it off. "It'll be fine. It's already better than it was this morning. Thanks."  Running out of things to say and forcing himself to move away Yibo settled on a, "I have things to do." He took a step but the breath in his lungs froze when he felt Xiao Zhan grab his bicep. Like always fireworks imploded under his skin at the touch and in turn they lit his anger. Too. Fucking. Weak.