"Hearts are wild creatures, that's why our ribs are cages..."
Anonymous
1.00 am Thursday morning
Wei Ying was huddled into his windbreaker, thinking it was named well but unfortunately for him, did not do what it promised.
Today was turning out to be a day of tests. One after another, the Universe was having a laugh at his expense.
Usually, Wei Ying did not mind so much. He was a happy-go-lucky type of man, used to the odd thing going wrong in his life...and he could accept good-naturedly that life happened to every individual, and he did not really stoop to actually blaming anyone.
But today?
No.
Today the world was out to get him.
When his alarm failed to go off that morning, he should have taken it as a sign. Turned over and closed his eyes, declaring that today was a bust, there was no point heading into work because it was probably going to be a shitty day.
He would've been right.
But, being a mostly optimistic person, Wei Ying thought to himself, how bad could it be?
Idiot.
He berated himself harshly, kicking a loose stone off his path.
He counted on his fingers, just how many things had gone wrong today.
1. He was late in to work.
2. His job as a bartender was great if he could put on a show too, because the tips meant extra money. If he didn't drop anything made out of glass. Which was practically everything behind his bar. Today, Wei Ying managed to break a bottle and two glasses.
3. His manager hates his guts. Su She is an imbecile but with a nasty streak, and today, he lied about how much Wei Ying had broken in terms of bottles and glasses. He docked Wei Ying’s pay and pocketed the difference, but as Wei Ying had no proof, there wasn't really much he could do about it.
4. He missed the bus home.
5. That meant A-Yuan was fast asleep by now, the best boy that he was, and he wouldn't even complain about it.
But Wei Ying hated that the most.
Wen Qing was with him right now, as Wei Ying hurried home, already anticipating another fight, but today Fate was playing roulette with his life.
There was another loose stone in his path, and this time, Wei Ying pretended he was a world class football champion. He ran up to the stone and gave it his best shot, imagining a stadium of spectators rising to their feet in a healthy celebration of what could only be the winning goal...
Wei Ying watched as it hit the wall in the mouth of an alley and ricocheted somewhere deep inside.
There was a groan.
Wei Ying paused.
Had there been a groan?
Could it have been the wind?
Unfortunately for him, the sound came again, and Wei Ying was pretty sure it was someone in distress. His phone was dying, on its last legs but Wei Ying still pulled it out and switched on the torch.
He gasped straight away...because there was blood.
That's the first thing he noticed.
Then he noticed how much of it there was...
The light from his torch flickered off ugly mismatched graffiti on dirty walls, but it was just bright enough to show a leg.
Wei Ying groaned too, because this was the last thing he needed after a long tiring day, and the Universe was definitely going to find some way of making this backfire in his face. But he could not, in good conscience, leave whoever it was as they were...not if it meant that they might die.
And judging from the amount of blood...this guy had lost a lot.
Wei Ying should help him get to a hospital.
That would be the best thing to do...right?
He sighed, and called a cab.
It was an extra expense that he couldn't afford, but when the difference was between saving a life and...not, Wei Ying had no doubts.
Then he put his phone away with the intention of helping the guy to at least the mouth of the alley. The cab probably wouldn't wait for them, not at this late time of night.
Wei Ying had hardly any concept of time anymore; the days bled into one long time tunnel where the only thing that changed was his job.
Barista by day, bartender by night, and if he was lucky, a few hours of sleep at night in between taking A-Yuan to school and bringing him back. Wei Ying loved that little boy with all of his heart and soul...but ... but he hated how little time he could actually spend with him.
Entirely too much time could pass, like today, where more than twelve hours went by before Wei Ying could talk to his boy, and it broke his heart. A-Yuan was six now...and way too quiet for Wei Ying’s liking.
Wei Ying managed to lift the unconscious man enough to slip his arm around his shoulders and manoeuvre him into an upright position. Whatever had happened to him, it was recent because the stench of fresh blood was fresh...and nauseating to Wei Ying. Luckily he was adept at breathing through his mouth, with the amount of tipsy customers he had to deal with on a daily basis.
Also, another downside to this was that Wei Ying’s own clothes were now covered in blood...he was going to have to do a load of laundry tonight before he could sleep, since he only had one uniform for both jobs and luckily it was the same.
A pair of tight black trousers and a form-fitting black shirt. They were great because black didn't show red stains too much, but his burgundy windbreaker was a lost cause.
Whoever this guy was, he was well-built.
Wei Ying groaned with the sheer amount of effort it took to raise his body, even with the blood loss. His own frame shook with the added burden and Wei Ying stumbled, trying to stand and carry his weight too.
He tottered unevenly towards the beginning of the alley, hoping their ride was there. Wei Ying felt like a child trying on their mother's stilettos for the first time. Uncoordinated and unbalanced, he knew he could pass for a drunk with the way he was staggering forward.
Finally they were at the mouth of the alley and in the main road.
It was still too quiet, this chasm of silence only disturbed by a gust of wind playing with an empty soda can, rattling it ominously across the street.
Wei Ying shivered...seeing movement in shadows and feeling more eyes on himself than were probably there.
And there was no cab yet.
Wei Ying thought if he could make it to the streetlight at least, the cabbie would find it easier to spot them.
The man in his arms moaned, just as they entered the circle of light. He seemed to be trying to move away from it, leaning heavily on Wei Ying’s body and scrunching up his eyes...almost...almost as if he was in pain.
Wei Ying was not a cruel person, and besides, this guy was hot.
He tried to make himself feel ashamed of having these kind of thoughts...but the way the pale yellow light fell on this man's ivory skin made it look like porcelain...no...Wei Ying thought to himself.
Like White Jade.
It was so smooth and almost polished, that's how translucent it appeared.
His features were beautiful.
There was no other way to describe him.
Wei Ying shifted so that most of the light fell on him instead, and thought that it was probably better if the cabbie didn't see how much his new friend was hurt.
This time of night...actually more accurately morning, but in Wei Ying's book dark meant night, light meant day, he noted obstinately, anything was possible. Most crimes happened under the cover of darkness and this guy was lucky he was still alive.
Wei Ying was clutching the guy's waist with his right arm twisted around it, whilst simultaneously hanging onto his left arm, and he was astonished to feel warmer because this man was shielding him from the brunt of the cruel wind with his body.
High beams thrown in their direction alerted Wei Ying to the oncoming car which pulled up right next to them.
Wei Ying grabbed the passenger door behind the driver and helped the stranger get in. He was definitely drifting in and out of consciousness, and Wei Ying thought he actually looked better now, certainly much better than lying in a pool of his own blood.
Maybe the return of the darkness had something to do with it too, though at this point Wei Ying wasn't sure if it was wishful thinking on his part.
He just really wanted today to finish for him.
"Where to?" The cabbie eyed them both suspiciously.
"Nearest hospital-"
"No hospital!" The stranger growled suddenly, tightening his hold on Wei Ying’s body.
The cabbie was tapping his fingernails impatiently on his steering wheel, scowling at them.
"Um..okay, not the hospital," Wei Ying amended quickly, ignoring the way his stomach fluttered powerfully at the sound of the stranger's voice.
"Come on, come on, make up your mind or get out!" The cabbie snarled, looking around and out of his window. "These parts aren't safe, 'specially this time of night."
In that split second, Wei Ying made his mind up. He wasn't at all sure why this gorgeous man did not want to go to a hospital...because wasn't that what sane people did after losing that much blood? And maybe he wasn't thinking straight either...Wei Ying sighed as he gave the cabbie his home address.
Maybe this guy was an illegal alien and the hospital would wind up asking too many questions?
In that case, Wei Ying had no business shoving him into deep water, not when the guy was probably just trying to make a buck.
Even in Colarado, inner city life was hard.
Jobs were scarce and getting scarcer...so Wei Ying couldn’t blame him for not wanting to get noticed by the wrong people.
Maybe he had a family?
Maybe he was just like Wei Ying in that respect, having to make ends meet when they were too short to actually do that, and so his resolve hardened.
He was going to look after this guy.
Wei Ying felt much better after that.
Usually, it was just in the initial decision making process that he struggled; but once he made up his mind, that was it.
There was a nice smell to this guy too...it reminded Wei Ying of closed doors and incense....that was it! It was sandalwood!!
He remembered visiting a temple with his parents when he was just a kid...couldn't have been more than two or three...
How strange that he remembered that now?
Wei Ying hadn't thought about his parents in so long...yet this fragrance put him right back in that red building on top of the mountain. He even saw his parents momentarily.
He was concentrating on that memory so hard, he completely missed the fact that this stranger had his nose pressed up against Wei Ying’s neck...in an almost intimate way.
Wei Ying blushed, his face getting redder by the minute and the stranger hummed in pleasure.
No way?!!
How was that even possible?
Was he awake? And then, had he been pretending to be passed out, back there in the alley?
Why?
But no...Wei Ying remembered the pool of blood...no, he really had been out of it.
Maybe the stranger was feeling better?
That was surely good news then, because come morning time, Wei Ying could send him on his way...right? Give him something to eat and then show him the door.
That sounded like an excellent plan.
Hoping this would come true, because Wei Ying had to catch a break sometime, he hopped out of the taxi when it stopped outside his apartment building.
This time, the stranger slid out much easily but he was back to leaning on Wei Ying as the latter drew out the last of his bills to pay the driver.
"Next time, watch how much you drink." The cabbie advised, tyres squealing noisily in the silence of the night as he sped away.
Wei Ying didn’t look back, too busy hauling the heavy, pure muscled man into the building. He prayed the elevator was working tonight.
He and A-Yuan hardly trusted it these days, opting for the stairs as the safer option. They'd heard horror stories of people not being rescued until the next day, having been stuck inside in between floors, and both father and son thought it wasn't worth the risk.
But tonight, Wei Ying seriously doubted he would make it up two flights of stairs with the extra weight. He punched the button to summon the lift without guilt.
The hallway was poorly lit and Wei Ying could hear the man breathing softly, evenly.
Had he fallen asleep?
Wei Ying hoped not. He still had to check him for his injury. And then he blushed again, at that thought. What if it was in a private place?
Under his clothes?
All these thoughts were making his face hotter than ever and Wei Ying thought he heard the stranger hum again, appreciatively.
Was he awake then?
Enough to know when Wei Ying was embarrassed, definitely.
Wei Ying shook him then as the elevator arrived and they climbed in.
But there was no response.
Maybe Wei Ying had relied upon wishful thinking once too many times tonight. He sighed, utterly exhausted and balanced both their weight against the filthy back wall of the lift.
The elevator shuddered to a stop seconds later and when the door opened with a painful squeal as it should, Wei Ying grinned with relief and helped the sleeping man out. They stumbled to his door.
He fished out his keys but before he could feed them into his door lock, it was opened by a scowling doctor in training....
Wen Qing looked far from happy.
"You're late!" She snapped at him, hissing like a Swan.
Then she noticed the stranger.
"WEI WUXIAN! THAT BETTER NOT BE A DATE!" She whisper-shouted. Her outrage was real.
"No!" Wei Ying would have held up his hands, but they were currently busy holding at least two hundred pounds of muscle and making sure neither of them sucked the floor suddenly. "I found him like this when I missed my bus. Had to walk." He informed her, pushing the stranger onto his couch.
"Found him? Explain." She magically produced a pair of latex gloves and slapped them on with the ease of an expert, listening to Wei Ying recounting his adventures of that evening whilst examining the stranger.
"Yeah...it was all fucking Su She's fault." He lamented, launching into a tirade of what had happened at the bar.
Wei Ying was distracted though, because Wen Qing was tilting the stranger's face this way and that, and that's when they saw two puncture wounds over his jugular. They were sealed now...but whoever administered them had been sloppy.
....or, had they been playing around?
Wei Ying made a face.
"The closer it gets to Halloween, the more loonies come out." He sighed, going to fetch a t-shirt for sleeping in.
Wen Qing was nodding, only half listening as she eased her patient out of his jacket. The left side of his clothes was dry now with hardened blood, so she took that off just as Wei Ying got back.
His eyes unconsciously drifted up that equally beautiful body, noting the dips in between the muscle and not even questioning the way his stomach dived like an Olympic champion.
Wen Qing threw him a disgusted look, eyeing the garment in his hands.
"What? I can't help it if I have eyes!" He protested, taking another opportunity to admire that strong physique. "Besides, I bet I could use those as a chopping board and he wouldn't feel a thing!"
Wen Qing went to grab the t-shirt out of his hands but Wei Ying was quicker, sliding it over the man's delectable body and lamenting the fact that he couldn't see it any more.
Those chiselled abs had glistened...
Wei Ying thought he possessed the self control of a God by not letting his fingers wander, not even slightly.
"His only injury seems to be at his neck." Wen Qing declared, sounding way too professional. "And I'm leaving now, if I can trust you to keep your hands to yourself?" She glared at him for good measure.
Wei Ying put on his best, most charming smile aiming to disarm her.
Wen Qing was exactly like a bomb.
But he loved her like a sister, and there was nothing they wouldn't do for each other, which they both knew.
"You can trust me. I'm only going to move him to my bed so he can sleep better. That's all." He added in answer to her disbelieving look.
Wen Qing shrugged on her coat, frowning.
"Whatever. Just keep me informed if anything changes. He should be fine though, his heart rate was normal and he seems to be recovering from that stupid stunt. It's a wonder he wasn't seriously injured." She waved goodbye by wiggling her fingers, and then she was gone.
Wei Ying sighed once more and turned to the seriously hot dude currently lying on his battered couch. He couldn't leave the stranger there; A-Yuan was an early riser and would be sure to ask questions...Wei Ying had to move him.
It would be better for everyone.
Wei Ying tugged and half carried, half dragged the unconscious man into his bedroom, helping him onto the bed. Luckily, the previous owner had left his bed behind and it was long enough to accommodate this guy. Wei Ying didn’t dare touch him more than necessary, only pulling him up as much as he could so the guy's feet didn't dangle off the edge of the bed. Then Wei Ying pulled the covers right up to his neck and grabbed the spare pillow.
He was bone tired now and the couch was looking more and more like a great idea. At the last minute, he remembered his alarm clock and ignoring the grumbling in his stomach, Wei Ying used his windbreaker like a blanket and fell into a deep sleep.
*******
A/N
So my dear, beautiful readers!
I ditched common sense last night and wrote most of this last night, hoping it really was going to be a one-shot. I should know better by now and it's just crazy of me...shouldn't start something new...but anyway, I hope you enjoy this offering.
About a year ago, my good friend gegeford asked me to write this and a werewolf au...I haven't got to the second request yet but I haven't forgotten.
So this is a gift for both her and my Bestie, edzooc8r who never stop being there for me, encouraging and supporting me all the time. It's a lovely feeling to know that someone has my back.
Thanks both of you.
As for the story...what's going to happen?;)🍫🍫🍫👀👀👀🦷
Finally discovered emoji...hehe
Charlie.