Fifty-five

Yibo's Pov.

The next morning I woke up feeling cold, Zhan wasn't in bed. I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I scanned the room for any sign of Zhan but didn't see him. Just as I was stepping out of bed Zhan appeared in the doorway.

"Morning." He said, smiling.

"Good morning." I replied, also smiling.

"I brought you some breakfast." He was holding a plate of pancakes and eggs. I thanked him as he handed the plate to me. The food was tasty. When he heard my accidental moan he chuckled, it was short and quiet but he still managed to hear it somehow. I held the back of my hand over my mouth and blushed.

"So... what time did you want to head out?" He asked me, taking a seat beside me on the bed.

"Is ten too early?" I asked him, sitting the plate on my lap.

"Ten? as in ten-pm?" He questioned. looking at me as if I were mental.

"No dummy, I mean ten in the morning." rolled my eyes at him.

"Do you know what time it is?" He raised a brow at me.

"I-I didn't check." I responded worriedly. Oh gosh, did I sleep in late? My head darted around the room, forgetting where Zhan kept his clock. I groaned when I saw the time.

"Ten-thirty?" I wanted to go earlier so we'd have a smaller chance of running into my father. "How about twelve?" I settled for. Today had to be the day.

"I'll be ready anytime you want to go." He answered, laying backwards on the bed. I sat the now empty plate on the nightstand nearby and joined Him. We lay like that for a while. As much as I wanted to just sleep in with Zhan I had to eventually get up and prepare for the day.

"'Morning sleepy head." Jia greeted me as I made my way into the kitchen.

"Yeah, morning, sleepy head." Xichen mimicked with a laugh. After washing my plate I took a seat at the table and chatted with them.

"So I heard you and Zhan are going out again today." Jia said, grabbing a cup of steaming tea. I nodded.

"Where are you two adventuring off today?" She asked, taking a seat.

"Um..." I started, nervously. "My house." She sat her cup down as if it had suddenly quadrupled in weight. Her look seems to hold even more.

"Why, Why would you go back to a place like that?" She questioned, scrunching her brows.

"It's just to get some of my belongings. I explained, waving my hands back and forth in a short motion. "Assuming there's anything left to scavenge." She sat there staring at me for a moment.

"Alright, just be careful. I don't want your father getting his hands on you. As absurd as that sounds." She said, making me chuckle.

"That's why I'm here." Zhan said, stepping into the kitchen. "I'll be his knight in shining armor." He smirked, leaning against the wall.

"Be safe you two. If things get out of hand, call me, or better yet, the police." Jia ordered, sternly. "Make sure you have them on speed di-" She was interrupted by Zhan.

"Yeah yeah, mom I get it. Don't forget, I'm a man, I can handle things myself." Zhan assured her. She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment then went back to her tea.

"By the way, Zhan, where were you this morning? I didn't see you on the couch. Xichen said, looking at Zhan.

"I slept in my room." Zhan answered, walking over to me. I looked at him questioningly. "With this guy." He laughed, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. My frame visibly stiffened and flushed. so much so that I wasn't able to speak a word. Xichen raised a brow and laughed.

We continued hanging around downstairs until the dreaded time finally arose. I held my chest taking a deep breath even before stepping into the car.

"It'll be fine dude, I'm here with you." Zhan comforted me. Hearing that helped me relax a bit, but I was still on edge. We got in the car and drove off. Zhan turned on the radio, trying to get rid of the tense feeling dwelling in the air. In no time at all, I realized I was bobbing my head along with the track. Zhan and I continued doing so until we reached the all-too-familiar place. The little time I spent away from this place changed my look on it. It looks like a rundown ghost town to me now, despite all of the human figures walking around.

"Well, I finally get to see your house." Zhan smiled my way, waiting for my response.

"I don't think you'll want to." I warned him, with a short sigh.

"One thing that's been a total mystery about you, all of this time is where you live or lived." Zhan pointed out. I guess it must've seemed odd to him. I gave him the directions and he followed them. I had an urge to give him the wrong directions just so I could delay the inevitable, but I gave in, I didn't need to be wasting our time. My father probably isn't even home so it would be best to just go in, grab my things, and leave.

Zhan pulled onto the curb about a block away from my house, shutting off the car's engine.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked, making sure I was content with this decision.

"There's no going back now." I shrugged,

unbuckling my seat belt. We stepped out into the groggy air of the neighborhood and walked toward my ragged house. The stairs creaked as we made our way to the top, making everything feel even more ominous. Zhan looked at me and nodded before taking the handle of the door. He pushed it open and entered. I hesitantly followed behind, holding onto Zhan's shirt. All of the lights were out meaning my father has probably already left. My chest felt a thousand times lighter

"It reeks of moist here." I commented. Zhan broke a smile and let out a breathy laugh. We couldn't make out anything that was outside of the light coming from the door.

Suddenly a noise echoed from across the room, catching both of our attention. I hid behind Zhan as the sound of the noise increased. It resembled footsteps.

My heart instantly sunk, my breath tightening and my legs quivering uncontrollably as my father's rugged appearance tumbled into view.

"Is this him?" Zhan whispered looking back at me. I nodded against his back, too frightened to speak. When I decided to come here I didn't think I'd be anywhere near as afraid as I was now. This was a bad idea.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my home?" My father's voice was sharp and hateful.

"I'm here to help Yibo collect a few things." Zhan answered nonchalantly.

"Yibo?" He questioned. I stepped out from behind Zhan's back and his eyes landed on me. He watched me with an unreadable look. He turned around as if he planned on walking away but he turned back towards us. Next thing I knew a plate was heading directly at me. He threw it so fast that it shattered on impact, leaving several cuts on my arm. I whimpered in pain, grabbing it.

"Is this your boyfriend?" He spat, his look changing to one of pure disgust.

"W-we should get out of here." I looked up at Zhan only to realize his intimidating look put my father to shame.

"You'll burn in hell you fags." My father growled. Zhan started towards him, confusing my father. No one's ever dared to challenge him before so it must have taken him by surprise.

"Yes, he's my boyfriend, and I love him. That's something you lack." Did he just call me his boyfriend? I don't know whether it was the heat of the moment thing to piss off my father, but hearing him say that I'm his boyfriend and he loves me sent shivers coursing through me. My stomach felt light and tingly. My skin is red and heated. It's strange how such a short sentence can affect a person.

"You act, smell, and look like a pathetic animal so I don't think you're in any position to judge anyone. You're an excuse of a father and human being." Zhan hissed through his gritted teeth. This was the first time anyone has ever defended me against my father, other than my mother that is. He increased his approach, making my father take a step back. Zhan lunged at him, wrapping a hand around his neck. My father fought back, clawing Zhan's arm and kicking him in the leg, but Zhan didn't bulge. He pressed forward, making my father stumble over all of the mess spread across the floor. Zhan continued until they reached the end of the room. He slammed my father against the wall, making him groan in pain. I didn't know whether to be happy or sad. He's a cruel jerk though, he had it coming. There was no freaking way I was going to defend him or his actions now even if he was my father, so instead I just sat back and watched.

"I don't know how someone as disgusting as you can go on living in this world the way they do." Zhan said with fire in his voice.

"You fucking fag, you don't know what I've been through!" My father shouted.

"We've all been through hard times in our lives, losing a loved one or a job." Zhan responded. "What you've done is NOT justifiable. You tore your loving family apart and continue to lash out at people, all for selfish intent." Zhan said, lifting him with one hand. To say I was shocked was an understatement. I just sat there gawking at him. I knew he was strong, but I never knew he was strong enough to lift a grown man with one hand!

Zhan gave him one solid punch, sending him to the ground in pain. He curled up and groaned. Zhan looked back at me with a saddened look in his eyes. I guess he was probably feeling guilty for beating my father in front of me.

"Come on, let's get your things." He said, lifting me from the floor. I was still pretty shaken by the whole thing so I stuck close to Zhan. We made our way up the stairs and down the small hall. When I entered my room it didn't look any better than the last time I was there, things were thrown across the floor, shredded books, smashed glass, and holes in the wall. It all made me sad. I guess Zhan could tell because he placed a hand on my back, comforting me.

We looked around awhile, salvaging a few books, a change of clothes, and several other small things I had lying around. We were both pretty quiet the whole time.

I looked over to my bed, the only place I felt remotely safe while living here. I walked over to it and sat on it one final time. Zhan shifted his head around the room looking for me. When he spotted me sitting on the broken bed he got up off the floor to come over. He took a seat next to me and remained silent. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling of my room.

It wasn't until minutes later that he spoke. "We should probably head out soon," Zhan said, dropping his gaze to me.

"O-okay." I responded. After our break, we collected all of our findings and headed for the door. I noticed my father sprawled across the couch in the corner of the dark room watching TV. I didn't pay much attention to it, I didn't want to have anything to do with that man, and hopefully, I'll never have to see him again.

Zhan finally spoke to me after we reached the street. "Sorry, you had to see that. I shouldn't have lost my cool." Zhan apologized, probably for attacking my father.

"You didn't lose your cool, that was cool!" I said, giving him a half smile. He soon had one on his face. "Thank you for sticking up for me." I said, shyly. He offered a warm smile before continuing down the street. I didn't move though, my mind was astir trying to decide whether or not to ask Zhan the question that's been weighing on me.

"Do you see me as your boyfriend, or did you only say that to piss off my father?" was a question that kept repeating in my head, or so I thought, this time I unconsciously said it out loud. Zhan halted his movement and turned back to me, his eyes wide and his face flushed. My expression mimicked that of his when I realized I'd spoken aloud

"T-that... that was sort of a heat of the moment thing." Zhan admitted, scratching his head.

"O-oh okay." I said, lowering my head in

disappointment.

"But I mean..." Zhan started again after a long pause. "I'd like for you to be my boyfriend... if that's okay with you." He said softly. My head shot up, my gaze on his, trying to read his expression. His face was still flushed and he still seemed pretty tense. My heart felt like it was going to burst right out of my chest.

"Y-yeah, it is." I stuttered nervously, trying to reply in a hurry. I couldn't let this opportunity pass, I'd already spent months hoping that maybe one day he'd like me as more than just a friend. At the time I didn't think it was a possibility but I hoped for it anyway. Now here I am, being asked if it's okay to be his boyfriend. My reply mirrored my current state, truly flustered.

"I-I mean I'd love to be your boyfriend." I

answered, playing with my fingers. "if that's okay with you." I added, almost facepalming as the words left my mouth. A large smile appeared on his face but soon faded into a smirk. Instead of continuing to walk a few paces ahead of me, he came back to my side.

"So it's okay for me to kiss you whenever?" He asked, trying to be a tease. I was too embarrassed to speak my reply so instead. I nodded. I wanted him to kiss me, it was the greatest feeling in the world, I was just too shy to say that. He chuckled and placed an arm around me. His mood appeared to have increased. He didn't seem as upset or nervous about what went down over the past hour. That made it easier for me to accept all of it as well. My father still lashing out at me, Zhan setting him straight, Zhan asking me to be his boyfriend, I was sitting on a roller coaster of emotions.

Zhan stopped for some reason, and I noticed he was staring at my arm. I looked from him over to my arm only to realize it was bleeding.

"You're bleeding.' " Zhan said, lifting my arm. He studied the cuts and his expression dimmed.

"Must have been from that lousy douche." He sighed. "Here let me see if I have anything in my car." He said before running over to his vehicle and scrounging through it. He sat there a moment looking confused.

"Xichen must've taken the last bandage for the cut he got during practice a few weeks back." He explained, wondering what to do next.

"Are there any stores nearby that sell first aid?" He asked, turning my way.

"Uh, yeah, there should be one a couple of blocks from here." I said pointing in the

direction.

"Alright, should we walk, or do you wanna take the car?" He asked, looking back to my arm.

"I'm fine, let's walk." I assured him with a smile.

"If it hurts too much I can carry you." He smirked.

"It's my arm, not my leg dummy." I teased. He just laughed.

We started our march towards the store with me guiding him along the way. "So uh, you said something about Xichen getting cut during practice?" I questioned.

"Yeah, we were playing football at the school. We had a practice match and he sorta got tackled by one of the bigger guys. He got a pretty ugly cut in the process but it was nothing major." He assured me. We continued conversing as we made our way to the store.

"Hey, little guy." A voice called out. I was the only little guy around so I assumed they were talking to me. I was right. When I spotted the source of the voice I grew both furious and afraid. It was the guy from the ally way, the one who took my wallet. He had his two goons hanging with him as usual. I wanted to ignore them but I was worried about the consequences, so I hesitantly walked over.

"Last time I saw you, you were in pretty bad shape." He raised a brow.

"Are these your friends?" Zhan asked with a weary expression. I didn't respond, I just hung my head low hoping they'd walk away. But to my luck the man did just the opposite, getting uncomfortably close.

"You got any more cash? I can make it worth your while." He whispered into my ear but still loud enough for everyone to hear.

Before I knew it the guy was being sent to the ground. Zhan stepped in guarding me against them.

"Back off, he's mine." Zhan hissed in a deep protective tone. I held onto the back of his shirt, it always made me feel safe.

"Oh yeah, where were you when I was feeling him up?" The guy spat back smugly. Zhan turned to look at me with a curious stare. I could read the burning question in his mind right on his face, is that true?" I was too embarrassed to respond. I hid my face in his back, hoping the situation would go away.

"You took advantage of Yibo?" He asked, shocked.

"I let it happen, it was my fault." I admitted. Zhan didn't know what to do. I could tell he was aching to beat them up.

"Let's just go." I told him, hoping not to get any more involved with them. Zhan listened to me and walked away, holding me close to him.

"What do you mean it was your fault?" He asked, looking over at me.

It took a while but I finally responded. "Back when no one was talking to me, life got hard and stressful, it made me become a little careless. I didn't care what became of me, I-I just needed some type of release." I explained. "When that man approached me. I let him take advantage, hoping to feel something better, better than I currently was. That's when he stole my wallet." I continued. A wave of emotion washed over Zhan's anger, sadness, and guilt.

Suddenly Zhan came to a complete stop. "What was in the wallet?" He asked.

"Not much, just around a hundred dollars I

was saving up." I told him. He immediately turned around and headed in the opposite direction. I watched him, confused. Just when I realized what he was doing it was too late to stop him.

I heard voices echoing in the distance, which soon turned to shouts of anger. Zhan was attacking the men, taking on all three of them at once. I gasped, placing my hands over my mouth seeing him take so many punches. I wanted to run over and help him but my legs wouldn't move, I was too afraid.

After a long minute, the fight was over. Zhan came out the victor.

"Get a real job." He snarled before walking, returning to my side and holding something out.

"Here." He said handing it to me. I removed it from his hands, realizing that it was a fifty-dollar bill.

"Sorry, they only had half." He apologized before continuing toward the store. This man is insane, I thought to myself wide eyed. I thanked him shyly and followed behind him.

"Y-you're all bruised." I pointed out, noticing all of the red and purple marks over his skin.

"I guess you aren't the only one who needs first aid now." He chuckled.

Zhan's Pov.

Hearing that those men took advantage of my little boo set me over the edge. If it wasn't for Yibo suggesting that we leave I would've pulverized them right then and there. Of course, I did go back and give them a pretty sound beating though, those bastards. After finding out that Yibo was innocent I unconsciously became more protective of him. He looked so delicate and ready to break when I found him on that bridge, about to end his life. I'll never let anything like that happen to him again.

Yibo and I found the place he mentioned. I don't know what I was expecting but the place wasn't all that bad. The floors were clean, shelves organized properly, and had some pretty nice lighting. It set itself apart from most places in this neighborhood. The streets are littered with trash, the air is muggy, and there are several buildings in bad condition, so seeing the interior of this store was a little surprising.

As we were searching the store my phone went off. It was my mother calling.

"What is it mom?" I answered.

"Are you two okay?" She asked

"Yes mom, we're just fine." I responded.

"Well, there's a big surprise for you waiting at home." She almost giggled through the speaker.

"What is it?" I asked. not amused.

"Well now if I told you that then it wouldn't be a surprise." She replied.

"I've heard that one countless times before. C'mon, tell me." I sighed.

"Hurry home soon sweetie." She said in an overly peppy tone before ending the call. I just rolled my eyes and stuffed the phone into my jeans.

"Who" was that? Yibo asked, wearing a cute curious expression.

"Just my mother. She said there's some kind of surprise waiting for me back home." I told him. To be honest I kind of already have an idea of what it could be.. or whom rather.

"Did you find the band-aids and bandages?" I asked.

"I went ahead and bought a first aid kit," Yibo said with a cute smile as he held up a white shopping bag. "It could come in handy in the future." He said. I aggressively brushed my hand through his hair, making him giggle hysterically.

We headed back to my car after buying the first aid kit and messing around in the store for a while.