Venom

《 Thirteen 》

When the sun rose the next day, Yifan awoke first. He opened his eyes slowly when he felt a weight on his chest. The taller man saw Bella sleeping next to his legs and when he looked to his left, he saw Lorenzo. The tiger froze at the sight in front of him. The shorter man was fast asleep with his head on Yifan's chest. The taller man stared at the odd creature in his arms.

The elder was peacefully asleep with one hand laid on his husband's abs. The loose black shirt Lorenzo was wearing had slipped, showing off his flawless shoulders. Yifan stared at his lover's round face. His long eyelashes touched against rosy cheeks. There was a tiny mole on the right side of his upper lip, another small one on his collarbone. Lorenzo's nose scrunched up slightly as he whined. The shorter man's thick lips were shaped like a heart, with soft breaths leaving it. His tan skin had a soft glow and it felt warm against his own. Lorenzo's body was muscular but small compared to the tiger's larger frame. This position was comfortable and warm. How was Yifan so calm?

"Jacob..." A whisper left Lorenzo's lips and Yifan saw his lover's lips form a frown. It seemed like the elder was having a bad dream.

The shorter man began to twitch in his sleep, his hands grabbed onto Yifan's wife-beater. "No..leave me alone.."

Even in his dreams, that monster was still pestering Lorenzo. Tears fell from the elder's closed eyes as he hugged the tiger in his sleep. "Noo..Y-Yifan, save me."

The tiger gave the shorter man's body a jerk and the other awoke with a gasp. Lorenzo's honey eyes went wide when he saw the position they were in. He scrambled away from the tiger who watched silently. Lorenzo sat at the edge of the bed while holding the blanket against his chest. "S-Sorry Yifan, I must have moved in my sleep."

Before the younger man could reply, they heard a bark. Lorenzo saw Bella on the bed. She wagged her tail and came over to lick the taller man's cheek. Yifan hugged his rottie and petted her quietly. Not wanting any awkwardness in the air, the shorter man left the bed and went to the walk-in closet. The elder picked an outfit for the day and went to the bathroom. Yifan let Bella out of the room and heard his phone ring. The taller man picked up his phone and left the bedroom. After getting ready, Lorenzo went downstairs to the kitchen to find Yifan cooking. The rest of the family came downstairs and ate breakfast. Without talking, the couple got ready in the same bedroom and parted ways after leaving the house.

Lorenzo went to his shop and Yifan went to the garage he worked at. It was a medium-sized building located on the busy side of the city, painted black and yellow. He worked with a team of five people. Two women and three men. A blond woman named Cynthia and a brunette named Geneva. His boss was a shy old man who went by Mr. Smith. The remaining two guys were his best friends. Yifan parked his car and got out to see his friend Nico waiting for him at the garage door.

Nico Mancini was one of Yifan's best friends. He was twenty-six years old and born in Italy. Nico was the same height as the tiger but his frame was thinner. Green curls sat on his head. He had a round pale face with a small mole on the left side of his Roman nose. There was a dark scar running from his pale neck and down to his right collarbone. This man had a bubbly personality but he was very chaotic in a playful way. Unlike Yifan, this man was a chatterbox. Nico's green eyes were filled with teasing and his thin lips held a cat grin.

"Morning, bro." He said while slinging an arm around Yifan's shoulder.

"Morning." Yifan said as they walked into the place that had cars lined up neatly, ready to be worked on.

"Today, I accidentally made Kevin mad and now he's ignoring me." The green-haired man pouted and the tiger shook his head.

He walked into a room full of red lockers. He saw his other best friend, Kevin sitting at the black benches. Kevin Min was a twenty-five-year-old man born and raised in Busan from South Korea. He had traveled from Seoul to London the same year Yifan had traveled from his home country. The two had met at an airport where Kevin had helped Yifan. The two men had been close friends since then. Kevin was similar to Yifan in some ways. Kevin was a few inches taller than the tiger and he was more muscular. His bulky tan body was covered in a blue uniform which showed off his thick arm and leg muscles. The man had a masculine face with icy dark black eyes and a sharp nose. He had jet black hair that was shoulder length and there was a dark red dragon tattoo on his whole left arm. Kevin was a quiet man with a gentle heart.

"Kevin, talk to mee." Nico whined and the taller man just sighed.

Yifan nodded at the black-haired man and took off his jacket. He covered his regular clothing with his uniform which was a black coverall jumpsuit. He went outside with his friends and began working on the cars in the garage. Hours went by at work and after doing an oil change for a car, Nico and Kevin pulled him away for a lunch break. The group changed and went to a nearby ramen restaurant. After lunch, he received a text from Lorenzo.

'Send me the address to your workplace. I'll go home with you. I'm being followed by Jacob.'

The younger man texted his work address and went back to work. Yifan was checking the brakes of another car when his phone buzzed in his pocket. The man moved away to a corner and took off his gloves. Yifan checked his phone to see another text from his lover.

'I'll wait for you in the parking lot until you're done.'

Why was he waiting in the parking lot? The tiger walked out of the shop and saw the shorter man's car. He walked to it and tapped on the tinted window. He saw the elder get out of the car with a confused face. There was panic in Lorenzo's eyes as he looked around. Yifan grabbed his arm and pulled him closer.

"What are you doing?" The tiger asked and the elder raised a brow.

Lorenzo wrapped his arms around Yifan's waist and hugged him. He spoke in the younger man's ear with a small voice. "I'm waiting outside for you, the white Mercedes in the parking lot facing ours is his."

The taller man pulled away and grabbed Lorenzo's arm. "Come inside."

"Are you crazy?" The elder whispered and stopped in his tracks. "What if your coworkers see me?"

Yifan wrapped his hand around his lover's waist and pulled him to his side. The tiger began walking without a single word while Lorenzo panicked. What was the younger man doing? He tried to escape from Yifan's grip discreetly but the man was stronger than him. Was this man not afraid?

The couple reached a heavy black metal door and Yifan pushed it open. Lorenzo's eyes went everywhere in the wide space. He saw cars lined up on one side and the other side had shelves filled with tools and machinery. The elder felt five pairs of eyes on him instantly as he stood in Yifan's embrace. There was an elderly bald man dressed in a black uniform. He saw two women, one was blond and the other was brunette. Both were dressed in blue coveralls jumpsuits. There were two other men whose eyes were glued to him. The group left their work and walked towards them.

"Yifan?" Nico had a guarded look in his eyes.

The tiger remained calm and looked at his boss who was the short bald man. "Mr. Smith."

"Yifan, what's going on?" His boss had a light and small voice.

"Can my husband wait here until my shift is over?" Lorenzo's head whipped so fast to look at the tiger who stared straight at his friends.

The two women looked surprised and Yifan saw his friend's jaws drop. Kevin held Nico who acted as if he would faint from shock. The green-haired man's lips formed an "o" shape and then a smirk. "You bastard, when did you get married?"

"There is no problem, he can wait here." The boss said and he went back to work with the women.

Nico came closer and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, I am Nico. I am your husband's best friend."

"Please call me Lorenzo." The elder shook Nico's hand and Kevin held out his hand next. His voice was almost as deep as Yifan's.

"I'm Kevin, Yifan's older brother." The tall man shook his hand gently.

"Nice to meet you, Kevin." Lorenzo smiled while looking up to meet the man's eyes. Nico smirked and looked at Yifan.

"Now Yifan, how did a big bad wolf like you get married to this gorgeous angel?"