Lost Boys {Book Two}

All These Tears I've Bled

Yangyang wasn't a stranger to any of this.

As far as he could tell, Yukhei didn't think he was very capable of taking care of himself. That wasn't exactly Yukhei's fault, as Yangyang hadn't told any of the others about his past. Hendery and Xiaojun hadn't said anything either, so he let them believe that he was helpless. Hell, he let Yukhei give him a crash course on gun safety before he was planted in the middle of a mob.

Yangyang knew how to shoot a gun. He's had plenty of practice since he and Xiaojun had fled China.

He'd also had plenty of experience with knives and other things he'd improvised with that he wasn't quite proud of. But that didn't matter, he did what he had to do.

He knew that between him and Xiaojun, he looked the least threatening. Yangyang had a cute face (not to brag, but he was totally adorable) and a relatively small body. He was taller than Xiaojun, but Xiaojun's constant 'don't fucking talk to me' scowl overshadowed his helplessness, and no one realized their mistake until Yangyang had beaten them to death with a rock, or a branch, or a Mercedes Benz center cap, or a bat, or his fists, or whatever else.

Yangyang didn't enjoy it, not at all. But did he regret it? Not even a little bit. He was protecting Xiaojun. That's all that mattered. Sure, every time he took a life, he felt a part of himself die, too, but he had to deal with it. Xiaojun sure as hell wasn't capable of taking care of himself (he meant that in the most loving way, but Xiaojun had been spoiled rotten and didn't know how to do anything for himself).

He didn't plan on sharing that with anyone. He knew that the others were a close-knit group and three outsiders weren't going to be accepted right away. They were all friendly (not the kid that tried to kill Xiaojun, but he was 'sick' or whatever, so Yangyang had to be nice and let that slide), and despite how adamant Sicheng had been on including them, he still felt like he shouldn't be there. And he knew it'd be that way for a while, he didn't plan on going anywhere.

Hyungwon had let Yukhei drive the way back, which Yangyang wasn't too happy about. Yukhei didn't seem to be in the best mindset, and he worried for the safety of all three of them. Though they made it back to the city okay, it looked like Yangyang shouldn't have worried for their own safety as much as the city had been torn to pieces.

A light rain shower fell around them as they got out of the car, the only thing Yangyang could find that brought even the slightest bit of comfort.

His heart raced in his chest as he wondered where Xiaojun was, if he'd made it to safety or if he was crushed under a steel beam somewhere.

Yangyang immediately began to run towards the city. It took too long, way too long despite pushing himself to move as fast as he could. But he made it, but he didn't slow down. He ran through the streets, barely pausing to check every alley he passed. He could hear Yukhei and Hyungwon's footsteps behind him, but he didn't bother to look.

He supposed he should be worried about Hendery as well, and sure, a small part of him was. But the thing was, he'd only met Hendery a few months ago, and he wasn't too happy with sharing Xiaojun.

Yangyang and Xiaojun had known each other since they were toddlers, Yangyang had been protecting him for as long as he could remember, and suddenly Prince Charming comes along and steals his best friend? Unacceptable.

Could Yangyang see the appeal in Hendery? Maybe. He didn't like admitting that he had developed the tiniest soft spot for the weirdo, but compared to Xiaojun? It wasn't even a question.

Besides, if anything happened to Hendery, it wouldn't particularly come as a shock. Both Xiaojun and Yangyang had been preparing for the worst for weeks now. Hendery was definitely not in the best shape, despite how well he hid it.