Don’t Be a Kept Man

t was the middle of night, the streets were practically empty.

The bus station above X City had a roof, and it could just barely block some of the snow.
A man dressed in very thin clothing was walking back and forth underneath it, as if waiting for someone.
He breathed out a breath of cold air, almost freezing up to his brain from the cold.
He grabbed an outer jacket from the luggage beside him, but that was still not enough to block that seeping cold from the night.

The stores nearby have already closed, with even the motels having closed their doors.
Xun Chuan’s hands and feet were slowly starting to become numb and frozen, but he didn’t dare leave, as he was afraid that Yan Yu wouldn’t be able to find him.
He crouched on the floor and quietly waited.
The weather was too cold, and his phone was even getting covered in layers of frost like it was about to be frozen into ice.
He used his sleeves to wipe the screen and read the text message over and over again.

>> Wait for me.
I’ll come right away.

The sender was Yan Yu.

Xun Chuan’s hands were beautiful.
Long and lean, white and with very prominent bone structure.
But at this time, it was frozen to the point that it was green and purple-ish, and also a bit red and throbbing.
He blew a breath of air at his hands to try and warm them up. 

He wanted to give Yan Yu a call, but then became afraid that he would irritate and annoy him, and so he put those thoughts to rest.

When they had been fighting before, when they had argued, Yan Yu would always say he wasn’t coming, but he had always come every time.

Yan Yu would come, that Xun Chuan believed without a doubt.

He lifted his eyes and gazed up upon the lit up residential building across from him.
Warm colored light spilled out from the windows, and he could hear laughter ringing out, interspersed with a female MC for a New Year’s show.

Xun Chuan’s eyes shone brightly, bringing on a bit of envy, but once he thought that Yan Yu was going to be here to pick him up in a bit, his envy was gone.

Six hours had somehow passed and with the snowflakes falling and without a sign of them stopping anytime soon, Xun Chuan’s hands were already beyond numb.
He sniffed and wanted to give Yan Yu a call, but his phone wouldn’t turn on, which probably meant it was out of battery.

Xun Chuan crouched in the snow, feeling like he was a dumbass.
But after a while, he stood back up and started walking around again to try and get some warmth into his body, never even realizing that behind him was a huge man covered in all black.
That man was slowly walking towards him, the knife in his hand glinting with frosty light.

Snow was falling and falling, creating layers upon layers.
One step into them and the crunching noise was sharp and clear.
When Xun Chuan heard the footsteps behind him, a set of footsteps that sounded heavy and dragging, so very unlike Yan Yu’s, an internal warning bell sounded in him.
Casually he moved away, pulling his luggage with him, wanting to leave.

The other was a tall, muscular man, and seeing Xun Chuan preparing to leave, he didn’t hide it anymore.
He took a quick glance around and seeing no one around, he quickened his footsteps and with one arm around Xun Chuan’s neck, the other poked the knife against his back.
He growled roughly, 

“Don’t move!”

Xun Chuan subconsciously wanted to attack back, but taking an internal assessment of himself and his strength, he chose to give up.
He sighed and then calmly said, 

“If you want money, I can give it to you.”

That man let out a crazed laugh, 

“This man wants money, but also a life too.”

And then started to drag him to an alleyway behind the train station.
Seeing this going sideways even more and sensing something even worse was about to happen, Xun Chuan quickly used his wrist and slammed it viciously across the man’s stomach.
Using the chance when the other loosened his grip from the surprise attack, Xun Chuan quickly tried to run away, but before he could even call for help, his back felt a numbness and then a sharp pain.
Something warm was slowly beginning to seep out from his clothes.

The robber pulled out his knife, covering Xun Chuan’s mouth as he dragged him further into the alleyway.
Xun Chuan struggled for his life, and his fingers dragged across the ground, digging deeper and deeper into the snow, until two of his nails were broken from the force.

Perhaps it was his senses going haywire, but he suddenly felt the sound of a car nearby slowing down, slowly heading closer to him.

Was it…… Yan Yu?

Xun Chuan’s eyes widened, and with strength that came from nowhere, he suddenly broke through the robber’s hold and fought against him.
At this time, a black car stopped before the train station, its headlights blindingly bright, a very noticeable beacon in the dark of the night.

The robber seemed to panic and in his haste found a brick by touch beside him and slammed it down onto Xun Chuan’s knee before stumbling to run away.

All of a sudden, something warm and sticky was slowly flowing down and Xun Chuan wiped his face.
His vision was filled with the color of red but he could see a long shadow of a man stepping out of the car.
His face looked so familiar and Xun Chuan’s eyes teared up, crying out softly, 

“Yan Yu……”

For whatever reason, he couldn’t make another sound out of his mouth.
Using only his hands, he pulled himself forward and slowly crawled out of the alley, leaving a faint trail of blood behind him as he repeated over and over only one person’s name, 

“Yan Yu……”

All around their surroundings was a deafening silence.
As his clothes brushed over the ground, it rang out “sha-sha” and Yan Yu looked around.
When he heard the strange noises from the alleyway, his feet paused, and as if he sensed something, he quickly flew over.

It was a wild mess inside the alleyway and in his frantic state, Yan Yu tripped over the rocks in the snow, and rolled over something.
In his stumble, he saw the person beside him and he quickly crawled over to embrace the other, 

“Xun Chuan?!”

He brought a slightly warm finger to caress Xun Chuan’s ice cold freezing face, but his hands were only smattered with a stickiness, bringing an ice cold smell of iron.

“Yan Yu……”

Xun Chuan’s fear and anxiety finally could have a place to be expelled.
He grabbed onto Yan Yu’s shirt tightly, crying and choking in his tears softly, 

“I just knew you were going to come…… I just knew……”

Yan Yu didn’t respond, only using his jacket to wrap him in his embrace, warming up his ice cold body.
He lowered his head to kiss Xun Chuan’s ice cold and shivering lips, tightly holding onto him, 

“Everything’s fine……”

“Everything’s fine……”

Xun Chuan hugged his neck, burrowing in his shoulders, crying in hiccups, 

“I don’t have a home anymore……Yan…..Yan Yu……Don’t……Don’t break up with me……In the future I……I will earn money to feed you……all the money…..give it all to you……”

Yan Yu’s warm fingers wiped away his tears and he kissed Xun Chuan on the eyelids.
Pausing momentarily before softly saying, 

“Ok, we won’t break up……”

Xun Chuan finally cried from happiness.
He lifted his eyes at Yan Yu, his face turning to that of a malicious ghost’s.
With his eyes blood red, he soundlessly moved his lips, his voice coming out brokenly and hoarsely, 

“Ok…..
we won’t break up……”

A wound suddenly appeared on his throat, with fresh blood flowing out.

Yan Yu’s body shivered and he was frightened awake.
He suddenly sat up straight, with widened eyes looking around everywhere.
Then he realized that the entire bus was full of people who were asleep and in his embrace sat a transparent soul, with his eyes out on the glass window, silently watching the vast fields of rape blossom flowers passing by.

It was a dream……

Yan Yu covered his face with his hands, hiding away an expression that was uglier than if he was crying.

Xun Chuan seemed to sense something and turned his head around to look at him.

Yan Yu slowly put down his hands, and suddenly wrapped Xun Chuan into his embrace.
He lowered his head to kiss him on the lips, over and over.

The latter swung his feet back and forth, evidently very happy.

 

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Notes:

 

*1 k: short for karaoke (like how we sometimes use k for okay or lol for laugh out loud).
It’s usually used in the way besides “singing k” like do you wanna go k? Or wanna go sing k? 

*2 an idiom, basically means, you’re so out of your league.
It’s to signify those who can’t see who they are/their ability and trying, and thinking that they’ll get it, on something that they could never get.
(It’s also been taken to mock men who don’t have a lot of “good” qualities trying to get a girl who has “better” qualities/conditions).
Apparently the origin came from swan meat being meat that only the elite/powerful could get their hands on and “poor” or “bottom-rung” people want yet can’t so they mock each other to say toads (who can only be on the ground vs swan flying up) want to eat swan meat. 

The later half of the dialogue where he says you poor and stupid shortie is also slang that is used like a noun (its origins came from forums).
It’s basically taking the three words for “short, poor and stupid” to signify those words.
Usually to mock men who never had girls like them, and in relationships or marriage, they are always the one to be “moved” so never taking initiative.
It’s kind of basically the opposite of the other slang that is the exact opposite “tall handsome rich”, and mostly to mock (themselves or others) how they are the “bottom-rung” of society and don’t have a good background (past, now or in the future).