It was already six months since Yixing started his undercover work,working part time in Chinese restaurant that was in ‘dark part of the city’ wasn’t easy job, he needed to play cold and focus on finding out who was leader of this already too big triade, because no matter how hard he tried all people he caught were puppets that were getting orders.He didn’t know how terrible situation was really until he came and saw the horror with his own eyes.,.. People were selling drugs on street ,some openly carrying guns and weapons like it’s normal thing but what he couldn’t believe is that owner of Chinese restaurant didn’t say a word about people that were selling themselves,standing and waiting all day in front of restaurant, only thing owner said is to not give them food if so they will always beg for more and that will only bring trouble.. to have ‘those’ people around.Trouble was last thing he needed now that he was so close to discovering who leader was.

But even with a warning and order to not get involved with people while he is on task,his heart was feeling to suffocated to watch Jongdae out there in front of restaurant waiting, hungry and freezing .Yixing without knowing how, listened to his instinct and invited boy in since it was raining and all he was wearing was a loose shirt that was ripped here and there and grey sweatpants ,he would give younger food and watch as he ate rice and vegetables in hurry, stuffing as much as he could in his small mouth as tears rolled down his face,he would chat a bit, use toilet and then go out only to be beaten or dragged to a fancy car by expensively dressed man. It hurt to watch Jongdaesuffer so much but Sunyeol was forcing himself to focus on his work and ignore everything around him but it changed quickly.

Jongdae shyly opened door of small restaurant and walked in as soon as he saw owner go out to buy groceries.

‘’H-hyung are you here?’’ Yixing was in kitKang cutting vegetables when he heard Yixing’s voice ,as much as he wanted to deny it he grew to pity and like the small boy ,leaving knife he took few rice cakes and went to table where Jongdae was sitting

‘’Thank you hyung!’’ He smiled and took one rice cake stuffing his mouth as much as he could with it

‘’Yixing-yah.., how did you end up here?’’ Yixing didn’t want to bring him painful memories but wanted to know

‘’Mr. Kang probably told you to not give us food right? I used to sneak here and sleep a bit in toilet, I was so tired every time, he would let me sleep for hour or so and then pretend he found me sleeping and then chase me out ,he has a good heart ,… as much as I like you taking care of me I wish you were bad, at least you wouldn’t have to worry’’

‘’Did something happen?’’

‘’Mr. Kang was threatened and his restaurant was destroyed few times’’ few tears slipped from his face as he was really hard to speak clearly with his mouth full of rice ‘’ I got him in trouble, so he is keeping distance from people that live here,,. I myself don’t know why he is even living here’’ he took another bite and Yixing understood that it basically meant ‘I don’t want to talk anymore ,my mouth is full’’

‘’Wait a bit I will bring you some vegetables’’ He stood up grabbing a plate when he felt younger’s rough hand on his wrist

‘’H-Hyun-g’’ His eyebrows frowned in concern

‘’ Just eat , you need to survive.., ‘’ younger nodded his head and continued to eat as few tears fell on his hands.He was secretly feeding Jongdae for six months, secretly bringing him new clothes and a blanket, his heart was scattering in pieces every time he saw man approaching younger. Seeing him shiver in fear and wince in pain at every slight movement.

Yixing was placing vegetables on plate when he heard a faint scream,his arm slowly reached out for knife as he walked to Yixing’s table

‘’Let me g-go please.. I-I will walk’’ He was dragged out by man that was three times bigger than Jongdae and well built ,man was pulling him by hair harshly. Yixing tightened his grip on knife hiding it behind back

‘’Let go of him!’’ Man turned around slowly and laughed when he saw Yixing, hand that was griping younger’s hair tossed him aside and younger landed on table that broke and brought even more pain to younger as he hit floor

‘’It’s none of you’r business ’’ He looked at Yixing and back at Jongdae before hitting younger with foot that earned him a painful cry. Yixing knew younger was already used to get beaten up and have blue bruises all over his body but seeing him like this helplessly lying on floor was hard. His body was weak already as he sobbed on floor , Yixing wanted to ignore Yixing, let younger get beaten up, apologize for inviting him inside ,pay man to go without creating trouble ,he so much wanted to get already out and finish his task, but as much as he wanted it that much he couldn’t leave younger to mercy of life and man standing in front of him

‘’Time is money, if you want him .. you pay, since you took 15 minutes of time that’s 300$’’ Man spoke stretching his arm in front of Yixing with a smirk plastered on his face

‘’I don’t have money’’

‘’You kiddin’?’’ Man crouched in front of Jongdae as his black shirt tightened around his muscles and gripped younger’s hair harshly lifting already tear washed face

‘’Look he is pretty,someone has to pay,… want this pretty boy to pay?’’

‘’I don’t have money’’ Man stood up laughing and put his hands resting on hips,looking around in disbelief ,Jongdae wiggled his body trying to stand up when Man knocked his body down with a strong hit to younger’s abdomen , smacking Yixing’s limp body with strong hits ,hearing younger’s painful whines ,yelps and cries was like last drop to already filled glass of water .

Yixing griped knife tighter and crossed the space that was left between him and Man in two steps , catching him by surprise and burying knife in Man’s muscled abdomen while blood colored his hand and man started to slowly fall down grabbing Yixing’s shoulder’s , Yixing closed his eyes ,breathing heavily ,trying to calm down and let guilt crawl under his skin pulling knife out ,he looked down at Yixing’s shocked face throwing knife aside and grabbing younger’s small hand in his pulling him up to stand while trying hard to stay calm so younger wouldn’t be scared more than he is now.

‘’Take his wallet’’ Jongdae nodded and with shivering hands reached out to take wallet while Yixing took keys of his car and a bag where his clothes and belongings were

‘’Let’s go’’ he pulled younger’s stiff body to follow him,while they were walking through dark alley Yixing was basically hiding younger behind his back as they walked ,it wasn’t hard since younger was smaller than him,he tightened his grip on younger ‘s hand every time he felt Jongdae shiver or hear his quite sobs,they entered the car and Yixing started to drive ,breathing heavily trying to calm down and realize what he had just done,he injured that man, abandoned his task and will get hardly punished, he took Jongdae with him and that was his only wish,to just escape from everything with younger.He felt Jongdae grab his hand looking straight as he was telling Yixing to be strong .

‘’Don’t be afraid’’ Yixing tried to sound soothing and warm but Jongdae looked at him with face filled with fear

‘’There wasn’t a second I wasn’t, but now I feel—‘’

‘’It’ll be okay’’ He stopped car when they were out of ‘dark part of city’ the ride was 30 minutes of silence ,as soon as they got out Yixing turned to younger enveloping him in a tight embrace

‘’It will be okay now,, you won’t be afraid anymore’’ He whispered in younger’s ear, caressing his silky hair.To JongdaeYixing was only person that treated him like he was human and not trash, that gave him a smile instead of dirty touches , gave him food instead of punches and money that was thrown on floor next to his lying figure.

‘’W-why hyung? You could have ignored me,,, you could have-’’

‘’I told you ,you need to survive,..but when I think again I want you to live and not survive,,’’

‘’That’s sounds good but where is the difference ’’ Jongdae smiled in tight embrace as his tears fell on taller man’s shirt.

‘’If you do what you need you’r surviving but if you do what you want you’r living,don’t even know that dummy’’ Jongdae smiled pushing Yixing’s chest lightly ,first time saw he older smile and it was one of things he found most beautiful ,,not that there were many. He stood on his toes and leaned in crashing his lips on Yixing’s. He was afraid older would push him away, but first time he felt a touch that wasn’t dirty, it was nice to hold on dark haired male’s shoulders while he was on toes, he slowly backed away searching for a disgusting reaction on Yixing’s face but to his surprise latter’s smiled widely ,sneaking his hands behind Yixing’s back ,bringing him closer and savoring every second their lips moved in sync ,Jongdae tilted his head biting on Yixing’s lower lip. Suddenly he backed away lowering his head

‘’Hyung… you k-know what my job was right?’’ bangs covering his eyes in shame and embarrassment

‘’I only know a handsome boy named Yixing,he has a good heart ,pretty smile and beautiful chocolate eyes that I could stare at for eternity, I’m sorry it took me so long, I wanted so many times to grab you away from those monsters and hide you in my embrace, I’m sorry I was such a coward ,I’m sorry I was late’’

‘’Hyung,,. That was the longest sentence you said since you met me’’ he smiled innocently ‘’You’r timing was just right,.. only thing I won’t forgive you is for coming in my life so late, and for coming in it’’

Yixing hugged him again, the stars were clearly visible from cliff they were standing at,he knew younger will only bring him trouble but he was exhausted from playing cold and ignoring everything that was happening there, now more than ever he wanted to live and be happy.

‘’I keep calling you hyung and I don’t even know how old you are,,’’ they were lying on roof of car,watching stars

‘’I really don’t get how you survived by now’’ Jongdae pouted cutely making older laugh

‘’~Hyung!!~~’’

‘’I’m 27,you?’’ Yixing’s eyes widen in surprise

‘’I-I’m 20’’

‘’Am I too old?’’

‘’No! hyung you’r the youngest person I met beside those in front of restaurant,every day without you was too long’’

‘’Don’t curse brat,.. come here’’ younger came closer lying on Yixing’s chest hearing his heart beat as he fell in sleep.After assuring younger fell asleep he talked in low voice,the story Jongdae didn’t know,their past and memories,the one that always came back for him.

‘’My dear Yixing,..m-my baby boy’’ tears fell from his eyes when he was sure younger’s was asleep

‘’I won’t ever let them take you away ever again,,, you wouldn’t remember right? When you disappeared ,there was no other thing on my mind than to find you one day and make them pay’’ Stars were becoming just a faint light while watching trough his glassy eyes

‘’I know you told me to become a doctor since I looked good in white coat remember?,… b-but I guess I disappointed you I became an agent,,Ahh I didn’t even know there were so many thing to say’’ He wiped his tears with sleeve and continued

‘’You were the one who told me difference between surviving and living,,, by now I was surviving just like you,,, You know I hated every second I had to watch you there,in dirt ,with those scumbags,so close to me but so far away,I’m sorry ,I’m so sorry Hyung made you wait so much’’ he turned to left side facing Jongdae as his fingers gently younger’s face

‘’And brat you’r 25,you really thought you are 20?’’ a crooked smile plastered on his face

‘’Ah I knew I looked too old to be 20’’ Yixing’s eyes widen in surprise as younger’s snuggles closer to him

‘’Thank you for not giving up Hyung’’ He said with closed eyes as last tear fell from his swollen eyes making older bit his lips from frustration hugging Jongdae closer to his body

‘’I guess you’r not angry I didn’t become a doctor’’

Jongdae that forgave him no matter what happened, and no mater how many times the parted ,and other lives lived, even in other and life after that, Yixing would still search for younger,find him and love him with all his heart.So he promised.