It burnt.

The mark scorched his skin, as if it had manifested itself into a flame that slowly covered the back of his hand. He stared at the sign, the pair of wings that continued to shine a bright cerulean before fading away to its original black color.

Wufan in a deep breath, tensing his fingers as he traced the outline of the frame. A picture was sealed within it, glass encasing its black and white surface as the moon shone a faint line across it. The burning sensation came back, this time a dull pounding though as he continued to stare at the photo.

Luhan had betrayed him.

He’d never experienced the feeling of loss, the feeling of hurt or betrayal, in his whole life. Yet the three emotions had been mixed in a sudden flash, striking down at him as soon as he’d entered Luhan’s house and intensifying as he’d neared his room. When he’d reached the bedside, when he’d taken in his surroundings and noticed the mismatched red umbrella, the feeling finally overtook his senses.

His hand still stung, his fingers tensing even more as he felt the limb going cold. Along with the freezing sensation slowly crawling up his arm, his mind was numb. There was a stinging pain in his eyes as well, something foreign.

Tears, Wufan had never showed tears before.

He gulped, blinking the tears away. Memories of a time that had apparently been cast aside flashed across his eyes, branded itself into his mind as he tried to erase them. The first time he’d met the younger man, when he’d saved him from starvation, when he took him in and raised him as his own brother. When he began to look past the brotherly affection, when he saw something more than simple platonic feelings

The time they’d shared together through harsh environments and judging surroundings, the moments of despair stifled by the longest of embraces as Luhan tried to come to terms with his true self.

The fleeting kisses exchanged during nighttime, when Wufan thought Luhan was asleep yet he wasn’t.

A single tear managed to escape, breaking through the façade Wufan had built around him for decades, or longer. His heart hurt, it felt constricted and each beat sent a sharp jab through his chest. As if a dagger repeatedly plunged into the skin. It hurt more than his mark had, it hurt more than any battle he’d fought whether mental or physical.

Gritting his teeth, Wufan closed his eyes. He tried to compose himself, yet the sorrow was replaced by anger instead. Boiling anger that surfaced at a fast pace throughout his veins before it took over his whole body.

He grabbed the photography, hurling it to the floor.

The frame split open, sending shards of various sizes scattering across the wooden floor as the photo lay buried beneath the remaining pieces.

Wufan breathed in deeply, fighting against the fury residing within him. He threw his head back and growled, eyes shut close. The sound echoed in the empty room, filled with anger, betrayal and sadness all mixed into one primal roar.

When he opened his eyes, a blazing red had overtaken the irises.

Luhan would pay for what he’d done, and so would his friends.