Chapter Text
It was just past three in the morning and while most sane people were asleep, Tang Yi was unfortunately wide awake. He huffed as he changed position yet again. He kept his eyes shut and listened hard to the sounds of the storm outside, hoping that sleep would just come to him like this. Sleep, damnit! Just go to sleep! He waited fifteen minutes before letting out a growl of frustration, punching his pillow and turning one more time. After another ten minutes of fruitless waiting, he sat up, sighing in defeat. Sleep was going to elude him tonight. Just like last night. And the night before that.
Tang Yi hadn’t been sleeping well for this entire week, actually. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why that was. Usually, he could place the blame squarely on his nightmares, but they’ve been strangely absent. He thought that maybe it was because Hong Ye had been out of the country for longer than usual, but she had been home for nearly a week now. She was out for the night, but he knew she’d be back tomorrow morning at the latest. His new employee, Jack, had suggested that it could be because of a change in routine, but Tang Yi had waved him off. Nothing had changed. His days looked the same as ever. Except… Tang Yi almost snorted at the thought. It couldn’t be that.
The one change to his routine over the past week was the absence of one Officer Meng. Normally, it seemed like he was waiting for Tang Yi around every corner. Every time Tang Yi would come into view, the police officer would pounce like a starving tiger, demanding the same answers to the same questions. Over and over again, for two years this has been his routine. Their routine. But this week, Team 3 had been on a stake out, leaving Officer Meng unavailable to stalk Tang Yi.
It had been a nice change. Having someone chase you down, yell at you, and occasionally arrest you was never pleasant. However, Tang Yi couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. He kept turning to serve Officer Meng with an icy look and a snarky comment, but there was no one there. He would never go so far as to say he missed the other man. But truthfully, there were some benefits to his incredibly annoying presence. Having someone to be unapologetically mean to was kind of therapeutic.
Tang Yi was snapped out of his thoughts by a knock at his door. Actually, it was more like a banging sound. Someone was pounding on his door at three in the goddamn morning.
Even though he was nowhere near sleep, he still grumbled as he threw on a robe and slippers. The pounding only seemed to get louder as he made his way to the front door. One of the maids had found her way there as well, stumbling and rubbing her eyes blearily. As soon as she saw her employer, she snapped to attention (as well as she could while being half asleep). Tang Yi waved her off. Better that she get some sleep, since he couldn’t.
He sighed as he unlocked the door, the banging stopping as soon as whoever was on the other side heard the click of the deadbolt. Belatedly, Tang Yi realized that he should probably check the peephole. When he saw who had been pounding on his door like their life depended on it, all thoughts of sleep flew from his mind.
Standing on the gangster’s front step, steeped in rainwater and wearing nothing but a bloodsoaked T-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts was Officer Meng Sho Fei. As Tang Yi cautiously swung the door open, he couldn’t help but notice the bruises. On his knees, on his face- but most worryingly, a darkening ring around his throat. Any snark that he had thought to give died as he watched the police officer try and fail to meet his eyes.
“Officer Meng?” he asked quietly. “Are you alright?” The battered man took a moment before he shook his head, still staring at Tang Yi’s slippers. He licked his lips, and Tang Yi noticed that they were bruised as well.
“Sorry,” he croaked, barely audible over the storm. “I didn’t kn- I didn’t kn-know where else t-to go.” Tang Yi couldn’t tell if he was stuttering because he was nervous or because he was shaking so hard. He opened the door wider, gesturing for the other man to come in. Officer Meng moved slowly, limping.
“Did you walk all the way here?” His apartment was ten minutes away by car, but Tang Yi had no idea how long the bedraggled man had been out in the storm. Officer Meng nodded. Tang Yi dragged a heavy hand down his face. The two men stood in silence for a long moment as Tang Yi attempted to process the situation he had found himself in. Finally, he spoke. “What do you need?” The police officer took a shaky breath.
“‘M sor-”
“Don’t apologize,” Tang Yi cut him off. Normally he would relish an apology from the other man, but coming from a bruised, shivering, and seemingly anxious Officer Meng- it just didn’t feel right. “Please, just tell me what you need right now.” Officer Meng stayed silent for a long moment. “Okay, I’m going to call the police-”
“NO!” Tang Yi startled as an icy hand grabbed his wrist. Officer Meng was finally looking at him, but he almost wished that he wasn’t. His eyes were wide and terrified. Tang Yi shuddered at the deep, primal fear he saw. Officer Meng was loud, annoying, brash. Seeing him silent, hunched in on himself, shaking from cold, pain, and fear… it was almost too much for the other man. “P-please, please don’t c-call them. They can’t- I’m not s-supposed t- he- he’ll know if I tell them.” Tang Yi swallowed a hard lump in his throat.
“What do you need?” he asked again. Another long silence from the police officer.
“I don’t know.” He was back to staring at the floor and shivering. His teeth were beginning to chatter as well, no doubt from being soaking wet in an air conditioned room. Tang Yi took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself.
“First things first, then,” he said in a low tone that he hoped was somewhat comforting. “We need to get you into a warm bath and take a look at those wounds. Is that okay?” He waited for the answering nod before beginning to lead his unexpected houseguest upstairs.
Officer Meng followed, albeit much more slowly due to his limp. After the first five steps, Tang Yi stopped and waited for him to catch up.
“Still okay?” The police officer nodded. “Can I touch you?” Officer Meng’s head snapped up at that, confusion and apprehension written all over his face. “We’ve got quite a ways to go. Would you be more comfortable being carried?” After a moment of deliberation, he nodded again. “Okay. Tell me if I’m hurting you.” With that, Tang Yi carefully slipped his arms under his legs and behind his back, sweeping Officer Meng into a bridal carry. It was strange, carrying his supposed enemy in such an intimate embrace, but truthfully Tang Yi was grateful. Officer Meng was clearly exhausted, and his feet were cut up from the long trek here.
Like this, he could feel every hitch of breath, every shake of the hurting, vulnerable body in his arms and he hated it. Officer Meng has always seemed almost invincible. Tang Yi had once joked to Hong Ye that he could drop kick the other man off the top of a mountain and he’d probably be back to bug him the very next day. But now, he was painfully reminded that Officer Meng was as human and as breakable as anyone else.
Tang Yi carried him all the way up the stairs and into his ensuite, setting him down gently beside the tub. He busied himself by starting the bath and grabbing some dry clothes. When he reentered the bathroom, Officer Meng was exactly where he had left him, staring blankly at the filling tub. Tang Yi reached over him and shut the water off.
“Are you going to need help with your clothes?” The other man bit his lip, thinking, before nodding with a dark blush on his cheeks. Tang Yi simply nodded in response, motioning for Officer Meng to lift his arms. As he pulled the sopping T-shirt off, he tried not to let his eyes linger on the nearly black bruises all over that pale chest, the ribs poking out (surely more than normal, although Tang Yi would have no way of knowing), the cuts, scrapes, and burns that went down past his shorts… But then he saw it. A reddened and swollen burn mark, in the shape of three letters. ZGZ. A brand.
Tang Yi opened his mouth to say something, anything , but no words came. All he could do was stare like an idiot. When he finally regained control of himself, he looked up (anywhere to avoid that horrible sight) and felt that painful lump rising in his throat yet again. Meng Shao Fei was crying . His hands were clamped tight over his mouth as he struggled to muffle the heartwrenching sound of whimpers and sobs. Tang Yi wiped at his own eyes, sure that the fragile, human man in front of him needed his stoicism now more than ever.
“I’m going to take your shorts and underwear off now, okay?” No response from Officer Meng. Slowly, to avoid exacerbating any wounds that he couldn’t see, Tang Yi slid both articles of clothing down the officer’s legs. The small, round burns on the insides of both thighs caused a burning behind his eyelids, but the thin trail of dried blood snaking down the inside of Officer Meng's leg and ending near the back of his right knee almost made Tang Yi retch. Officer Meng was shaking again, sucking in desperate gasps of air as he began choking on his tears.
Tang Yi didn’t know what to say. God, what could he say? What could he say to someone that he’d only considered a nuisance up to this point? What could he say now that said nuisance had thought of Tang Yi as safe enough to come to when there was nowhere else to go? After he had been abused and violated so completely that his spirit, his very soul had been broken?
“Let’s get you into the tub, Officer Meng,” is what Tang Yi said, because the police officer needed him to get over his stupid emotions and be strong. Carefully, gently , he helped the trembling man get one leg over the edge of the tub, then the other, and sit down. Tang Yi turned to leave, positive now that what Officer Meng wanted was privacy, but an uncharacteristically tiny voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Shao Fei.” Tang Yi turned around slowly. Officer Meng was staring resolutely at his knees, tears still dripping down his face. “Call me Shao Fei. Not Off-Officer Meng. Please.” Tang Yi nodded, stunned. The other man took a shallow, shuddery breath. “St-stay? Please?” Dazed, Tang Yi nodded again, moving to sit down next to the tub.
“Of course… Shao Fei.”