The mountains were turning red. The crisp air, sour and warm in his mouth. The wind rustling past his ears in ragged gasps. His entire body was on fire – he couldn’t distinguish pain from the simple heat of his limbs. His brain was numb with delight. 

As Fang picked himself up from the concrete, eyes hazily focused on the droplets of blood falling from his lips, he heard a roar behind him, and a shadow covered the afternoon sun. Whirling around, Fang managed to roll aside from Tao’s stomping foot. He got up, skid onto his hands and knees, and darted back at the man.  

Tao’s body was momentarily frozen in the momentum he’d put onto his foot. The man turned his head and lifted his arms to block the blow, but was unable to move as Fang hopped and nailed a high-kick to the man’s head area – but Tao’s hands had been there, ready for it. Despite the impact, the man managed to close his fists around the boy’s ankle. He pulled, and Fang crashed onto the ground, left ear scraping a couple inches along the rough cement.  

“You’re good.” Tao’s dark voice was filled with laughter as he grabbed Fang’s ankle with his other hand and twisted, eyes glittering in joy as the boy let out a pained cry. “I haven’t had this much fun in a long while,” he snarled, twisting it further. “But you’re a hundred years too early to be fighting me. You should have stayed in your daycare pen.” 

Lips parting in a second scream, Fang blinked away the blood dripping into his eyes. Dimly, he felt the agony – it was the reason he was screaming – but the pain only resulted in more adrenaline, and with a surge of effort Fang pressed both palms against the cement and twisted himself away from Tao’s hands – loosened by his earlier kick. Running back at the man with a roar, Fang barely managed to slip under the man’s strong, meaty hands and slugged his right fist forward. Into Tao’s crotch. 

Glancing up, he saw the man’s dark eyes widen in shock and agony. The man’s entire body stiffened, fury flickering across his face, but Fang didn’t give him a chance to recover. Shoving the man down, Fang jumped on top and started slamming his fists into the big round tattooed thing that was Tao’s face. Little shouts, hoarse in triumph, escaped from his lips every time he lifted his fists and slugged it back down. The dull, slick impacts were like chimes in his ears. But slowly, the fire dimmed. 

The crimson in his vision faded into grey. The fire in his body turned into sharp stings of pain, and the music turned into a throbbing headache. Gasping, Fang stalled in his next punch, left fist trembling in the air as he blinked down at Tao’s face. 

The man’s eyes were closed, his nose at an odd angle and his lips split. Blood was dripping onto his face from Fang’s own fist. 

“Hah… hah…” Breathing heavily, Fang pulled away, stumbling to his feet and limping backwards. A breeze blew across the roof, igniting an explosion of pain in his left ear. Then something metallic slammed from behind him and he whirled around. 

“Tao, the noises stopped, have you fin –” The chubby man broke off, jaw dropping in shock when he saw them. “T-Tao!” he squeaked, running over. 

Chuckling breathlessly, Fang stepped aside, rubbing some of the blood off his fists onto the chest of his uniform. “Don’t worry. He’s fine.” 

“Y… You…” The man said in a shrill voice, glancing back at him with fear in his eyes. “What are you?!” 

Laughing, Fang stumbled away, veering haphazardly towards the general direction of the staircase. “Tell him I said thanks,” he called over his shoulder. “It was fun. Let’s do it again sometime.” 

Half-falling, half-climbing down the stairs, Fang managed to make it back to the courtyard. The shadows had lengthened considerably since he’d arrived, though he couldn’t remember exactly how long they’d been at it. A while… that was the most his grumbling stomach suggested.  

The guard that had been at the door earlier was gone. Fang didn’t know why but he was glad – he hadn’t thought that far. Right now, he figured he ought to head back to his cell and spit out the blood pooling in his mouth. He made it about four steps down the hallway when a shout jolted through his numbed brain. 

“Yue Shantao!”  

The alarm in his head dimmed when he recognized the curly-haired figure – Rai, and Han catching up hurriedly behind him. As the boy ran closer his steps faltered and he stopped, mouth dropping open in horror. 

“What the fuck?!”  

“Shantao!” Han brushed past Rai, rushing up and grabbing both of Fang’s shoulders anxiously. Dizzy, Fang returned the man’s frightened stare with a half-lidded gaze. “Where did these injuries come from? Come, we need to get them treated right away –” Han turned, wrapping his hand firmly around Fang’s arm and pulling him forward.  

As they passed Rai, the brown-haired boy came to and fell into step beside Fang, hazel eyes wide in both awe and fear. “What the hell happened? You didn’t show up so I thought you were just taking a long dump and then I got distracted by the vendors, next thing I knew two hours had passed! Han and I were looking for you everywhere! Was it Tao?” 

At the mention of Tao, Fang stirred, managing to nod. A bit of blood dripped past his lips and he lifted his left hand to wipe it, wincing as the back of his hand stung. “He challenged me to a fight.” He chuckled deliriously. “I needed it.” 

“Stupid.” Rai sighed, eyes were dark in anxiety despite his airy tone. “I told you, Tao is trouble, you can’t win –” 

Fang giggled, interrupting the boy as he lifted his left fist. “This is his blood,” he said, smearing his dirtied fingers together. “He was ugly so I tried to rearrange his face.” 

Rai skidded to another halt, jaw dropping. “You beat Tao?!” he exclaimed, shocked voice echoing through the hall. 

Han glanced back irritably. “Rai, run to the infirmary and grab me some bandages and alcohol wipes,” he called, quickening his pace and pulling Fang along as fast as the boy could limp. “And you, this is nothing to brag over,” the man muttered, his deep voice thick with worry. “With all these wounds, if Tao doesn’t come back to kill you, the virus will.” 

“I’m immune, I’ll survive anything!” Fang drawled triumphantly as he was pulled down the narrow cell corridors. He stumbled over the metallic doorframe and tumbled into Han’s chest as they entered the cell. 

The man’s body stiffened noticeably and he fell silent for a moment, arms wrapped uncertainly around the boy’s back and breath held. It was quiet for a while and Fang, delirious, closed his eyes, comforted by the warmth pressed against him.  

Eventually, it shifted. Hands gently wrapped around his waist and pulled him away, guiding his body onto something else that was soft. Hazily, Fang opened his eyes and realized that he’d been placed onto the edge of a bunk. It looked exactly like Aris’s, and with a pang of strange pleasure he leaned against the bunk frame and gazed up at the broad back turned towards him, imagining that it was actually the light-haired man.  

But Han turned around, a wet facecloth in hand. Meeting his gaze, the man seemed to swallow for a moment before he walked over. He knelt down in front of the boy, then lifted a hand carefully to the left side of Fang’s face.  

Fang winced, but he continued to stare dazedly back at Han’s glittering, dark eyes. The man’s throat bobbed again, then he spoke in a raspy voice.  

“Shantao, your ear is ripped pretty badly… does it hurt?” He leaned forward slightly. “Do you have trouble hearing me at all?” 

“… No,” Fang whispered hoarsely, tilting his face instinctively against Han’s warm palm and wincing as fingers touched the base of his left ear. “I can hear Zhu Han just fine.” 

Something flickered desperately in Han’s dark brown eyes, and with a small jerky movement he brought his face closer. 

Then the metal door opened with a clang and Han twitched back, glancing over his shoulder as Rai stomped inside. 

“I brought the shit,” Rai announced loudly, dropping a plastic bag onto the floor next to Han. He then sat down on the edge of the bed as well, leaning in towards Fang and whistling as he observed the boy’s wounds. “Wow, you’re tough. I’m a masochist but even I don’t think that looks pleasant. So, how’d you beat him? Tao, I mean.” 

“Huh?” Eyes sliding over distractedly, Fang cringed as Han started wiping his face with the facecloth first. “I punched him in the crotch.” 

“Ooh.” Rai leaned away, eyes narrowing in distaste. “That’s foul play.” 

Unperturbed, Fang grinned widely. “He was too slow to stop me. And he brought two other guys, so that makes it even.”  

“You beat Tao and two other guys?” Rai gasped, lifting a hand dramatically to his forehead. “Wow, you’re the real thing Fangie. I’d like to see you and Aris have a go. Maybe you’d actually last a couple seconds.” 

“Enough,” Han growled, lowering the red-stained cloth for a moment as he started unbuttoning Fang’s uniform. “Take off your clothes, Shantao, I’m sure you have more than just wounds on your face.” 

“Oh!” Rai jumped to his feet excitedly, eyes sparkling. “Let me do it! I’ve always wanted to take his clothes off!” 

“Ehh?” Fang said dubiously, leaning away uncomfortably as Rai’s small hands started grabbing at his clothes. But Han shoved the boy away with an irritated growl.  

His uniform was slowly peeled away, but Fang was too tired to feel embarrassed, even under Han’s intensely concentrated stare. Rai sat back down again, though he leaned close and puckered his lips in a teasing coo.  

“Han look, Fangie has nice nipples too –” 

“Honestly,” Han said gruffly, expression darkening as he tossed the cloth on the floor and turned away to rip open some alcohol swabs. “Please don’t say such things, Rai.”  

“But they are! Has anyone ever told you before?” Rai grinned and met Fang’s glazed eyes with a bright stare. “They say that if a guy feels it in the nipples, he’ll feel it in the ass too. Want me to check for you?” the boy pressed, inching his wriggling fingers dangerously close.  

Han shoved the boy’s hand away. “Give me some space,” he snapped, lifting a swab to Fang’s face and casting the boy an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, please don’t mind him.” 

“I don’t,” Fang replied loftily, content from the earlier fight. Despite the constant prickling pain of the disinfectant around his wounds, he was starting to fall into the lull of satisfied exhaustion. It wasn’t until Han started working on his ear that he came to, twitching away with a flinch.  

“Sorry,” Han’s murmured huskily, holding the boy’s face in place with his other hand. “This is going to sting a bit.” 

There was a thick silence, in which Fang was dimly aware of Rai staring at them with wide, expressionless eyes. But Han finished quickly, and as he discarded the stained alcohol swab for a new one, Rai spoke up again.  

“So do you want to know what I got out of the vendors? I’ve got a buddy there, you know, he always smuggles the best things in for me,” Rai said brightly, hopping off the bed and retrieving a plastic bag from the desk in the corner. He pulled out something rectangular and held it out to Fang proudly. “AVs!” he announced. 

“AVs?” Fang echoed uncomprehendingly. 

“Wow, are you really an eighteen-year-old boy?” Rai rolled his eyes and shook the video in front of Fang’s face. “Adult Videos! Porn!” 

“Ahh,” Fang said, eyes flickering up and down as he tried to see what was on the cover. “I don’t have a TV or a computer so I’ve never watched any before,” he tried to explain, finally managing to catch a glimpse and feeling heat rush immediately to his cheeks as he saw the female actress lying nude in a pile of messy bedsheets. 

“Man, you really know how to make me pity you,” Rai sighed, putting everything back on the table. “Aris and I managed to smuggle an old computer from the computer room so we can watch it here. How about it Fang, wanna join us? Drop by after dinner. It’ll be a party.” He winked. 

“Rai…” Han began warily, glancing at the boy distractedly as he paused in bandaging Fang’s swollen ankle.  

Shooting the man a distinct glare, Rai said, “Come on, Han, the more the merrier. We never know how long Fang will be here for so we might as well give him the chance to do as many fun things as we can, right?” Seeming to suddenly remember something, the boy lifted a finger. “Oh, and losing your virginity is one of those. How about it Fangie? If you don’t want it stuck in, you can always put it in me!” 

Fang looked away, pretending to gag.  

“Hey! That’s a privilege, you know!” Rai exclaimed indignantly, but both of them laughed briefly together.  

“Anyway, Shantao,” Han said wearily, finally getting to his feet. “I cleaned up your wounds. Your ankle is quite swollen, looks like it was dislocated but popped back by itself. I bound it a bit tight to reduce movement and you should try to give it a rest, too. I didn’t want to make it too obvious to the guards so I didn’t bandage your ear, but be careful not to touch it. As for the one around your hand, let me know if it’s uncomfortable. The rest of your wounds are mainly bruises so I didn’t bandage them.”  

Fang gazed thankfully up at the man and nodded. “Thanks, Han,” he said fervently, using the bed frame as support and getting to his feet.  

“You should clean up,” Han advised, lifting his hands as though he wanted to steady the boy. But after a quick exchange of glances with Rai, whose expression had suddenly become stony, he lowered his hands again and glanced at the clock distractedly. “Um… it’s almost dinner time, so the showers should be empty, it’s a good time for you to go. I’ll get a tray of food for you so take it slow.” 

“Wait up, you’re naked,” Rai pointed out with a chuckle, climbing a couple steps up the bunk ladder and hopping back down with a new orange uniform in hand. “Here, wear this. I’ll take your bloody uniform and wash it myself later.” 

“Thanks!” Fang repeated, beaming at both of them as he pulled the uniform on quickly and made his way to the cell door. Han opened it for him, worry still glimmering in his dark eyes as he watched the boy leave. Even when Fang turned away from the look, he could feel it against the back of his neck. It left a strange, twisting feeling in his gut, as though a pleasant heaviness was contaminating his numb body. 

This is… nice, he thought, lifting his hands behind his head and sighing. Having friends is nicer than I thought…