Meng Yao looked at the detective in horrified confusion. He wasn't sure why but this man had every intention of hurting him. Badly. He closed his eyes. He didn't want to see someone else he didn't even know hate him.

He could feel his headache begin to crawl across the top of his head. Digging in with increasing pain.

'At least I'm already at the hospital.' he thought in a slightly hysterical voice.

He heard a rustle of movement and opened his eyes. His assumption the detective would be in front of him and the beating would begin was wrong. Before him was a white coat covering broad shoulders.

"Di-di, stop." The words were firm. "You can't do this. It's wrong."

Lan Wangji looked at his brother. He could feel the limp weight of Wei Ying in his arms. See his eyes clouded in death. And now a man who had taken advantage of his Wei Ying was before him? The fear and grief still lurking from the dream had ignited. Transforming into an anger the likes of which he had never felt before.

"Move, Ge-ge." The words were growled.

"I won't allow it, Lan Zhan." Xichen's voice was still firm. He knew his brother. His Di-di wouldn't hurt him. It didn't matter if Lan Zhan could put him on floor if he chose.

He would trust his brother and stand his ground.

Lan Zhan was seething. His large hands in fists so tight his knuckles were white. It was a stand off. He couldn't bring himself to hurt his brother but he could sweep him out of way. As he prepared to step forward, he heard a voice behind him.

"Lan Zhan? Don't hurt him. Don't hurt anyone. Not for me."

Wei Ying had recovered his voice. Stunned, he had watched the fury on Lan Zhan's face as he had abruptly risen from the chair. Watched as he had stalked forward toward A'Yao. It had taken him a moment to pull himself back together.

"He- Wei Ying, he ..." Lan Zhan's voice faltered. The words refused to leave his mouth.

"Lan Zhan? Please, come here. Please?"

Wei Ying was pleading. How could he say no?

He reluctantly turned from his brother and looked at Wei Ying whose eyes were worried. Stressed. Sad. Wei Ying patted the bed.

"Please?"

With taut movements, Lan Zhan returned to Wei Ying and sat stiffly on the bed.

Lan Xichen let out a silent sigh. It had come to a hair's width from violence. He didn't want that on his little brother's conscience. He moved slightly to the side and glanced back at Meng Yao.

Two large eyes were staring at him. So many emotions swam there it was difficult to separate them with one exception. Gratitude.

Wei Ying held Lan Zhan's fist in the warmth of his two hands. He looked into eyes darkened by his rage.

"You can't hurt the men who hired me. You can't, Lan Zhan. I don't want anyone hurt. I don't want you hurt." His voice was calm. Low. Serious. "Can you handle knowing there are men who did those things? Know and not hurt them? Know that I am damaged goods? Accept that I was touched by many?"

Wei Ying searched the eyes so hard with anger. His chest ached. He knew Lan Zhan deserved so much better.

"Did he...?" Lan Zhan began to ask.

"No, I didn't." Meng Yao stood up from the wheelchair. He was pretty sure he had a migraine. It was excruciating.

"I hired Yiling -"

A snarl interrupted him.

"Wei Ying! His name is Wei Ying!" Lan Zhan's eyes were obsidian.

"I didn't know, detective. I hired Wei Ying to hold me. I was hoping it would help me sleep. Too tired to make a decision that had to be made. He helped me. Treated me kindly. This is the results of him treating me like I had as much value as the next person." From his pocket, he pulled a thumb drive. A toss and it lay on the foot of Wei Ying's bed.

"Thank you, Wei Ying." He bowed low. "I think I've been observed as much as I can handle. Excuse me." The bow to the room was tight, stiff. The pain in his head was getting worse.

He turned and made it through the door. His vision was beginning to fade. Trailing his hand on the wall, he kept pushing himself to walk. To get away from the room where he had admitted his life was so pathetic he had to hire someone to hold him.

"Meng Yao?" Lan Xichen's voice was soft.

"I'm fine, thank you." Meng Yao whispered as a spike of pain hit him. He was sure his head was about to explode and he would feel better if it did.

His knees gave way. As he fell, he felt warm arms grab him. Hold him tight as he disappeared gratefully into the darkness.
-----

There was silence in the room after Meng Yao left followed closely by Lan Xichen.

Jin Zixuan was stunned.

Someone had threatened his little brother and he had just stood there. Frozen. Hadn't intervened at all.

'What the hell is wrong with me?' passed through his mind.

He turned and rushed from the room to find Meng Yao only to discover him unconscious in Dr. Lan's arms.

"Too much stress. Follow me, Jin Zixuan." Lan Xichen said as he scooped the limp Meng Yao up and held him carefully to his chest.

Together they headed down the hall to get Meng Yao the help he needed.
-----

Wei Ying looked at Lan Zhan then down at his hands. He slowly bent as if rocks were being piled on his shoulders. Each one a word whispered in his heart. Dirty. Tainted. Whore.

He half smiled. "You shouldn't have to worry if I was hired by someone. If I had s-sex with them for money. You deserve so much better. I'm sorry. You don't have to stay here with me. I'll be fine."

He tried to smile fully and couldn't quite manage it.

"Wei Ying is still a bad liar." Lan Zhan said softly.

"Do you want me to go?" The detective's voice was small.

"You deserve someone so much better than me. You shouldn't have to ever worry about..." his throat choked close. He had to try again.

"About who I fucked. Why doesn't really matter, does it? It happened. I can't change it. I can't suddenly be clean again. I can't change what I did so many times with so many men. I am used and damaged goods. It's pretty simple."

"You can't hurt them for doing what they paid to do."

The last words were barely a whisper.

Lan Zhan felt his heart breaking.

"I don't want to go." His voice shook. "I won't leave you. What happened to you was wrong and it was not your fault. You aren't unclean, Wei Ying."

There was a tremor in his fingers as he gently tilted Wei Ying's face up until he could see his eyes.

"I won't try and attack anyone else. I will apologize. To Meng Yao. To you. But I won't leave you." His voice cut off. Clearing his voice, he tried again. "Can't leave, Wei Ying."

"May I hold you?"

Wei Ying nodded slightly. Tears clouded his eyes.

Gently, Lan Zhan gathered Wei Ying into his arms.

"I will tell you how wonderful you are. How strong. How brave. I will tell you until you believe it." he whispered. Wei Ying couldn't help but smile even as he cried.

"Wei Ying is not dirty. Wei Ying is beautiful."

A choked sob escaped from the man in his arms. Lan Zhan could feel Wei Ying's arms tighten and his hands grab the back of his shirt. Holding him close. He snuggled Wei Ying closer and softly hummed.

"I'm sorry, Wei Ying. " he whispered.

A nod against his shoulder told Lan Zhan the apology was accepted.

Wei Ying relaxed against Lan Zhan. He wanted to believe him so badly.

He opened his eyes, staring sightlessly at the sofa. He suddenly blinked. The empty sofa. Pulling back abruptly, he looked frantically around the room.

"Wei Ying?"

"Where is A'Yuan?"
-----

A'Yuan had been sitting on the sofa, comfortably wrapped in his blue blanket and playing the soccer game his new uncle had given him.

It was odd how much his life had flipped. Before, his life had been almost all women. Men were dangerous and to be avoided. Here, it was almost all men but they were good men. They didn't hurt him. Didn't scream at him.

He wasn't sure what to think about that but he knew he liked it. Liked feeling safe.

Looking up when the door opened, he smiled as his uncle and Dr. Lan walked in. He liked his uncles very much.

Suddenly everything was wrong. Tense. Frightening. Mean voices. He could feel the anger in the room and he knew what that meant.

He slipped from the sofa and crawled under his Baba's bed. Curling up as tight as he could, he hid on the floor near the head of the bed. His blanket clutched around him so it couldn't be grabbed and used to drag him out.

Closing his eyes and clasping handfuls of blanket to his ears, he waited and hoped no one would find him.
-----

Lan Zhan leapt off the bed and ran to the bathroom. Yu Bin, who had been silent trying to give the two men next to him at least the illusion of privacy, looked around his bed. "I don't think he's over here."

Lan Zhan reappeared from the bathroom then suddenly dropped to his knees.

In the shadows under the bed, he could see A'Yuan's blanket.

"He's under the bed." Lan Zhan said and crawled under the bed.

Wei Ying breathed a sigh of relief before asking the big question.

"Is he okay?"

"I don't know. " came Lan Zhan's muffled voice from under the bed.

He looked at the huddled form in the sky blue blanket.

"A'Yuan?"

No response.

"I'm sorry if I scared you, Little Lion."

Silence.

His eyes had adjusted so he could see A'Yuan and the blanket he held to his ears.

Talking louder would make this worse he reasoned so he laid his hand on A'Yuan's shoulder.

The flinch was obvious.

Lan Zhan made no attempt to grab him. He just let his hand lay on A'Yuan's shoulder. Letting his presence be known.

It took several minutes but the boy finally opened his eyes. He was so afraid. How long until he was dragged from his hiding place? How long until he was slapped or punched or slammed into the wall?

Lan Zhan didn't move but he began talking very quietly.

"I am so sorry, A'Yuan. I didn't mean to scare you. You are safe here. I promise. I'm sorry, Little Lion." He continued the quiet litany as A'Yuan slowly let his hands drop away from his ears.

He looked at Lan Zhan. "Why were you angry? Were you going to hurt that man?"

His voice was tiny.

"I- I was afraid. I was afraid that man hurt your Baba. Sometimes fear becomes anger. I was going to hurt him." The confession was raw and painful.

"My brother and your Baba kept me from doing it and I'm glad they did. I was wrong and need to apologize." he paused. "I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't mean to."

A'Yuan just looked at him.
This had never happened before. An adult, a man, was explaining and saying he was wrong?

"Will you hurt us now?"

"I won't hurt you. I won't hurt your Baba. I promise. I won't hit you ever."

Wei Ying listened to the child's higher voice and the deeper voice of Lan Zhan whispering in the stillness of the room. His hand was clasped over his mouth so his tears would stay silent.

The whispered conversation continued as Lan Zhan slowly assured Wei Yuan no one would hurt him or his Baba.

"Can you come out? Your Baba is worried. He wants to know you are okay."

Forewarned, Wei Ying wiped his eyes.

"A'Yuan, please come out and sit with me on the bed." His voice was gentle.

Slowly, A'Yuan emerged from under the bed. His hair was wild. His eyes looked exhausted again.

"Come up with Baba, okay?" Wei Ying smiled and patted the bed.

"Will you let me help you, Little Lion?" Lan Zhan's voice was anxious. He had lost ground with A'Yuan and he knew it was his own fault. Unintentionally, granted, but it was the end result.

A'Yuan looked at him, thinking, then hesitantly nodded.

Lan Zhan gently put him beside his Baba and then moved to the other side of the bed. Giving the child space.

A'Yuan snuggled up against his Baba. Felt the arms go around him. Felt safe.

"Were you scared, Baba?" he whispered.

"Yes, I was. I don't want anyone to be hurt. I'm sorry you were scared too. Feel better now?" he whispered back.

"He won't hurt us right?" He was watching Lan Zhan.

"I trust him, Little Lion. My heart says it's okay to trust him. What does your heart say?"

A'Yuan paused. He was obviously seriously considering the question.

"My heart says he won't hurt us but he was so scary. Angry people don't care who they hurt." he whispered back slowly . His thoughts solidifying as he spoke. "Will he get angry again, Baba?"

"Everyone gets angry, Little Lion. It is part of being human. It's what we do when we are angry that's important. Lan Zhan had help to not hurt someone. I bet next time he is angry, he won't need that help. What do you think?"

Another careful consideration.

"I think he could hurt people bad. Like he hurt Wen Chao to save us but I don't think he likes to hurt people."

"I think you're right." Wei Ying cuddle his son closer. "Since no one got hurt and he apologized for scaring you, do you think you can accept his apology?"

A'Yuan looked solemnly at Lan Zhan. His Baba liked him. He liked him. Lan Zhan had saved them. No one was hurt when he got angry.

He nodded at Lan Zhan then buried his head into his Baba's shoulder. He was so tired.

"Lay down and rest for a bit. Okay?" Wei Ying whispered. Another nod. Curled in his blanket and his hair being gently stroked, it was mere minutes until A'Yuan was asleep.

Lan Zhan let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and rubbed his face.

Turning his head, he noticed the thumb drive laying on the bed.

"What is this?" he murmured.
~♡~♡~♡~

For those that are interested, I published a one shot based on Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen's exploits in college. It is MATURE so please be aware.

Here's the link to Bound by Desire:

https://www.wattpad.com/story/326654639?utm_source=android&utm_medium=link&utm_content=story_info&wp_page=story_details_button&wp_uname=chocolatewithtea&wp_originator=GjYenw1qnnRUiy5W2sPoBnuKYWCw5l4gC%2BfT81wBFC3WvL%2B9O76CqForwXGgJ4xPtJPQiJ4TAmpMhIXXr9GWMFGehmkSE4%2B8nAeBHy1kgZK%2F9NM9rIYDjFTGUmS%2Bz414

Because of your willingness to read my scribbles, Red Light has reached 31.2K reads. I am blown away!

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May today be as wonderful as a warm Autumn day!

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