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“Are you sure you’ll be okay without me?”
Pangzi doesn’t sigh, but it’s a close thing. This is the fifth time Wu Xie has asked today, and while he loves Wu Xie for fretting like this it’s starting to grate a little. Pangzi is the one who should be fretting, anyway. Everyone knows how easily Wu Xie gets into trouble, especially when Pangzi and Xiaoge aren’t there to help him. Wu Xie could go to the safest place imaginable and still find himself in some sort of dangerous situation.
“I’ll be fine,” Pangzi says, ruffling Wu Xie’s hair and getting a swat on the arm for his efforts. “I’ll have Xiaoge with me. What could possibly happen to me? You, on the other hand…”
“I’ll be fine,” Wu Xie parrots back to him. “I’m just going to visit my Nainai for a couple of days so she can see that I’m still alive, and check in on Wang Meng and the shop while I’m there. What could possibly happen to me?”
Oh, so they’re playing that game, are they? Wu Xie thinks he can stand there, trying to look like the wide eyed Tianzhen Wu Xie that he had been in his youth, and use Pangzi’s own words against him?
“Remember the time you went out to get groceries and got kidnapped,” Pangzi says, “or the time you went for a regular checkup at the hospital and got caught up in an armed robbery, or the time—”
“Okay, okay,” Wu Xie holds up his hands in surrender and Pangzi grins. Another win on Pang-ye’s belt.
“See if you can bully Jinx into visiting while you’re there,” Pangzi replies, moving on now that he has his victory. “It’s been too long since he came by. I know what he’s like. He'll be taking every job he can get his hands on and barely be eating anything. He needs to come here for at least a week.”
“I’ll try,” Wu Xie promises, but Pangzi knows what that means. Wu Xie will casually suggest to Liu Sang that he come by some time before the two of them end up in bed and consider his job done. He doesn’t feel the need to feed and mother Liu Sang like Pangzi does. Wu Xie thinks Liu Sang is capable of making his own decisions and taking care of himself.
Pangzi knows better.
Well, if Wu Xie doesn’t succeed Pangzi has plenty more tricks up his sleeve.
Okay, one trick.
Named Xiaoge.
Despite the fact that Liu Sang has been in a relationship with Wu Xie and Xiaoge for months now, Liu Sang will still drop everything if Xiaoge so much as looks his way. Pangzi has no qualms about using that as a weapon to get Liu Sang to get some sleep and eat something more substantial than a few ration packs while he’s on a job.
But that’s a plan for later, as a last resort. Hopefully Wu Xie will be able to turn his puppy eyes on Liu Sang and get him to come and visit for a bit. It’ll make Pangzi feel better to see that he’s okay with his own eyes, and it’ll make Wu Xie and Xiaoge feel better to spend some time with their lover that isn’t a passing visit between jobs.
Eventually, Pangzi hopes, the three of them will take the next step and Liu Sang will move in with them. Then he’ll be able to feed him up between every job and not just once in a while. It’ll be good for Liu Sang too. It’s quieter here for a start, and Pangzi knows from experience how difficult it is to rest and relax when you live in the middle of a bustling city.
Well, maybe one day. It’s not his place to push them.
“Have you got time for some lunch before you leave?”
He knows Wu Nainai will skin him alive if he lets Wu Xie show up for a visit with an empty stomach. Feeding Wu Xie is just self-preservation.
Wu Xie glances at his watch. “Yeah, I have some time.”
Excellent. Pangzi gets to live another day.
“I still don’t understand why you won’t let us drive you to the station,” Pangzi says as he stands on the porch with Xiaoge at his side. Wu Xie is standing a few feet away from them on the road that leads out of their property, rucksack on his back and a smile on his face. Why does this feel like all those movies where parents bid a teary farewell to their son who is heading off into the big city to seek their fortune?
“It’s fine,” Wu Xie insists. “Huang Jiashu was heading that way anyway so he offered me a ride. It’s only a couple of days, Pangzi. Don’t worry.”
Pangzi has spent the last twenty years worrying about Wu Xie, and he’s not about to stop now.
“I’ve been worrying since the day I met you,” Pangzi says. “And so has Xiaoge. Keep that in mind when you’re making any bad decisions.”
Wu Xie laughs, but Pangzi isn’t joking.
“I really will be fine.”
There’s the sound of a honking horn which must be Huang Jiashu’s car. Wu Xie dashes back up onto the porch, hugs Pangzi and presses a quick kiss to Xiaoge’s lips before flashing them both a smile.
Then, just like that, he’s gone, jogging down to the end of the road where his ride is waiting for him.
Pangzi sighs and Xiaoge pats his arm in a gently comforting way.
“Well,” Pangzi says. “I guess it’s just you and me for the next couple of days, Xiaoge. What do you want to do while Wu Xie is gone?”
Xiaoge shrugs but Pangzi can see the concern in his eyes already. He won’t say as much, because he never does, but Xiaoge is as worried about Wu Xie as Pangzi is.
Well, it will be up to him to keep the both of them occupied while Wu Xie is gone so that they don’t have too much time to think about it.
Sending Xiaoge into the village for groceries was, in retrospect, not Pangzi’s finest idea. It’ll keep Xiaoge busy for a while, which was the whole point of sending him, but now Pangzi is alone in the house and it’s far too quiet.
Even when Wu Xie is lost in research or is designing something to add to their retirement home there’s signs of him everywhere. Half drunk cups of tea left forgotten, books on every table in the house. And it’s the same with Xiaoge. He might not talk a lot, but his presence is felt just from the knowledge that he lives with them now and isn’t off roaming.
Now every surface is immaculately clean and tidy because Pangzi has decided to take advantage of the empty house by scrubbing, dusting and polishing and it just feels empty. It looks like a show home not a house that people actually live in.
He needs to find something to do until Xiaoge gets back because he’s going to lose his mind otherwise.
He could relax by watching something on TV, but it’s not the same without Wu Xie and Xiaoge.
He can’t even start preparing dinner because he needs the groceries that he’s sent Xiaoge to fetch.
He should have gone with Xiaoge, but he knows going into the village for supplies is Xiaoge’s much needed quiet time and he doesn’t want to intrude on that even if it does mean he’s now rattling around his own house feeling like a spare part.
With a sigh he sits down on the sofa. Maybe he can play a game on his phone until Xiaoge gets back. But, no, it’s not as fun when Wu Xie isn’t here for Pangzi to trounce. He wonders what Wu Xie is up to. Perhaps Pangzi can call him just to make sure he’s still in one piece.
No.
The whole point of keeping himself busy was to not think about Wu Xie and any trouble he might be in. If Wu Xie desperately needs help he’ll call them. He’s only visiting his family not miles underground in a tomb. He’ll be fine.
He hopes.
Okay, calling Wu Xie is off the cards.
Maybe he could call Xiao Hua. They haven’t spoken in a while and they haven’t seen each other in even longer. He kind of misses their spa trips, but they’ve both been so busy and when Xiao Hua isn’t running his business or, rather, multiple businesses now he has his clinic as well, he’s spending his personal time with Hei Xiazi. They pretend nothing is going on between them, and in turn everyone else pretends to believe them.
So, no, he’s not going to disturb Xiao Hua either.
It’s fine. Xiaoge will be home soon and Pangzi can prepare dinner and maybe the two of them can take a nap together until the food is ready. Xiaoge is a big fan of naps, and Pangzi has done nothing to dissuade him from that. He deserves as many naps as he wants after everything he’s been through.
With that in mind he wanders around and makes sure there’s a clean blanket in all of Xiaoge’s favourite napping spots. All the places Xiaoge likes to sleep, Pangzi notes fondly, have enough space for two or three of them to all nap together if they feel so inclined.
Retirement really isn’t as bad as he imagined it might be. He was worried he might be bored, but with a restaurant to run, a vegetable garden to manage, two men to feed and take care of, and as many naps as he wants on offer, who has time to be bored?
Apart from him right in this moment, but this is a rarity and it’s only for an hour or so.
Perhaps after dinner, once it gets dark, he’ll take Xiaoge out to the lake to look at the stars. There was never much of an opportunity to see them when they lived in Wuzhou but now there’s a whole sky full of stars to look at when there’s no clouds.
He’s been teaching Xiaoge about the constellations, and he’s not sure if Xiaoge is actually interested in them or not but he seems to enjoy the peace of lying on his back and looking at the sky.
It’ll be easier with just the two of them. Wu Xie tends to get bored and start fidgeting after a short while.
He’ll talk to Xiaoge when he gets back and see what he thinks.
He feels better now that he has some sort of plan for the rest of the day. If Xiaoge agrees, and Pangzi thinks he will, that will keep both of them occupied until bedtime. Then it’s only one more day until Wu Xie gets back.
This isn’t so bad. He can definitely do this.
There’s some leftover noodles in the fridge. Maybe he’ll eat those with some beer while he’s waiting for Xiaoge to get back. It’s not like there’s anything else for him to do.
He heads towards the kitchen when a knock on the front door stops him mid-stride. They don’t generally get visitors to the house. The restaurant is in front of them and people generally call in there if they need anything. Xiaoge definitely wouldn’t knock. This is his home, and he’s finally learning to treat it as such.
Well, standing here wondering who it is won’t answer the question. He heads over to the door and opens it.
For a fraction of a second his heart lurches in his chest because he thinks it’s Liu Sang standing on his porch, face drenched in sweat and twisted in pain. But, no. They may have the same face but the hair, the posture and everything else is different.
Wang Can’s face curls into what Pangzi thinks was supposed to be a sneer, but instead looks more like a grimace. What the fuck is he doing here? Wang Can never comes here. Pangzi wasn’t even sure Wang Can knew where they lived. On the rare occasions he decides to come out of wherever he holes up between jobs he’ll visit Liu Sang at Liu Sang’s apartment but never when Liu Sang is here.
Liu Sang says it’s because of Wu Xie’s history with the Wang cult, and they were a cult Pangzi doesn’t care what anyone else says, who bought and brainwashed Wang Can when he was barely older than a toddler.
“He just thinks it’s easier if he stays out of your way,” Liu Sang said and there was no mistaking the sadness in his eyes when he said it. Pangzi can’t imagine how difficult it must be to have to choose between your long lost twin brother and your two lovers. Not that he thinks Wu Xie or Xiaoge would make Liu Sang choose. Wu Xie has accepted that Wang Can is now free, and that he was a victim as much as anyone else, but Wang Can has never been around for them to actually talk to him about it.
Until now, apparently.
“I—” Wang Can’s voice is weak and raspy. Far from the smooth confidence when Pangzi had interrogated him that one time. “I was in the area and, fuck, I didn’t know where else to go.”
He’s obviously not well, and he clearly needs help. But he must be desperate to come here for help. Does he know Wu Xie isn’t here and that Xiaoge is out? Did he wait until Pangzi was alone? Or is it just a coincidence?
“What happened?” Pangzi demands, because Liu Sang would kill him if he turned his brother away. Still, Pangzi is no fool and he’s not going to do anything until he knows exactly what he’s dealing with.
“I’ll be gone soon enough,” Wang Can promises, each word sounding laboured as he struggles to catch his breath. “I just need—”
His eyes roll back and his knees buckle. Pangzi reacts on instinct, darting forward and catching Wang Can before he slams face first into the floor. His body is burning hot to the touch, and Pangzi can feel the damp sweat seeping into his clothes where he’s holding Wang Can flush against his chest.
“Hey,” Pangzi says, gently jostling Wang Can in his arms in an attempt to rouse him. “Hey, wake up.”
He’s not expecting a response. Wang Can is limp and heavy in his arms, clearly completely unconscious.
And it’s no wonder.
As Pangzi tries to shift Wang Can into a more comfortable position he spots it. It had been difficult to see against the dark clothing Wang Can is wearing but there is, now that he’s noticed it, quite clearly the hilt of a knife sticking out of Wang Can’s shoulder.
Fuck.
Wang Can has at least had the sense to not try and pull it out. That’s a sure way to almost certainly bleed to death. But Pangzi needs to move fast. Wang Can has come here, for whatever reason, because he needs help and help is what Pangzi will do.
He drags him into the house and lays him face down on the sofa. It’s the nearest flat surface and he really hopes Wang Can isn’t going to bleed all over it. He likes this sofa.
Satisfied that Wang Can is still breathing, albeit still laboured, Pangzi pulls out his phone and calls Xiaoge.
“It’s me. Are you still in the village?”
“Just about to leave,” Xiaoge confirms.
Good. That’s good.
“I need you to bring the doctor back with you. Tell him there’s someone with a stab wound who needs urgent treatment.”
“Pangzi.” Xiaoge sounds worried, and Pangzi is an idiot for not telling him that he’s not the one who is injured.
“No, not me. We’ve got an unexpected guest who needs help but don’t worry I’m fine, I promise. It’s not Wu Xie either. Just get the doctor, okay?”
Silence for a moment, and Pangzi can tell he’s just trying to reassure himself that Pangzi and Wu Xie aren’t the ones who are hurt.
“Okay.”
He’s so glad it’s Xiaoge, who knows when to ask follow-up questions and when to just do as he’s asked and ask questions later.
Xiaoge will be here soon with the doctor and in the meantime there are things Pangzi can do to get ready for their arrival. He heads to the kitchen and starts the water running so he can fill a bowl with hot water. While it’s doing that he grabs clean towels and their first aid kit. He’s sure the doctor will have his own supplies but it doesn’t hurt to have extras on standby.
He places the towels and the first aid kit on the table next to Wang Can, who hasn’t moved since Pangzi laid him out on the sofa, then he heads back into the kitchen and grabs the bowl that’s now full of steaming water.
He sets the bowl down next to the other supplies and now there’s nothing else to do but wait.
Wang Can groans softly and then, to Pangzi’s consternation, he starts trying to sit up.
“Hey,” he says quickly, placing a hand on the small of Wang Can’s back and doing his best to stop him from moving without hurting him any further. “Lie still. You still have a knife sticking out of you.”
“Fuck,” Wang Can groans again and continues to struggle to sit up. He’s going to do more damage to himself if Pangzi forcefully holds him down so he helps instead, carefully easing Wang Can up until he’s sat cross-legged on the sofa. If it’s possible he looks even worse than he had when Pangzi had opened the door. His face is so pale it almost looks white, he’s drenched in sweat and he’s doing a poor job of hiding how much pain he’s in.
He should be in a hospital, not sitting on a sofa in their house with only a village doctor on hand to try and patch him up.
Wang Can huffs out a soft approximation of a laugh. “This is the second time I’ve woken up on a sofa with you in front of me. Are you going to tie me up and threaten to set me on fire again?”
Not through any sort of verbal agreement, but they don’t talk about their past encounter. Wang Can doesn’t like being reminded of his time with Wangs, and Pangzi doesn’t like being reminded of the time he threatened to torture someone who was little more than a kid at the time.
“Depends how nicely you ask. Setting you on fire might be mercy anyway,” Pangzi snaps, more harshly than he’d intended in the face of what was little more than some gentle teasing. “What the fuck happened to you?”
Wang Can shrugs his uninjured shoulder. “Some asshole who hired me was trying to cover his footsteps. He got lucky. I’d have fixed it myself but he managed to hit me right in the spot where I can’t reach. So I just need you to pull it out, stitch me up and I’ll be on my way.”
He’s talking like this is an everyday occurrence and no big deal, instead of being weird and kind of fucked up. Who goes to someone for help who kidnapped them in the past? Imagine if Wu Xie had been home. “Hi, I know you wiped out the cult I was part of but can you do me a favour and pull this literal knife out of my back?” Or if it had been Xiaoge. “Yeah, the cult who raised me wanted to learn all your family’s secrets but I’m in a spot of bother.”
Really, it’s almost a blessing that Pangzi was the only one who was home.
“Does this look like a hospital to you? That’s where you should be. I’m not a doctor!”
He knows it’s not that simple, and he knows full well why people from their world can’t walk into a hospital where people would ask questions. Especially when there’s a knife sticking out of him. But, still, this seems like something more serious than either he or a village doctor who is used to doing routine check-ups for the elderly is equipped to deal with.
He doesn’t often miss his life in the city, but what he wouldn’t give right now to be able to call Xiao Hua, Huo Daofu or Liang Wan. It was so much easier when he had fully trained medical personnel just a short journey away.
“You were closer than a hospital,” Wang Can replies. His voice is a little softer than it was before and his words are slurring together. “I wouldn’t have come here if there was any other option.”
His eyes dart around the room and Pangzi has no idea what or who he’s looking for. Is he delirious? Does he have some sort of brain injury as well as the stab wound?
“Who are—”
“Does Wu Xie know I’m here?”
Ah.
“Don’t worry about it for now. Wu Xie isn’t here and won’t be back for a couple of days.”
“Good,” Wang Can replies. “I’ll be long gone before he gets back.”
He’s talking like Pangzi is going to let him just crawl off to who knows where as soon as he’s been stitched up. Well, that’s a conversation for later.
“When was the last time you ate?” he asks instead, because if he’s anything like his brother it will have been too long ago. He needs to eat to replenish the energy that he’s currently losing along with his blood. What’s taking Xiaoge and the doctor so long?
“I don’t know,” Wang Can replies and Pangzi figures as much. “Recently.”
“Oh. Recently.”
‘Recently’ could be anything from a few hours ago to two days ago. Is Pangzi cursed to be surrounded by people who don’t remember to eat unless he forcibly reminds them?
“I’ll fetch you some soup.”
Wang Can looks positively startled by the suggestion, and Pangzi has no idea why. What’s wrong with soup?
“You don’t like soup?” he asks, sceptically. He hasn’t even told Wang Can what kind of soup it is. Surely everyone likes soup.
“Soup is fine,” Wang Can replies, sounding almost sullen. He really is like his brother. “I’m just not hungry.”
His stomach betrays his lies by rumbling loudly at that exact moment. Pangzi kindly doesn’t comment on it, or the way there’s now a slight flush to Wang Can’s cheeks that Pangzi doesn’t think is being caused by a fever. Instead he heads back into the kitchen, heats up the soup, and brings a bowl of it back through to the living room.
He’s pleased to see Wang Can is still conscious and sits down on the coffee table so he’s facing him.
Ah, a problem.
He hadn’t thought until this very moment that Wang Can currently only has one functional arm, and eating soup requires two of them. So, there’s two options now. He either holds the bowl and lets Wang Can use the spoon himself, or he feeds Wang Can for him.
Pangzi is fairly sure that if he suggests the latter he’ll end up with a black eye and Wang Can walking back out of the door regardless of the knife in his shoulder.
“Here,” he says, holding out the spoon to Wang Can and holding onto the bowl with his other hand. “I’ll help you.”
For a moment Wang Can just stares at the spoon, then he stares at Pangzi.
“It’s not a big deal,” Pangzi insists, and it possibly sounds a little more defensive than he’d intended. “I’ve done this for your brother loads of times.”
He doesn’t mention that Liu Sang was just as reluctant to accept help the first couple of times. Wang Can doesn’t need to know that. The point is, Liu Sang has learned to accept help when he needs it and if Liu Sang can learn then Wang Can can too.
For a moment he thinks Wang Can is still going to refuse any sort of help, even though needing help is precisely why he’s here in the first place. But then Pangzi sees Wang Can’s nostrils flare as he smells the soup, and his stomach rumbles again.
Wang Can sighs, apparently resigned to the fact that he can no longer pretend that he’s not hungry, and he snatches the spoon out of Pangzi’s hand and slowly starts to eat. Well, it starts off slow at least. But once the first couple of mouthfuls go down he starts shovelling the soup into his mouth faster and faster until Pangzi is worried he’s going to choke.
“Easy,” Pangzi says, “it’s not going anywhere. You’ll make yourself sick if you keep eating that fast.”
Of course Wang Can doesn’t listen. Pangzi is doomed to be surrounded by stubborn men who don’t listen to him.
“Good,” Wang Can murmurs once the bowl is empty. His eyes keep drifting shut before he blinks and forces them open again. It seems the warm food has made him sleepy and that’s good. He needs rest, and at least now he looks slightly less like a walking corpse.
“I’ll just put this back in the kitchen,” he says, already thinking about where the nearest blanket is for when Wang Can inevitably drifts off. “Then I’ll call Xiaoge and see—”
“Pangzi.”
Pangzi hadn’t even heard Xiaoge come in, but there he is just inside the doorway with the doctor at his side. Xiaoge is looking warily at Wang Can who is staring back and almost trembling with the effort of keeping himself upright. Pangzi thinks he’s trying to look threatening, but given that he currently looks like a gentle breeze would knock him over it’s not very effective.
Xiaoge won’t attack Wang Can. That’s his lover’s brother, after all, and even if he wasn’t, Wang Can is clearly in no condition to fight. Xiaoge is a lot of things, but Pangzi doesn’t think he’d attack someone who is so clearly defenceless. Not that he’d ever call Wang Can defenceless to his face, of course. He’s not a total idiot.
“Xiaoge,” Pangzi greets with a bright smile, trying to break some of the tension by keeping his voice light as he walks over and pulls him into a quick hug. “What took you so long?”
He turns his attention to the doctor. Doctor Li is an older man, his hair and beard white and the lines on his face deep. Pangzi isn’t sure he could guess how old the man is, but despite the white hair and the wrinkles his eyes are sharp and bright.
“Sorry for pulling you away from your clinic but my friend has had a spot of bother.”
Doctor Li dismisses Pangzi’s concerns with a wave of his hand. “It’s no bother. It’s been a quiet day today. This is by far the most interesting thing that’s happened.”
Village life is quiet, Pangzi supposes. The occasional sickness or minor injury for him to treat. Well, this is either going to provide him with a dramatic change of pace or send him running, and Pangzi is curious to see which it is.
Wang Can eyes Doctor Li warily as he approaches and sets his bag down on the table in front of him. “Well, young man. Let’s see what the issue seems to be.”
The knife in Wang Can’s shoulder isn’t immediately obvious from the angle he’s sitting at, but it doesn’t take Doctor Li long to notice it.
“Well,” he says surprisingly calmly, as though Wang Can had little more than a superficial injury. “You must be in pain.”
“Had worse,” Wang Can says nonchalantly and then flinches when Doctor Li touches a little too close to his wound. He probably has had worse, Pangzi figures, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel pain.
“Apologies,” the doctor says and immediately withdraws his hand. “Don’t worry I’ll soon have you patched up and on the road to recovery. The knife isn’t too deep. Leaving it in was the right thing to do. I don’t think you’ve lost too much blood.”
“I’m not a total amateur,” Wang Can mutters sullenly.
“We’ll need to do something about that fever as well,” the doctor says, ignoring Wang Can’s reply. “But I have some medication that will help with that. Let’s deal with the bigger issue first, shall we?”
Very little surprises Pangzi these days, but Doctor Li is not reacting at all the way Pangzi expected and when he glances at Xiaoge he can tell he’s a little surprised too by the small furrow between his brows.
Doctor Li rummages in his bag and pulls out a small clear box that contains a needle and thread. He sets that down next to his bag before pulling out a small vial and syringe.
“I need you to be still while I remove the knife and stitch up the damage so I’ll give you a mild sedative. It’ll make you sleep but not for very long, just thirty minutes or so. By the time you wake up it’ll all be over.”
Wang Can doesn’t seem to be listening to him, though. His eyes are fixed on the syringe in his hand.
“You come anywhere near me with that and I’ll stick it in your eye.”
Pangzi blinks at the violence in Wang Can’s voice. He is absolutely not joking.
He knows the sound of fear when he hears it. No matter what Wang Can says he’s not acting like this because he’s angry. He’s afraid.
Pangzi has heard about some of the shit the Wangs did to the kids they took in. He doesn’t know all the specifics but he wouldn’t be surprised if drugs were involved to make them into pliant little soldiers. Not for the first time he almost wishes Wu Xie hadn’t wiped them all out, because Pangzi really wants to hit something right now.
“Hey,” he says, sitting on the arm of the couch and putting his most reassuring smile on. “I’ll be right here the whole time. No one is going to do anything to you except make you feel better.”
“I don’t give a shit what you do,” Wang Can snaps, and Pangzi knows it’s out of fear the same way a cornered animal might snap at its rescuer. “But I will stab someone with that thing if you come anywhere near me with it, and then I’m gone.”
“It’s fine,” the doctor says with a placating smile and he puts the needle and vial back into his bag. “I’m not going to do anything to you against your will. I do need you to be still though. Perhaps one of your friends could hold onto you instead.”
Pangzi isn’t sure that’s any better. Being held down while someone you don’t know does things to your body can’t be any more pleasant than being drugged, surely.
“They’re not my friends,” Wang Can says. “I told you. I’ve had worse. Just do what you need to do. I won’t even twitch.”
“You might not intend to,” Doctor Li replies calmly. “But sometimes the body does things we don’t intend it to do. It will be safer for you if there’s someone to hold you just in case.”
“I’ll do it,” Xiaoge says before Wang Can can answer and moves over to the sofa. “Lie back down.”
“I told you I don’t need—”
Whatever protest Wang Can was going to make is cut off as he suddenly slumps forward, and the only thing that stops him toppling onto the floor is Xiaoge quickly wrapping an arm around him to hold him in place. For a moment Pangzi assumes that the pain and the fever have caused him to pass out, but then he sees Xiaoge’s fingers on Wang Can’s neck.
Pangzi has seen Xiaoge use this move on Wu Xie before. Before that he’d assumed the nerve pinch to knock someone out was just something from Star Trek.
“Easier this way,” Xiaoge says by way of an explanation and all Pangzi can do is help Xiaoge get Wang Can settled into what looks like a comfortable position lying on his stomach so the doctor can work.
Well, if Wang Can didn’t have trust issues around them before he definitely will when he wakes up. Pangzi will have to think of something, but for now at least he won’t be awake while the doctor operates on him.
Doctor Li, on the other hand, seems far more interested in Xiaoge’s little trick than the knife that is still sticking out of Wang Can. He checks Wang Can’s breathing and his pulse and nods when he’s apparently satisfied with both.
“Remarkable. He’s completely unconscious. How long will it last?” He’s already threading a needle and getting his supplies ready, clearly aware that time is a factor.
“Long enough,” Xiaoge replies, which isn’t particularly specific but Pangzi is used to Xiaoge being vague like this. Doctor Li seems happy with the answer anyway and sets about working on Wang Can.
Pangzi catches Xiaoge looking at him curiously but all he can do is shrug. He has no idea how to explain how a former Wang assassin showed up bleeding on their doorstep. There will be time enough to talk about that once Wang Can has been stitched back together.
Doctor Li presses three bottles of pills into Pangzi’s hands. “There’s instructions on the bottles for how often he needs to take them. They’ll help with the pain, prevent infection and help bring his fever down. Check the wound tomorrow and come and see me if it looks inflamed or unhealthy.”
Pangzi, unfortunately, knows firsthand what an infected wound looks like so he simply nods.
“It’ll help him heal if he doesn’t use that shoulder too much. I’d recommend a sling for at at least two weeks.”
Getting Wang Can to wear a sling will be even more difficult than getting him to take his medication. He could put it on him now, while Wang Can is still unconscious, but Pangzi knows he’ll just take it off as soon as he wakes up. Which, according to Xiaoge, will be any time now.
Maybe he can tie Wang Can up so he can’t take the sling off. It’s not like it would be the first time.
No, Wang Can is his own person now and Pangzi has sworn to treat him as such. If he doesn’t want to wear a sling and risk his arm not healing properly that’s up to him. Pangzi certainly isn’t going to force him.
That’s something for them to deal with when Wang Can wakes up.
“Thank you for your help,” he says as he walks Doctor Li outside. “Send me a bill for the costs and I’ll pay it.”
The doctor has done a good job. He had the knife out and Wang Can stitched up and bandaged surprisingly quickly. He’s an interesting man, with steady hands for someone of his age.
Doctor Li shakes his head. “It’s kind of you to offer to take care of your friend but the village council pays for my services. Just look after him and maybe keep him out of situations where another stabbing might occur.”
There’s a twinkle in his eye as he says that. Is he making a joke?
“That’s easier said than done.” He can’t even keep Wu Xie out of trouble and Pangzi lives with him. Most of the time Pangzi has no idea where Wang Can is so he has no idea how he’s supposed to stop him getting stabbed again.
“Well, best endeavours at least,” the doctor replies with a smile.
“Hey,” Pangzi says, dropping his voice because he has to ask. “You didn’t seem particularly surprised at dealing with a man who has been stabbed. Are there many stabbings in the village?”
It seems like a quiet and sedate little place mostly populated by people who have either retired or lived here their whole lives while their offspring have grown up and moved away. It certainly doesn’t seem like the sort of place where stabbings are common enough that the village doctor doesn’t even blink at the sight of one.
Doctor Li’s eyes sparkle as he pats Pangzi on the arm. “I wasn’t always a village doctor, you know.”
Before Pangzi can ask him what that means Doctor Li bids him farewell and heads back down the road, whistling cheerily to himself as he walks.
Pangzi never imagined that once they retired they’d continue to meet interesting people shrouded in mystery. Perhaps this is just his fate, and now he’s wondering about the other villagers.
Well, he can think about that later. He should go back inside and see how the patient is doing.
Xiaoge is sitting on the coffee table in front of the sofa, watching Wang Can as though he expects him to leap up and attack them at any moment. Wang Can, though, still seems to be unconscious. He does have prior experience faking it, though, so who knows. Xiaoge can probably tell.
Pangzi sits down next to Xiaoge and pats his knee. “Thanks for bringing the doctor, and I’m sorry if I worried you with my phone call.”
Xiaoge just looks at him, that same questioning look in his eyes that had been there earlier. Well, now that the immediate danger is over Pangzi probably owes him an explanation, or as much of one as he’s able to give at least.
“I don’t know,” he says with a sigh. “He just showed up with a knife sticking out of him, said someone who hired him was trying to cover his tracks, then keeled over.”
They probably need to look into who did this. Especially while Wang Can is here. This is supposed to be a safe place and they really don’t need some asshole with a grudge showing up to finish the job.
“He was worried about Tianzhen,” Pangzi adds. “Worried about how he’d react, I mean. I tried to tell him Wu Xie won’t mind him being here but…”
Xiaoge lets out a thoughtful hum but Pangzi knows what he means. “I don’t think he’d believe me even if I told him that. Whatever Tianzhen thinks of those Wang bastards, Wang Can is Liu Sang’s brother. And he’s as much a victim as anyone else who got dragged into that cult as a child.”
Pangzi crouches down beside Wang Can and brushes a tendril of hair back from his face. His skin is still hot with fever. They’ll have to make sure he takes some medicine for that as soon as he wakes up.
Even while burning up he still looks so young with his face relaxed in sleep like this. Neither Liu Sang or Wang Can really know how old they are, with the human trafficking and being sold to a cult stuff, but they’ve estimated that they’re in their late twenties. Young, but not that young.
“Should we move him?” Pangzi asks. “Might be easier while he’s still out. We can let him use Liu Sang’s old room until he’s feeling better. It’s not like Liu Sang gets much use out of it these days.”
Xiaoge nods and before Pangzi can say anything else he scoops up Wang Can from the sofa, mindful of jostling his newly stitched up shoulder, and carries him into the back bedroom. Pangzi follows, because what else can he do, and he watches as Xiaoge carefully settles Wang Can down on his stomach as he’d been on the sofa.
It’s strange, really, how strong Xiaoge is but how gentle he can be. He’s carried Pangzi to bed when he’s fallen asleep on the sofa before, and acted like it was nothing.
Pangzi sighs. “When I was finding things for us to do to keep us occupied until Wu Xie gets back this wasn’t really what I had in mind.”
Their trip to go stargazing will have to be cancelled. This is more important. There will be other times. They’re retired. They have all the time they want, now.
“We should tell Liu Sang.”
Xiaoge is right, of course. But if they tell Liu Sang, Liu Sang will tell Wu Xie, and Wu Xie will cut his trip short which will upset Wu Nainai and Wu Erbai. Does he really want the Wu family angry with him? More so than they already are for stealing their heir away to run a restaurant in a country village?
But it’s Liu Sang’s brother, who he has only just reunited with after years apart. Liu Sang will want to know what’s happened, especially if Wang Can is in danger of someone coming back to finish the job.
Why is nothing ever easy?
“I’ll do it,” Pangzi says. “Keep an eye on him in case he wakes up.”
He tries calling Liu Sang first, but unsurprisingly he doesn’t pick up. He really doesn’t like talking on the phone because it hurts his ears, but Pangzi thought this news was better being spoken than being sent via a wechat message.
Since Liu Sang isn’t answering, a wechat message will have to do.
DON’T PANIC. Your brother is here and he’s hurt. He’s already seen a doctor and he’ll be fine. I repeat DON’T PANIC
He hopes that gets the message across. He knows how Liu Sang gets when it comes to his brother. Wang Can is the same. They’ve been apart for so long that they’re super protective of each other. The only difference is if someone did anything to Liu Sang, Wang Can would probably respond with violence. If someone did something to Wang Can, Liu Sang would destroy them in a far more subtle but no less devastating way.
Pangzi almost pities whoever it was who stabbed Wang Can because as soon as Liu Sang finds out their identity, which he will, their life will be beyond ruined. Death at Wang Can’s hand would probably be preferable.
Just so Wu Xie isn’t surprised when Liu Sang tells him about Pangzi’s message he fires off a quick message to him too, asking him to make sure Liu Sang doesn’t do anything stupid.
He’s aware of the irony of asking Wu Xie, the king of doing stupid things, to stop Liu Sang.
Well, he’s done all he can, so he heads back to the bedroom.
Xiaoge is leaning against the doorframe, watching Wang Can who still seems to be sleeping.
“He’s awake,” Xiaoge murmurs low enough that only Pangzi can hear. Wang Can doesn’t have the enhanced hearing that his brother does. “He’s pretending not to be.”
Pangzi doesn’t entirely blame him. Wang Can got knocked out unexpectedly and is now in a completely different, and soundproofed, part of the house. It makes sense for him to try and scope out his environment before he shows anyone that he’s awake.
“I’ve told Liu Sang what happened,” Pangzi says, pitching his voice slightly louder than was necessary to ensure that Wang Can heard him. “I’m sure he’ll be here by tomorrow at the latest.”
“I’ll be gone by then,” Wang Can murmurs, cracking one eye open and immediately squeezing it shut again with a groan. “What the fuck happened?”
Pangzi glances at Xiaoge, then back at Wang Can. He already has trust issues and there’s really no sense in adding to them. “You fainted while the doctor was examining you, probably a combination of the pain and the fever. He patched you up while you were unconscious.”
For a moment he thinks Xiaoge is going to correct the lie, but Xiaoge stays silent, still leaning against the doorframe and watching them.
He picks up the sling where he’d left it on top of the dresser and dangles it in front of Wang Can’s face. “Doc says you need to wear this for at least a couple of weeks.”
Unsurprisingly Wang Can simply snorts.
Maybe Xiaoge can knock him out again. Not that it would do much good. As soon as Wang Can woke up he’d just take it off.
“Look,” Pangzi says, and he can’t believe he’s sitting here trying to negotiate self-care with a former assassin. “Think about it this way. You wear it for 2 weeks and you fully heal, or you don’t wear it and it takes longer. Maybe it doesn’t heal right at all. Is it really worth the risk?”
Wang Can stares at him and, fuck, there’s something about his eyes. They’re colder than Liu Sang’s, but also more perceptive. It feels like Wang Can is looking right inside him, to where his deepest secrets are locked away.
“Fine,” Wang Can says and snatches the sling from Pangzi’s hand. “I’ll wear it if it means you’ll shut up and let me go.”
He’s talking as though he’s being held here against his will. Wang Can is smart and resourceful. If he truly didn’t want to stay here, Pangzi has no doubt he’d find a way to get out. He was the one who came to them, and Pangzi thinks that on some subconscious level at least, he wants to stay, at least for now.
Well, he can go along with that if that’s what Wang Can needs.
“We’re not holding you hostage,” Pangzi replies. “But I do think you should stay because if whoever did this to you comes back while your arm is all strapped up you won’t be able to fight.”
They both know that Wang Can is more than capable of defending himself even if he’s injured like this. But it’s an excuse, if Wang Can wants one.
“I can fight one-handed better than you can with two,” Wang Can snaps. Pangzi has no idea why he’s fighting this hard. Is he still trying to convince himself that staying is the better choice?
“I just mean we can protect you until you’ve recovered. But I’m not going to force you to stay. You’ve had enough time being locked up.”
At the end of the day this is a choice Wang Can needs to make for himself. Because what Pangzi said is true. He’s not going to hold him captive now that he’s finally tasted true freedom.
But he hopes Wang Can will stay.
“Good,” Wang Can says, and gets up off the bed. He sways for a moment, and Pangzi is just about to take his arm to stop him from falling when he steadies himself. “Thanks for the help. Tell Liu Sang I’m okay.”
Oh.
He actually is going to leave. Pangzi was so sure he would stay, but he did promise and no matter how wrong letting him go feels he needs to respect whatever Wang Can wants even if he doesn’t agree.
“Hey,” he calls as Wang Can is halfway towards the front door. “At least eat something before you go. You’ve just had surgery and I don’t want you keeling over again halfway down the road.”
It’s a weak excuse, but it’s the first thing that pops into his head. All he knows is that he wants to delay Wang Can leaving and perhaps a good meal will convince him to stay. Wherever Wang Can is staying at the moment Pangzi bets he isn’t getting good home cooked meals.
“I’ll grab something on the way,” Wang Can throws back over his shoulder, not even slowing down his pace.
He almost walks face first into Xiaoge, which is testament to the fact that he’s clearly still not fully with it. Usually he’s more alert than this.
“Lunch first.” Xiaoge does not make it sound like a request.
“I said I’m fine,” Wang Can grinds out. “You’re not my patriarch, and you’re not fucking me like you are my brother. You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
“Liu Sang will worry,” Xiaoge replies and, damn, he’s really learned a thing or two about emotional manipulation. Wu Xie’s influence, no doubt.
Pangzi can see Wang Can hesitate just for a moment and quickly jumps on the weakness Xiaoge has exposed. “Xiaoge’s right. How are we supposed to tell Liu Sang that we sent you back out into the world injured and without any food in your belly. Come on, I had everything just about ready before you showed up. It won’t take long.”
God bless biology because once again before Wang Can can argue again his stomach growls so loudly it almost seems to echo through the whole house. Wang Can sighs, apparently accepting that this isn’t a fight that he’s going to win.
Pangzi wraps an arm around him, careful to avoid his injured shoulder, and steers him over to the dining table. “All you need to do is sit. We’ll sort everything else out. Xiaoge, can you make some tea?”
“Have you got anything stronger?” Wang Can asks.
“Not with all the medication the doctor has you on,” Pangzi shoots back. “If you’re in pain, you’re due one of the painkillers. Eat something first though.”
He heads into the kitchen, trusting that Xiaoge will keep an eye on Wang Can and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid like try and take his pain medication anyway.
Pangzi hadn’t been lying when he said that lunch was already prepared, but he takes his time with it anyway. Letting Wang Can go feels like releasing an injured animal out into the wild, but they can’t force him to stay. All he can do is make Wang Can want to stay, which Pangzi still thinks he half wants to do. Well, Pangzi can be very persuasive.
Plus he has Xiaoge here to help him.
Lunch is egg drop soup, pork dumplings, and a salad made from the vegetables Pangzi and Xiaoge have grown in their garden. By the time Pangzi brings it out Xiaoge has served the tea and is sitting in the seat opposite Wang Can. The two of them are just staring at each other, Wang Can looking mildly annoyed and Xiaoge with his usual impassive face.
“The silent routine is really fucking irritating,” Wang Can says as Pangzi sets the food down on the table. “It makes your inane ramblings sound pleasant.”
Pangzi doesn’t take the obvious bait and instead fills Wang Can’s bowl until it’s almost overflowing. Considering they have spent most of their lives apart there’s some remarkable similarities between Wang Can and Liu Sang. This, for example, Liu Sang does the same thing. Lashing out when he can’t process or express what he’s feeling. Pangzi has found the best way to react is to either ignore him or tease him. He’s not sure Wang Can is quite ready for the teasing yet. Pangzi might end up with a knife in him. At least they’d have that in common.
“Fresh from the garden this morning,” he says instead and nudges the salad bowl closer to Wang Can.
Wang Can looks utterly disinterested in where his food comes from but Pangzi has to try really hard not to beam when Wang Can takes some of the salad just a few moments later.
When he puts a spoonful of soup in his mouth his eyes actually light up.
“Good, right?” Pangzi beams. “My mother’s recipe. I could teach you how to make it, but then I’d have to kill you.”
“Good luck trying,” Wang Can replies with a snort but he starts eating in earnest now, shovelling food into his mouth as though he hasn’t eaten for days even though Pangzi fed him just before the doctor showed up. Well, he has a healthy appetite. That’s good.
“Slower,” Xiaoge instructs. “You’ll be sick.”
Unsurprisingly Wang Can doesn’t listen. It’s going to take some time for him to accept that Xiaoge isn’t the terrible monster that the Wang family taught him about. He’s getting there. Xiaoge dating his brother probably helps, or maybe that’s made it worse. They haven’t exactly talked about it.
“This is really fucking good,” Wang Can mumbles around a mouthful of food. “I can see why Liu Sang chose to stick around.”
Pangzi is fairly sure his cooking is low down the list of reasons why Liu Sang chooses to stick around, but a compliment from Wang Can is a rarity so he just accepts it.
“More?” he asks, and puts some more soup in Wang Can’s bowl before he even answers.
Xiaoge’s lips quirk into the tiniest smile, that you wouldn’t even notice if you didn’t know him well enough. Xiaoge is clearly onto him and his wish to get Wang Can to stay, even if it’s just until Wu Xie gets back.
“I’ll make some more tea,” Xiaoge says and heads off into the kitchen with the pot to refill it.
Wang Can has already demolished all the dumplings, most of the salad and is now on his third bowl of soup. Pangzi has no idea where he’s putting it all.
Finally, Wang Can sits back in his seat, rubs his stomach and lets out the loudest burp Pangzi thinks he has ever heard. “That was good.”
Xiaoge comes back with the tea, and as soon as he sets it down Pangzi can smell the valerian. A good idea, since Wang Can clearly needs to rest, but given that they’ve already knocked him out once today this seems a little much.
“Smells good,” Wang Can says as Xiaoge pours him a cup. Pangzi puts his hand over the top of it before he can drink.
“The tea will make you sleep,” he explains. “Which you should, but I wanted you to know.”
Wang Can looks confusedly at the cup, which still has Pangzi’s hand over the top of it. Then he finally seems to understand what Pangzi is saying and glares at Xiaoge. “Does my brother know you’ve got some sort of somnophilia kink? Why do you keep wanting me unconscious?”
“He was just trying to help,” Pangzi says, because tricking someone into drinking a soporific tea is a little underhanded but he knows Xiaoge is just trying to make Wang Can get the rest he so clearly needs. And also to stop him running off to who knows where while he’s still injured.
Wang Can slams the cup down on the table and gets to his feet. “I’m leaving.”
He doesn’t give either of them a chance to argue with him and storms towards the door.
“Wait,” Pangzi calls and is surprised when Wang Can actually stops walking.
“What?”
Shit, he hadn’t actually thought that far ahead.
“Your clothes!” he says, commending himself on his stroke of genius. “Your shirt is covered in blood and has a hole in it. Let me find a new one before you go.”
Surely even Wang Can knows that it’s hard to fly under the radar if you’re walking around covered in blood.
Wang Can sighs. “Fine. But make it quick. And not one of Liu Sang’s shirts. I don’t want anyone mistaking me for him.”
The chances of that are slim. They might have the same face but everything else is different right down to their build. But Pangzi understands the need to protect his brother and heads into his own room to find something for Wang Can to wear.
Wang Can is too broad for Xiaoge’s clothes, and Pangzi suspects Wang Can would be even less willing to wear Wu Xie’s clothes than he’d be willing to wear Liu Sang’s. Which leaves Pangzi’s own clothes as the only option.
They don’t exactly have similar senses of style.
Wang Can is all about stealth and the ability to blend in, apart from that one time he was undercover as a member of the Chen family. Pangzi, on the other hand, likes things that are loud and bright. There’s so much darkness in their world and his clothes are one way for him to inject a little colour.
He pulls out a few shirts that might do the job, but then discards them. They’re too floral, too cartoonish, too pink.
This really shouldn’t matter. A shirt is a shirt, and the chances of him ever getting it back are going to be slim. But for some reason it feels important that he find one that he thinks Wang Can will like.
In the end he finds one, buried right at the back of his wardrobe that he hasn’t worn for years. It’s green plaid with some pale pink checks on it. The colours will go nicely with Wang Can’s eyes.
Why is he even thinking about this?
Shirt clasped in hand he heads back into the living room. The table has been cleared while he’s been gone, and he can hear the sound of running water and the clattering of dishes coming from the kitchen. No doubt Xiaoge, who takes his dishwashing duties very seriously.
There’s no sign of Wang Can.
Shit.
Has he snuck out while Pangzi and Xiaoge’s backs were turned? Pangzi should go and look for him. He’s still hurt, and while he can almost certainly take care of himself he shouldn’t have to. At the very least he should change into the clean shirt Pangzi has taken the time to pick out for him.
He strides towards the door. Wang Can can’t have gone far. Pangzi was only gone for a few minutes and—
He’s almost at the door when he sees the top of Wang Can’s head resting on the arm sofa and he skids to a halt.
“What are you—”
Wang Can is asleep, curled up on his side with his head using the arm of the sofa in lieu of a pillow. His arm is still in a sling and cradled carefully against his chest.
It looks like he just slumped over where he was sitting, and worry curls in Pangzi's stomach as he crouches down and gently lays a hand on Wang Can’s forehead. A little warmer than Pangzi would like, but not the burning heat of fever that had been there earlier. The medication is clearly doing its job and Wang Can’s body is doing the rest by making him sleep.
“He fell asleep waiting for you,” Xiaoge says softly, and Pangzi hadn’t even heard him walk over.
“Poor kid must be exhausted,” Pangzi murmurs. “I was only gone for a couple of minutes.”
He glances down at his watch.
Oh. Oh Shit.
Okay, so it had been more like thirty minutes. Finding the right shirt had apparently taken longer than he’d realised.
He grabs one of the blankets from the back of the sofa and carefully tucks it around Wang Can. Pangzi clearly wasn’t wrong about him being exhausted, though. He doesn’t even twitch. There’s a small frown between his brows that Pangzi longs to smooth away, but he doesn’t. Wang Can has had enough people touching him without his consent for one day.
“Come on,” he says softly to Xiaoge. “Let’s leave him to sleep.”
Wang Can sleeps for the rest of the afternoon and into the night. Pangzi considers moving him back to bed, but worries that will wake him up. The sofa is comfortable enough. Pangzi has fallen asleep on it plenty of times before, and Wang Can is young and doesn’t need to worry about waking up with a stiff neck and sore back. Best just to leave him where he is to rest.
While Pangzi doesn’t usually worry about security given they live in the middle of a small village and have Xiaoge in the house, this time he locks all the doors and windows before he goes to bed. Just in case whoever did this to Wang Can comes for him again while they’re asleep.
Pangzi doesn’t sleep well that night. He wakes up every hour or so, and has to push back the urge to head out into the living room to see if Wang Can is still there.
He’s awake when the dawn light starts filtering through the slats of his blinds, and again when he hears Xiaoge get up to do his morning training. If Xiaoge is up, then Pangzi figures it’s acceptable for him to be up too. He throws on a robe and toes on his slippers before heading out to the living room.
Of course Wang Can is gone.
So is the shirt Pangzi had left for him. The blanket he had draped over Wang Can has been neatly folded and put back where it came from so no one has taken him. He’s just left, as he kept saying he was going to.
He shouldn’t be surprised. Wang Can is no more someone to be tamed than Xiaoge is, and Pangzi isn’t sure why he’d wanted to try in the first place.
At least he knows Wang Can’s injury has been treated, and that he has the medication he needs. Pangzi can’t ask for any more than that, he supposes.
He wishes he’d been awake to make Wang Can some breakfast before he left though.
Xiaoge probably already knows that Wang Can has gone. Depending on when he left Xiaoge might have even helped him, or at least turned a blind eye to it. He understands the desire to roam better than Pangzi.
Xiaoge and Wang Can are rather alike, now that Pangzi thinks about it. Strong fighters, who value their independence. The difference is Xiaoge has a home and a family now. Wang Can has Liu Sang, of course, but nothing else to connect him to the world that he was taught to shun for so long.
It’s not easy to go back into a world that you’ve been taught for decades is cold and dangerous. What Wang Can thought of as home is gone now, thanks to Wu Xie. It doesn’t matter that he can now see how manipulative his ‘family’ was. That was all Wang Can knew for the longest time. Now he thinks he can only rely on himself, no matter what Liu Sang or anyone else says.
Well, Pangzi at least hopes Wang Can knows he can come back here if he ever needs help again.
He heads outside to the courtyard where Xiaoge usually does his morning sword training.
“Xiaoge our guest is—”
Xiaoge is stripped down to the waist, his tattoo dark as he moves through his routine. That in itself isn’t unusual. What’s unusual is that he’s not alone.
Wang Can isn’t shirtless, but he’s stripped down to his black undershirt, and he’s using a knife to mirror Xiaoge’s sword moves. He still has his sling on, his injured arm resting against his chest, but that doesn’t seem to be slowing him down at all.
“—right here,” Pangzi finishes faintly. If either of them have heard him they don’t show it, and all Pangzi can do is stand there and watch.
They’re built differently, Pangzi observes, because how can he not? Xiaoge is clearly muscular, but he’s slender with it. He has the body of a dancer, or one of those idols Xiao Mei likes to read about. Wang Can is broader. His shoulders are square, the muscles in his arms larger and more well defined. His face is damp with sweat, and his hair is wet at the nape of his neck and up near his brow. He’s clearly getting a good workout, but he doesn’t look like he’s in pain.
Now that he’s thinking about it, Xiaoge seems to have modified his routine a little, to make it suitable for only using one hand.
Trust them to bond over training and bladed weapons while Pangzi was sleeping.
“Pangzi,” Xiaoge greets as his stance relaxes. Apparently they’re done for the morning.
“The show’s not free, you know,” Wang Can says as he slips his knife into a sheath on his waistband. Xiaoge tosses him a towel and once he’s wiped himself dry Wang Can slips on the shirt that Pangzi had left out for him.
Pangzi had been right, the colours look good on him.
“I’ll pay you with breakfast,” Pangzi replies with a snort. “And you’d better wash that shirt before you give it back.”
Wang Can leers at him. “Why? You don’t think I smell good?”
Oh, but this is more comfortable and familiar. Wang Can seems a little more like himself again.
Pangzi leans in and takes an exaggerated sniff of Wang Can’s neck. He does actually smell good in spite of his sweaty workout. The scent of whatever shampoo he uses is still faintly lingering and he can smell it over the antiseptic that the doctor has used on his wound.
Predictably, though, Wang Can actually hisses at him and takes a couple of steps back. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Pangzi grins. Of course Wang Can can dish out a bit of flirting but he definitely can’t take it. “Just seeing if you smell good, like you claimed. Not bad. Now come inside and have some breakfast. You too, Xiaoge. And don’t think I haven’t forgotten that you made the kid work out when he should be resting.”
He doesn’t actually think Xiaoge did anything of the sort. This was almost certainly Wang Can’s idea, but he’s far more likely to actually rest if he thinks Xiaoge is getting blamed for it.
Wang Can snorts. “That was hardly a workout. I’ve done yoga that’s more strenuous than that. I just wanted to stretch my muscles.”
Oh, shit, now Pangzi is imagining Wang Can doing yoga. He can picture it in his mind. Those long limbs of his contorted into all sorts of seemingly impossible positions.
Bad, Pangzi. Bad.
He heads back inside without another word, trusting Wang Can and Xiaoge will follow.
And, for the moment at least, Wang Can has stopped talking about needing to leave, which Pangzi is pleased about.
Xiaoge disappears into the kitchen after breakfast to do the dishes and Pangzi realises, as a weird silence settles over the table, that this is the first time he and Wang Can have been alone without Wang Can being in serious pain or being unconscious.
“What do you do for fun around here, anyway?” Wang Can asks after a moment. “Seems pretty boring to me.”
Perhaps boring is what Wang Can needs. No need to constantly look over his shoulder, a place where he can relax and heal, not just from the wound on his shoulder but from everything. Pangzi knows better than to suggest anything of the sort, though. Just getting Wang Can to stay an extra day has been hard enough. He’s not ready for anything longer term. Not yet, at least.
“When you get a little older,” Pangzi says and, fuck, just saying those words makes him feel about a million years old, “you’ll realise that boring isn’t actually that bad.”
He can hear Wang Can’s foot tapping restlessly under the table. He’s like Wu Xie, Pangzi thinks. Always needs to be doing something.
“Come on,” he says, because there’s plenty to do if Wang Can wants something to keep him occupied. “You can help me feed the chickens if you’re that desperate for something to do.”
“That doesn't sound very much like fun,” Wang Can scoffs, but he gets up and follows Pangzi anyway.
Feeding the chickens isn’t a difficult job, but Pangzi talks Wang Can through it and even though he leans against the mesh of the coop with his arms crossed and looking totally disinterested, when it comes time he copies what Pangzi did perfectly.
He’s smart, which Pangzi had forgotten. You have to be for undercover work. Which begs the question of why someone as smart and resourceful as Wang Can came here of all places for help. Surely he has contacts left over from his days with the Wang clan. Doctors and people like that for when he got hurt on a job and it wasn’t safe for him to return to base.
He doesn’t suppose Wang Can will ever tell him. He won’t even tell them who hurt him. It must be hard to trust people after decades of being taught to do the precise opposite.
Maybe with time he’ll realise that he can trust them. But for now Pangzi can just do what he can, like letting Wang Can feed their chickens.
Feeding them hadn’t taken that long, and Wang Can has now crouched down to take a closer look at the chicks that are only a few weeks old. One of them, Xiaoge can tell them apart but Pangzi can’t, hops over curiously and when Wang Can extends his hand to pet it, takes it as an invite and climbs on.
Pangzi really wishes he’d brought his phone out with him.
“Fuck!” Wang Can whispers softly, his hand now gently cradling the chick which has settled down to enjoy the warmth of his skin and promptly fallen asleep. “What do I do?”
It’s too easy for Pangzi to fuck with him. “Well,” he says gravely. “Chicks bond for life. Congratulations, you’re a father now.”
“What?!”
He wishes he could have made it last longer, but the horrified look on Wang Can’s face makes him laugh so loudly that the chick wakes up and gently pecks at Wang Can’s fingers until he sets it back down and it goes to rejoin its siblings.
“You asshole,” Wang Can mutters and he’s so cute Pangzi can’t help but throw an arm around his uninjured shoulder.
“I could see you mentally preparing for your new role as a parent,” Pangzi chuckles. “I swear you aged about ten years in thirty seconds.”
“Fuck you,” Wang Can snaps, and ducks out from underneath Pangzi’s arm. There’s no heat to his words though, just a grumbling annoyance the same way Wu Xie sounds when Pangzi gets him with a good prank.
They head back inside. Xiaoge has evidently finished doing the dishes and is in the process of setting up the screen they use to watch movies and tv shows. Good idea. Wang Can can get some rest, then.
Pangzi almost tells Xiaoge about the trick with the chick, but decides not to. He can’t say why, really. He never hesitates telling Xiaoge about the amazing pranks he’s pulled on Wu Xie. But this feels different. It was a fun moment, but it was theirs.
Plus he’s fairly sure Wang Can would get genuinely mad if he thought Xiaoge was laughing at him.
“Right,” Pangzi says instead and steers Wang Can over to the sofa. “Looks like Xiaoge has decided it’s a movie day. As the guest you can choose what we watch. I have a lot of stuff downloaded onto my laptop, and if I haven’t got what you want I bet I can find it.”
Wang Can allows himself to be pushed down into his seat, but he’s looking at Pangzi as though he’s speaking another language.
“I don’t—” he looks lost for a moment, and then his face sharpens into something a little harder. “Who has time to sit around watching movies? I don’t fucking know. You choose something.”
Pangzi is an idiot. Of course the psychotic cult didn’t allow its members to sit around watching movies. It was all training and learning. God, he fucking hates them for what they did to this poor kid.
Well, that’s fine. Pangzi is good at reading people, he thinks. He’s got a vague idea of what Wang Can might like to watch. And, lucky for Pangzi, it’s the sort of thing that Pangzi likes to watch too. None of the stupid shit that Wu Xie insists they watch and that Xiaoge goes along with because he likes to spoil Wu Xie.
He fires up the first Fast and Furious movie and sits down next to Wang Can. Xiaoge slips into his usual seat on the other side of Pangzi, if he’s unhappy with the movie selection he doesn’t let it show.
The three of them settle down to watch.
“Awesome, right,” Pangzi beams as the credits start to roll.
Wang Can looks like he’s mostly disinterested but Pangzi is sitting close enough that he could feel Wang Can tense up during the dramatic moment and heard him gasp a couple of times.
Plus it doesn’t hurt to give Wang Can the message that family doesn’t have to be blood relatives, and it doesn’t matter what you’ve done in your past.
“It was fine, I guess,” Wang Can replies.
“Well, good news. There’s another nine of them for us to watch. Not now, of course. But we can watch another one tomorrow.”
Wang Can has stopped talking about leaving, Pangzi has noticed, and he’s quite willing to go along with that and act like Wang Can is going to be here for a while longer. He should be.
“I—”
The door slams open and everyone moves at once. Xiaoge grabs his sword from where it was propped up against the couch, Pangzi jumps up and places himself in front of Wang Can, ready to fight anyone who gets too close to him. Wang Can himself has pulled out his knife. He can see the glint of the blade of Wang Can’s knife that Pangzi forgot he was carrying. Good, that means two of the three of them are armed and Pangzi has his fists which are just as dangerous as any blade.
He relaxes when he sees the source of the noise isn’t some enemy but someone very familiar.
“Where is he?” Liu Sang demands and, fuck, he looks a mess. His hair is dishevelled, his eyes wide and wild looking and he’s panting as though he ran all the way here. “You said he was okay, but what happened? Where is he?”
Out of the corner of his eye Pangzi sees Xiaoge sheath his sword and the sigh Wang Can lets out is so loud that Pangzi feels the breath tickle the back of his neck.
“I’m fine. You didn’t need to come here.”
He sounds tired, and Pangzi doesn’t think it has anything to do with his injury. Having family who care about you and worry about you can be a bit much if you’re not used to it.
Wang Can gently places a hand on Pangzi’s arm and moves him to one side so Liu Sang can see him.
Of course Liu Sang’s eyes narrow as he takes in the sling. “That doesn’t look like ‘fine’. Who did this? And don’t bother lying to me. You know I’ll be able to find out easily enough so you may as well just tell me.”
Liu Sang has become quite scary since he started working with Xiao Hua more regularly. He’s always had a sharp tongue, but Xiao Hua has taught Liu Sang how to use it as a weapon to get what he wants. Who knew corporate espionage was even more intense than going into ancient tombs?
Wang Can sighs again and shrugs one shoulder. “It’s not a big deal. Some asshole decided this was a ‘leave no witnesses’ sort of job and he got lucky. Or, rather, the guy he sent to do his dirty work for him got lucky.”
“I want names,” Liu Sang demands and somehow right at this moment the twin who isn’t a former assassin and current mercenary for hire is the one Pangzi is more scared of.
“I’ll handle it,” Wang Can replies. “You don’t need to involve yourself in my business.”
Liu Sang steps closer, then pokes Wang Can in the chest with one long finger. “Your business is my business. Stop being so stubborn.”
Liu Sang is hardly one to talk about stubbornness. Really, these two are far more alike than just their faces.
“I said I’ll handle it,” Wang Can repeats, more firmly this time. He raises himself up to his full height. Liu Sang has a couple of inches on him, but he hunches so Wan Can is able to stand above him like this. “I don’t want you involved.”
Of course Liu Sang isn’t intimidated at all and just stares back at his brother, not flinching and not even blinking.
“I got involved the moment someone hurt you,” Liu Sang replies. “It’s fine if you won’t tell me I just need to make a few calls.”
He drops his bag on the floor and fishes his phone out of his pocket.
“You’re such a pain,” Wang Can groans. “His name is Hou Zhixin, okay. I guess he wanted to make sure the location of the tomb we helped him find just stayed with him. The rest of the team are all dead. He didn’t count on the fact that I’m not your average merc.”
“You’re not,” Liu Sang agrees, and his eyes look a little softer now as he puts his phone back in his pocket. “But he still hurt you, and he won’t get the chance to do it again.”
“I’ll contact Xia,” Xiaoge says. “He’ll take care of it.”
Before anyone can say anything, he puts his sword back where it was and walks out of the room, presumably to contact Hei Xiazi. Pangzi feels a little easier now. Hei Xiazi might be a disaster of a human being, but he’s ruthless and efficient. He’ll get the job done, of that Pangzi is in no doubt.
Wang Can frowns. “Wait, what’s happening? Who is he going to call?”
Pangzi pats Wang Can on the back. He’s about to learn what having friends and family is all about.
“While I fear the day you and Hei Xiazi ever actually meet, let’s just say that you’re not the only mercenary in our little group. Don’t worry, Xiaoge will take care of your little problem.”
Wang Can still looks confused so Pangzi takes mercy on him and spells it out more plainly. “We have a friend who is as good at killing people as you are. He’ll make sure Hou Zhixin and anyone who works for him won’t be a danger to you anymore. We take care of our own, and you’re one of us whether you like it or not.”
For a moment Wang Can looks lost. He looks at Pangzi, then at Liu Sang, then back at Pangzi again. “I—”
“There you are!” Wu Xie walks through the door, which is still wide open from when Liu Sang burst in, and smiles brightly when he sees them all gathered in the living room. “I told you he was fine.”
He comes over to join them, and presses a quick kiss to Liu Sang’s cheek before turning to Pangzi and Wang Can. Pangzi, as he always does when Wu Xie gets back from anywhere, gives him a quick once over. He looks a little tired but not dangerously so. Nothing a nap won’t fix.
“I should go,” Wang Can murmurs softly. And, shit, Pangzi had forgotten about his whole thing of trying to avoid Wu Xie. Hadn’t Pangzi told Wang Can it would be fine? Wu Xie certainly doesn’t seem upset or angry at the sight of Wang Can in their home.
Wu Xie blinks in surprise. “Go? But we only just got here.”
Liu Sang makes a soft noise of distress in the back of his throat and looks at Wang Can with pleading eyes. “I keep telling you that you don’t need to avoid everyone like this.”
“You’re avoiding me?” Wu Xie asks, a hurt look in his eyes that Pangzi is almost certain he’s faking. Oh, he’s doing his thing, and combined with the genuine hurt in Liu Sang’s eyes Pangzi is surprised Wang Can hasn’t caved already.
Okay, they need to deal with his now before it becomes an even bigger thing than it apparently already is for Wang Can.
“Look,” he says calmly while Wu Xie and Liu Sang keep their wounded doe eyes on Wang Can. Pangzi specifically avoids looking at them. “Everyone here has done something shitty to everyone else here at least once during the time we’ve known each other. We’ve all moved past it. Don’t think you’re special just because your cult tried to kill Tianzhen. I could tell you how many people that have tried to kill Tianzhen that he’s ended up befriending but it’s so statistically unlikely that you wouldn’t believe me.”
“It’s not that many,” Wu Xie protests weakly.
“It’s more than anyone else I know,” Pangzi shoots back. “The point is there’s no grudges here. Right, Tianzhen?”
“Of course not,” Wu Xie agrees. “So please don’t leave on my account. Stay, catch up with your brother. He literally ran here to find you. I stopped about half a mile down the road because some goats had escaped from Dong Renshu’s farm and were blocking the way. Liu Sang just got out and started running.”
“I needed to see for myself,” Liu Sang mutters sullenly, but then he turns his sad eyes back onto Wang Can. “Please stay. At least for a while.”
Now that the adrenaline has faded, and the matter of who attacked Wang Can is in hand, Liu Sang looks exhausted and is swaying on his feet.
“Okay,” Pangzi says, darting forward and wrapping an arm around him before he collapses right there in the middle of the living room. “You’ve seen for yourself. Now, come and eat something before you keel over. I’ve already had one unconscious twin on my hands, I really don’t want to deal with another one.”
Liu Sang’s eyes widen and, shit, Pangzi was just trying to lighten the mood. “Unconscious? What? I thought you said he was fine!”
“I’m standing right here,” Wang Can mutters grumpily. “Stop fussing. I am fine.”
“Yes, yes, he’s fine.” Pangzi agrees. “He just took one look at this handsome face and swooned into my arms. What can I say?”
“More like fainted in revulsion,” Liu Sang snaps back. It’s fine. Pangzi knows he doesn’t mean it. This is just how they communicate. It’s fun.
“This is why you need glasses,” Wang Can says, and Pangzi almost lets go of Liu Sang in surprise when he feels a hand stroke up and down his back. “Some of us know a good thing when we see it. I suppose I can stay for a bit. It would be a shame to leave this behind.”
Wang Can is fucking with him, right? Or flirting with him to fuck with his brother. That’s the only explanation for the sudden touching and the fact that Wang Can is now smiling coyly at him.
Yeah, no. The joke has gone too far now.
He manoeuvres Liu Sang into a chair at the dining table and then motions to Wang Can. “Come and sit with your brother. You both need to eat, and you’re due some more pain meds.”
He glances at Wu Xie and since he’s herding idiots with little to no sense of self preservation he may as well do the whole set. He jabs a finger in Wu Xie’s direction. “And, you, when was the last time you ate a proper meal?”
Wu Xie looks around as though he expects someone else to answer for him. Of course no one else is there. “Uh…”
Pangzi sighs, and wonders if at some point during his life he touched something in a tomb that has cursed him to be surrounded by people who are like this. Xiaoge isn’t much better.
“Right, go and sit down with the idiot twins.”
“Hey!” It’s hard to tell which of them sounds more outraged, but since they are both currently acting like idiots Pangzi only has a minimal amount of sympathy.
Wu Xie, at least, knows better than to argue at this point and sits down next to Liu Sang.
Pangzi heads into the kitchen and starts preparing lunch. He got a lovely piece of pork belly from the butcher yesterday that he’d been saving for when Wu Xie got home. Since Liu Sang has come with him, that's even more of a reason to celebrate. At least when everyone is under one roof Pangzi can more easily keep an eye on them.
There’s some leftovers from breakfast that they can finish off with their lunch, and Pangzi puts together another salad using their garden vegetables. He hadn’t been planning on feeding five people for lunch but he’s got enough to make it work.
When he heads back out of the kitchen Xiaoge has reappeared and joined the others at the table. Wu Xie is leaning against him, his head resting on Xiaoge’s shoulder. He always likes to touch when one of them has been away for a period of time. The shadow of the ten years Xiaoge was gone still lingers, and Wu Xie just likes to remind himself that Xiaoge is really here with them.
Wang Can and Liu Sang are glaring at each other. Not in any meaningful way, but they’ve clearly been bickering about something the way that they tend to do whenever they get together. They’ve got years of sibling arguments to catch up on, Pangzi supposes.
“Shut up,” Wang Can mutters at Liu Sang and is he blushing? Pangzi doesn’t know if he’s ever seen Wang Can blush before. Whatever they were talking about has Liu Sang practically beaming in delight in spite of his obvious exhaustion.
Pangzi is quite sure that, whatever it is, he doesn’t want to know.
“No bickering at the table,” he says as he sets down the steaming dishes. “Tianzhen, we’re all glad you’re back but sit up while you eat or you’ll get indigestion.”
He gives the twins the biggest cuts of meat. They clearly need it.
Once he’s happy that everyone has plenty to eat and drink he takes his own seat on the other side of Xiaoge and tucks in.
Wang Can, just like every other meal he’s had here, inhales his lunch as though he hasn’t eaten in a week. He definitely has a healthy appetite, unlike his brother who always eats carefully and demurely. He’s never said as much, but Pangzi wonders if part of Liu Sang’s shitty upbringing involved food. He never eats fast, even when Pangzi knows it’s been a long time since his last meal.
It would be easy to lose himself in pity for these two. But then, with the exception of Wu Xie, who at this table hasn’t had a shitty childhood. The important thing is that they all survived. The twins found each other again, and Pangzi and Xiaoge both found a new family with each other and with Wu Xie. It’s as close to a happy ending as any of them could wish for.
By the time they finish eating Liu Sang is practically asleep in his seat, slumping further and further into Wang Can who, for once, doesn’t complain at all and just adjusts his position so that his brother is more comfortable.
Wu Xie is watching them with a soft smile on his face, but that doesn’t hide the fact that he’s clearly also tired.
“Right,” Pangzi says a little louder than necessary. Liu Sang’s eyes snap open and he sits upright in his chair. Pangzi feels a little bad about that, but at least this way no one has to carry him to bed.
“Jinx, Tianzhen, you’ve both had a long journey. You should go and get some sleep.”
“I’m not tired,” Liu Sang mumbles, and then immediately yawns, which puts a stop to that obvious lie.
“Yes you are,” Wang Can replies and if having him around means Pangzi is going to have backup when it comes to bullying Liu Sang into eating enough and sleeping enough then he can stay for as long as he wants.
Liu Sang looks at his brother, all wide eyed and sad. Him and Wu Xie will be a lethal combination if they ever decide to use the puppy eyes simultaneously. “Will you still be here when I wake up?”
That’s the big question, isn’t it? Wang Can had been eager to leave as soon as possible yesterday, but today that urgency is gone. If Hei Xiazi is going to take care of the people who hurt Wang Can there’s really no need for him to rush off, is there?
“I guess I don’t have anywhere urgent to be,” Wang Can says with a put-upon sigh. Pangzi isn’t blind though, he can see that Wang Can’s eyes get a little softer when he’s talking to his brother. “It’s not like anyone is going to want to hire me while my arm is strapped up like this anyway.”
Liu Sang smiles, soft and gentle. “I don’t have a job immediately lined up either.”
Pangzi has to resist the urge to beam. It’ll be nice to have everyone in one place for more than a few hours, and from the way they’re talking it doesn’t sound like either twin is in any rush to get back to work.
Liu Sang looks at Wu Xie. “Is it okay if he stays?”
Pangzi almost snorts. As though Wu Xie would ever deny Liu Sang anything. He’s as helpless against Liu Sang’s big eyes as he is against the soft looks that Xiaoge uses when he wants Wu Xie to do something.
“Of course,” Wu Xie predictably says. “We have plenty of space.”
“Plenty of food too,” Pangzi chimes in. “Don’t you worry, jinx. I’ll make sure you and your brother get all the food and sleep that you need. Speaking of sleep, weren’t you two going to take a nap?”
“I’ll join you soon,” Xiaoge says, already gathering the plates and bowls up to go and do the dishes.
Liu Sang almost falls in his rush to get up and head into the bedroom, with Wu Xie following at a more leisurely pace. Pangzi wonders if Liu Sang is ever going to get over his crush on Xiaoge. Isn’t it a bit weird to have a crush on someone you’re already in a relationship with?
Well, he’s not one to judge.
With a long nap on the cards for Liu Sang, Wu Xie, and apparently also Xiaoge, that just leaves Wang Can. Wang Can could probably use a nap too, but he’s less likely to admit that than the others. That’s okay, though. Pangzi has ways of getting what he wants. And what he wants right now is for Wang Can to take a nap.
“Come on,” Pangzi says. “Your bandages need changing.”
It’s not a lie, but it’s also not necessary for him to change the bandages in the bedroom. He’s just hoping that Wang Can will see the nice comfortable bed and decide that using it for sleep is actually a good idea.
“Sit down on the bed and take your shirt off,” he says as he heads into the bathroom to retrieve the first aid kit. They don’t plough through medical supplies as fast now that they no longer venture into tombs on a regular basis. It’s probably going to need to be refilled once Wang Can is recovered, though.
When he gets back into the bedroom Wang Can has taken off both Pangzi’s shirt and his undershirt leaving him bare chested apart from the bandage that’s wrapped around one shoulder.
Shit, Pangzi really didn’t think this through. Wang Can’s quite prominent muscles are just…right there. He’s looking at Pangzi curiously. Have his eyes always been that big?
“Why are you just standing there?” Wang Can asks, snapping Pangzi out of his thoughts. Wang Can leers at him. “I know I’m the hotter twin, but there’s no need to stand there gawping at my amazing body.”
He’s joking, and has no idea how close to the truth he’s getting.
He’d got a glimpse of Wang Can’s muscles during his workout with Xiaoge earlier that morning. But there’s a big difference between seeing some well defined arms and this. Also, he’s Liu Sang’s brother. Pangzi should not be looking at him like this.
He ignores the comment and sits down on the bed, setting the first aid kit down next to him. He’s not going to rush and do a sloppy job, but the sooner he’s done the sooner Wang Can can put his shirt back on.
“Turn—” his voice comes out dry and cracked. Fuck, this is embarssing. Why is he acting like a blushing teenager? “Turn around.”
Wang Can does as he’s asked and Pangzi swallows back the lump in his throat when he can see the muscles in Wang Can’s back ripple as he moves. He should have asked Liu Sang to do this, or anyone else really.
The bandage on Wang Can’s shoulder looks clean, which is a good sign. He hasn’t bled through the dressing at all and there’s no sign of redness on the surrounding skin. He’ll have a better idea of what he’s dealing with once he takes off the bandage though.
“Let me know if I hurt you,” he says as he starts unwrapping Wang Can’s shoulder.
It feels weirdly intimate considering it’s just a bandage, like he’s undressing Wang Can even though Wang Can has already removed his shirt.
“You won’t hurt me.”
Wang Can says it like it’s a fact. Of course he’s dealing with another idiot who considers pain a part of everyday life. Xiaoge is the same. Pangzi still remembers the time Xiaoge broke his arm in a tomb with them and acted like it was little more than an inconvenience.
“Not on purpose,” Pangzi confirms. “But if I do you need to tell me, okay? You don’t need to put on a brave face. It’s only me.”
He finally finishes unwrapping the bandage, revealing a gauze pad underneath. That also looks clean with no sign that Wang Can has bled through it. Dr Li clearly did a good job. There’s definitely more to him than just an elderly village doctor.
If it was Wu Xie he’d be itching to find out all the doctor’s secrets. Beyond a mild curiosity Pangzi really doesn’t care about the man’s past. He’s just grateful he was there to stitch Wang Can up, and the knowledge that someone this competent is close by if they need him is reassuring.
He carefully peels away the gauze and the wound underneath it looks good. A small row of neat stitches, no inflamed skin or pus. It’s definitely healing nicely.
It’s the first time he’s got a good look at the wound. Dr Li had been the one to remove the knife and stitch Wang Can up while Pangzi and Xiaoge had stayed out of the way, simply passing things if he asked for them.
The wound isn’t as big as it could have been, but the knife has gone right through the head of the phoenix tattoo that marks all members of the Wang Family. It’s probably going to scar, although Pangzi observes it’s not the only scar on Wang Can’s back or arms. There’s one more that’s definitely what remains of a gunshot wound, a few that were made by knives or other blades, and one that looks alarmingly like the lash of a whip.
It’s too many for someone who hasn’t even hit their thirties yet, and Pangzi feels a strange need to brush his fingers over them.
He really needs to stop having these thoughts about Liu Sang’s brother. Not if he wants to live at any rate.
Back to business.
He puts some iodine on a cotton bud and carefully cleans the wound. Wang Can flinches when it makes contact with his skin.
“Shit, sorry,” Pangzi quickly apologises. He needs to clean the wound but he should have warned Wang Can first. He knows how much it can sting.
“It’s fine,” Wang Can replies, sounding strangely detached from the whole situation. “Just cold, that’s all.”
He’s not sure whether Wang Can is lying or not. He hopes not. Wang Can should be able to say if something hurts him, even if he doesn’t think it’s a big deal. “Still, I’m sorry. This won’t take long.”
Since the wound is relatively small it only takes a minute or two for him to clean it and the surrounding area.
“How does it look?” Wang Can asks. “Another scar to add to the collection?”
He’s so casual about the old injuries that mark his body that for a moment Pangzi doesn’t know what to say. Once again he wishes some of those Wang assholes were still alive so he could kill them himself.
“It’s messed up your tattoo.” He doesn’t know what else to say. He’s fairly sure if he expresses sympathy or pity Wang Can will just shut down even more than he already has.
“Good,” Wang Can replies. “I’m going to get it covered up as soon as I decide on a new design anyway.”
Pangzi wonders what he’ll cover it with. He doesn’t blame Wang Can for wanting it gone. From what he understands he was given the tattoo when he was still a child, and who wants a permanent reminder of the cult that abused and brainwashed him.
“I know a good tattoo artist,” he offers. “She’s very skilled. I can put you in touch when you’re ready, if you want.”
Wang Can doesn’t reply. Is it too much? They’re not exactly friends. In fact Pangzi doesn’t really know what they are. There was a time he’d have tortured Wang Can without hesitation if he thought it would help Wu Xie and Xiaoge. Then he got to know him a little bit, thanks to Liu Sang, and then Wang Can had come to him for help.
‘It’s complicated’ doesn’t even begin to cover it.
So he wraps Wang Can’s shoulder in fresh gauze and bandages, and tries not to think about it too much.
“You’re nothing like what I expected,” Wang Can suddenly says, startling Pangzi so much he almost drops the first aid kit that he was in the middle of packing back up.
“Yeah? Better or worse?”
He’s not actually sure which answer he’s hoping for.
“I thought you were this stone cold badass,” Wang Can says. “I don’t know if you’d have actually set me on fire, but I think you’d have done whatever was necessary to get me to talk if I hadn’t escaped.”
Pangzi resents the past tense that Wang Can is using. “Hey, I am a badass.”
Wang Can snorts. “Sure. All I hear about from Liu Sang is that you keep bullying him into eating enough and getting enough rest, and that you soundproofed one of the bedrooms to help him sleep better.”
Well, yes, all of that is true. Liu Sang does need to eat and sleep more.
“And then there’s me,” Wang Can continues, because apparently he isn’t done. “All you’ve done since I showed up on your doorstep with a knife sticking out of me is look after me. Even Liu Sang doesn’t fuss the way you do.”
“I could kick your ass, punk, if that would make you feel better,” Pangzi mutters. He has no idea where Wang Can is going with this, but it sounds like he thinks Pangzi is soft. He is not soft.
“I bet you could,” Wang Can replies. “But I prefer you like this. It’s…nice.”
Oh. Well. Pangzi feels warm and uncomfortable. Is he getting sick? There’s a thermometer in the first aid kit. Maybe he should take his temperature to check.
“You should get some rest,” Pangzi says instead, clutching the first aid kit to his chest as though just holding it will protect him from the way his stomach is fluttering. “Everyone else is.”
“And what about you?” Wang Can asks. “Who takes care of you while you’re busy taking care of everyone else?”
Pangzi doesn’t need anyone to take care of him. He’s fine. So long as everyone else is okay, then he’s okay too. Right now, for example, he’d be happy if Wang Can laid down and got some sleep.
Apparently reading his mind, Wang Can does actually lie down. He’s careful to avoid lying on his shoulder and he doesn’t bother putting either of his shirts back on.
Once he’s comfortable he looks up at Pangzi and, fuck, Pangzi is so screwed.
“Plenty of room if you want to take a nap too,” Wang Can says with a grin, patting the bed next to him as though Pangzi might not understand what he meant.
“I’ve got my own bed,” Pangzi points out. His own bed, where he sleeps alone while Wu Xie, Xiaoge and Liu Sang sleep in a pile in their bed.
“What if I get a fever or start bleeding through my bandages?” Wang Can asks, blinking his eyes innocently and, okay, he really needs to never team up with Wu Xie and Liu Sang ever. “Besides, it’s warmer and more cosy with two people.”
He can’t deny that Wang Can has a point. But it’s Wang Can. It’s not that he’s unattractive. Pangzi has eyes. But he’s hurt and he’s Liu Sang’s brother. Pangzi very much does not want to wake up because Liu Sang has shanked him while he was sleeping.
“Are you scared?” Wang Can asks. “Is it because you know I could kill you if I wanted to?”
Pangzi snorts. “If I refused to share a bed with anyone who would kill me I’d have slept alone my entire life. Okay, fine, but if your brother tries to kill me I will be using you as a human shield. Just so we’re clear.”
He kicks off his slippers and climbs into bed with Wang Can, and that is something he never imagined in a million years he would ever find himself doing.
“I can’t believe you’re more scared of Liu Sang than me,” Wang Can grumbles. “Years as a spy and assassin and you’re scared of the twin who is just really good at listening to stuff.”
“Your brother is a lot more than that,” Pangzi counters and why are they even arguing about this? “I’ve seen him fight. He’s scrappy, and scrappy fighters are the ones you need to watch out for. You never know what they’re going to do.”
He rolls onto his side to look at Wang Can, and almost flails out of bed when he finds himself just a couple of inches away from Wang Can’s face. When had he got so close? Pangzi hadn’t even heard him move.
Wang Can smirks at him, closing the distance between them and brushing a warm kiss over Pangzi’s lips.
What the fuck?
Wang Can’s smirk gets even bigger when he pulls back. “Looks like you never know what I’m going to do either.”
Fuck! Was all of this just to make a joke, or make a point or something?
“You’re cute when you look all startled like this,” Wang Can says and now he’s actually snuggling. He’s tucked his head under Pangzi’s chin and is resting his head on Pangzi’s shoulder.
Now, Pangzi likes a cuddle as much as anyone. He’ll often snuggle with Wu Xie or Xiaoge on the sofa while they’re watching a movie or taking a nap. But this is different. It feels intimate, and it’s Wang Can, not one of his best friends that he’s known for twenty years. What is he supposed to do?
“I can hear you thinking,” Wang Can says, cracking one eye open and looking at Pangzi. “Stop it. Just go to sleep.”
Like it’s that easy. Although apparently it is that easy because Pangzi can feel Wang Can getting limp and heavy as he drifts off to sleep.
So, Pangzi now has a sleeping assassin in his arms. A man Pangzi interrogated and threatened to torture years ago. A man who has the same face as the lover of his two best friends.
It’s too weird.
Isn’t it?
Pangzi can’t deny that having someone in his bed cuddled up against him like this is kind of nice, and while Wang Can isn’t snoring exactly he’s making little huffing sounds that he will deny are cute if Wang Can asks.
So, Pangzi needs to weigh up the value of having someone with a great body, who is complicated and interesting, and for some reason apparently likes Pangzi in his bed versus getting murdered by said man’s twin brother and having to explain to Wu Xie that he is sleeping with a former member of the family that Wu Xie wiped out.
Actually, of the two main problems he thinks Wu Xie will be okay with the fact that Wang Can is a Wang. After all, Wu Xie has managed to win over multiple people who tried to kill him just by being cute and helpless. This is no different, except Pangzi isn’t helpless.
Wait, that’s right. He isn’t helpless. So why is he lying here like some kind of blushing teenager?
It’s a pity Wang Can is already asleep, because Pangzi bets that if he kissed him right now the boot would soon be on the other foot. Wang Can, as Pangzi has discovered, can dish it but he can’t take it.
Well, after their nap then.
He feels better now that he has a plan and closes his eyes. The sound of Wang Can breathing is surprisingly soothing and Pangzi soon feels himself starting to drift off.
When he’s had some much needed sleep he’ll definitely kiss Wang Can, and laugh when he’s the one blushing instead.
Checkmate.