Chapter Text
Alone.
He was born into chaos where no one truly acknowledged his existence. Inside that house the caretakers only did their jobs... feed him milk when he cried from hunger, place him into a crib and rock it back and forth until he fell asleep, everything felt mechanical as though they were tending to something less than human. They completed their tasks, collected their money and left
And once he learned how to walk things only became quieter.
Every week attendance at dinner was mandatory. His father was a man obsessed with discipline, demanded obedience without affection so all twelve brothers would gather around the long furnished dining table while HuaYong sat at the very far end -that had always been his place in the household far away and forgotten
he never spoke, not even a simple yes or no because no one ever asked him anything to begin with. HuaYong existed like a shadow seated among them only to fulfill his father's rules and after every dinner came what his brothers considered entertainment.
His father would disappear into his room with his wicked mother leaving five-year old HuaYong alone with twelve boys who had all learned cruelty at a young age.
They would call him mute and dumb because his silence irritated them. They wanted reactions from him... wanted proof that something existed beneath that empty expression so they cut at his bare skin with sharp objects or shoved him into the pool, held his head underwater until his lungs burned from lack of air
Little HuaYong was bullied relentlessly once a week after every dinner yet he never fought back, he simply found them pathetic... twelve older brothers tormenting the youngest child because they were desperate enough to seek amusement from someone who refused to give them even a scream
He had no friends, considered none of them family and his mother was nothing more than a figure who had given birth to him only to secure her position within the household and somehow HuaYong adapted to it all far too well.
loneliness never wounded him the way it would have wounded another child..
It became his strength, an advantage because being alone meant there was no one capable of disappointing him., no attachments to weaken him, no affection to manipulate and certainly nothing he could lose.
Isolation became enough to comfort him and over the years HuaYong wore it so naturally that people mistook it for superiority rather than survival
and for the first time in his life everything fell out of place because HuaYong could not control one thing ...the way Sheng Shaoyou made him feel
HuaYong had spent his life building walls so straight and thick that no one could ever reach him or move him so when a single crack finally appeared, it consumed all of his attention because who could possibly crack a wall this strong?
and once that crack existed HuaYong could no longer look away from it.
His curiosity, focus and obsession began revolving around the same person relentlessly, until Sheng Shaoyou became the center of his attention. He wanted to understand the crack, trace it open with his own hands and consume every reason behind it until nothing remained unknown to him ...it all felt absurdly addictive the way HuaYong wanted that man entirely, every reaction, every thought and every part of him that could still make his carefully controlled world tremble.
It stopped being a simple fascination long ago.
Only Sheng Shaoyou was capable of ruining him and perhaps that was exactly why HuaYong became so obsessed
A tattoo meant something permanent, no one carelessly put ink onto their skin... they thought it through, searched for a design that felt perfect and only went through with it once they were certain.
But HuaYong had walked into the tattoo shop he spotted during the drive without a second thought. Sheng Shaoyou had already carved himself into his mind every single fucking day so tattooing him onto his skin would make no difference now
"I want lunar phases"
(i took inspiration from BTS Jimin's back tattoos 💗 i've always found them beautiful. You can check them out for reference)
"Right on your back? Where your shoulder blades meet?" the Italian tattoo artist asked through his thick accent
"Yes"
"Do you want anything designed around the moon? We can figure out something more elaborate, make it look fanc-"
"No. Just the main phases. Keep it original"
HuaYong cut him off as he pulled his shirt over his head, his tone leaving no room for further discussion
Fresh cuts lined his arms and bandages wrapped tightly around his torso. The tattoo artist looked alarmed for a moment but HuaYong didn't seem to care about the state he was in so the man let it go while a quiet exhale slipping from him -it was the first customer he couldn't charm into friendly conversation
"Okay... -sir"
HuaYong laid on his front while the artist pressed the needles into his back, the tattoo settling vertically along his spine -simple and claiming of that one person behind it.
He sighed softly. The pain was nothing compared to what his body had already endured after taking a knife wound two days ago that nearly took his life. Almost two months in Europe had been hell.
His mind drifted to the events of the past months...
The renewal of the contract had failed. Meetings that were meant for negotiation only ended in bloodshed. Yet despite everything, neither side could afford to completely destroy the other.
The old Italian syndicate and the Thirteenth Dominion needed each other to keep operations running smoothly across Europe and Asia, but the tension between them had only continued to grow over the years.
The previous agreement had already collapsed and a new contract was supposed to replace it, instead one side attacked first and that was how HuaYong ended up here
"Mr. Hua, we have survived this long because of our alliance"
the man spoke in fluent English though the thick Italian accent remained unmistakable.
HuaYong leaned back in his chair with an unreadable expression
"yet your people attacked one of our operations without reason. It makes me question the years we spent maintaining this partnership" his English was smooth -perfected during the six years he spent abroad
"forty of our men were detained by the Chinese authorities" the old man snapped "and you did nothing"
"that sounds more like your incompetence than my responsibility"
"We shared routes" the Italian said coldly "Intelligence and protecti-"
"I provided infrastructure" HuaYong interrupted "never intended to be your saviour"
Neither side yielded easily.
The old Italian syndicate valued tradition and loyalty above all else.
The Thirteenth Dominion viewed alliances differently -relationships only remained valuable as long as both sides continued to be useful.
"after all these years, we cannot even trust you to free our people?" the Italian asked darkly
"I already told you" HuaYong said, impatience finally slipping into his voice "their capture was your failure" his tone sharpened "and what did you do in return? Twenty-three Dominion operatives are dead... you've become careless. Did you truly expect me to remain silent after that?"
The old man's breathing grew heavier as their eyes locked onto each other.
"I had forty men in your hands"
HuaYong laughed once, low and humorless "my hands?" he leaned forward slightly "you truly are getting old"
His voice turned cold "I am not your errand boy... now sign the revised contract before I change my mind"
A slow chuckle echoed from the other side of the table.
"a young boss should not attempt to command a man far more experienced than himself" The Italian paused "watch your back, Mr. Hua"
HuaYong's eyes narrowed slightly "I see that is your conclusion"
and it began that moment. Blood spilled over a contract neither side would tear apart nor sign. It became a battle of pride -a question of who would back down first.
After almost two months of wasted resources and lives in the end the contract was signed over silence rather than victory.
Neither the old Italian syndicate nor the Thirteenth Dominion walked away satisfied but they understood one thing clearly -destroying each other would cost far more. So the signatures came with cold expressions and loaded guns still resting beneath the table, an agreement born not from trust but necessity..
His thoughts were snapped back to reality
..."do you have a reason for this?"
The tattoo artist asked absentmindedly, eyes still focused on the stencil pressed against HuaYong's skin. He was used to customers talking through sessions -people filling silence with heartbreaks, drunken decisions, old lovers, dead brothers etc so the question came naturally...
HuaYong, however stilled as the low buzz of the tattoo machine faded into the background. His thoughts drifted somewhere...
Reason?
Sheng Shaoyou. Of course.
He thought of the first time he saw him at that hallway above the banquet hall. The distant sound of laughter beneath them while Sheng Shaoyou stood entirely untouched by it all, one hand in his pocket, eyes sharp enough to split bone apart.
One look.
That was all it took...
HuaYong remembered going home afterward and failing to sleep for three consecutive nights. Every time he shut his eyes he saw that face again -that indifferent expression with a voice low and rough with impatience
It was hurting his pride at first, a man like him reduced to restlessness over nothing more than a face and a voice but Sheng Shaoyou had always been different
The next came urges HuaYong had never experienced before -wanting to taste someone just because of the way they looked at him... wanting to provoke him only to see that temper snap loose or wanting to drag reactions out of a man who kept himself locked behind steel walls and then came the night when the silence of his penthouse settled -he couldn't help but touch himself ...coming completely undone just by imagining his face... craving him like a wild beast in heat. All these were entirely a new thing for HuaYong.
And the deeper he dug into Sheng Shaoyou's life, the worse it became.
HuaYong had spent his entire life uninterested in people beyond their usefulness. Men were assets, threats, temporary entertainment. Nothing stayed long enough to matter but then Sheng Shaoyou crossed every line he had. He simply walked through them as if they had never existed and somehow he carried something dangerous inside him so furious and unreachable and HuaYong wanted it with terrifying intensity.
It truly began the night HuaYong looked up at the moon and finally understood what this feeling was.
Certainly not something as simple as love but he calls it inevitability.
An orbit -a pull he could no longer escape from.
"It's an answer"
HuaYong said at last
"yeah?"
The artist replied as if wanting to hear more
HuaYong closed his eyes -his long lashes fluttering. Sheng Shaoyou... just talking about him makes his blood rush and his breath shake
God he wanted him constantly -his attention, his voice, his anger, every glance thrown his way it was absurd -he had never wanted something the way he wanted that man.
and he had realised he could not control himself when it came to this man Hell... Not even his own heartbeat, it falls into a completely different rhythm at the mere thought of Shaoyou
"No matter what version of him I get,"
he said quietly "I'll take all of it" that's exactly what the tattoo mean
-New moon.
-Waxing crescent.
-Half-moons.
-Full moons....
even the phase where the moon disappears completely from the earth, it did not matter.
If Sheng Shaoyou was furious, he wanted him
If he was broken, HuaYong wanted him more
If he turned cruel, distant, unbearable -HuaYong would still follow after him, even if violently, he would because he had finally found someone worthy enough to ruin him.
_________________
Except for the moments where the memory of flinching when that man grabbed his hand resurfaced Sheng Shaoyou had accepted it.
Yes, trauma that deep wouldn't just disappear and HuaYong might have been right, his body could only adapt so much
but with that psycho gone and that woman's death right in his hands, Shaoyou seemed to be in a better mood.
For the past two months, Sheng Creed had recovered just a little bit of their losses but it was still better than nothing and honestly Shaoyou could bow at a perfect ninety degrees and thank anybody at this point because HuaYong hadn't reached out in two month.
He had that number blocked which was saved as 'your ride or die' in his contact and was quite surprised when he received no calls or messages from any new number.
Just the relief of thinking that man might have finally moved on despite the last time they spoke outside the dumpling soup restaurant -he had told him he'd come back or whatever bullshit was coming out ...Shaoyou didn't want to give attention to any of that.
People were always like that anyway, their feelings and emotions fluctuated all the time and honestly it was perfect because he had officially been free and his rest had been better.
They were walking through the training grounds, overlooking the condition of the equipment.
Shaoyou noticed the way his secretary had been acting lately. He looked almost uncomfortable around him and at first, he didn't question it but this was his damn secretary -the person he trusted with everything so being concerned was normal
"What's with you? Tell me if there's anything you need to" he side-eyed Pinming
Pinming replied so quickly it almost sounded rehearsed
"Boss, everything is okay. There's nothing to report"
"you know I'm not talking about reports... if you want to take a week off ..even months is fine with me"
Guilt was literally going to eat Pinming alive at this point. He hated the way Shaoyou had always treated him well.
"No, Boss, I'll be okay. I was just feeling sick, but now I'm fine. Thank you for your concern"
'Soon enough I'll have to leave you. Let me serve you properly ...now at least'
Shaoyou only looked at him with his concerned eyes
"fine, if that's what you want" he sighed "and things are pretty much going back to normal with that person finally getting off my ass so we don't have to deal with interruptions in our smuggling anymore"
Pinming chuckled lightly "he brought quite a lot of chaos, Boss. He seemed-"
He paused, thinking twice before speaking
"Mr. Hua seemed very into you"
Shaoyou huffed in annoyance
"he better not return"
Pinming was reminded of the time HuaYong followed Shaoyou towards his car before they head to club for a drink. The look on HuaYong's face that night had been genuinely disturbing
Pinming only hoped his Boss would stay away from further chaos because trouble was already making its way toward Shaoyou and painful enough he himself was part of it now
though he didn't truly know what his Boss felt toward HuaYong, that man had somehow managed to dig himself into every corner of Shaoyou's life. Especially the trauma -capturing her and offering her to Shaoyou had been such a terrifying move and the two men had spent more than a few moments together in complete chaos like the time Shaoyou walked out of HuaYong's villa completely disoriented- with flushed cheeks, swollen lips and messy hair -it had been obvious what his Boss had indulged himself in just from one look alone so naturally, the relationship between HuaYong and Shaoyou could be deeper than it appeared but Pinming kept his boundaries. It wasn't his business, it was his Boss's personal life.
Yet deep down, Pinming worried about what would happen if HuaYong ever decided to return. He glanced subtly at Shaoyou walking beside him, looking far too relaxed compared to the last month. His Boss was finally breathing easier again, sleeping better and talking a little more, it really would be a shame if all of this got ruined again
"Boss"
"Hm?" Shaoyou hummed absentmindedly, still checking the condition of the training equipment nearby
Pinming hesitated for a moment before speaking carefully
"If... Mr. Hua ever comes back, what will you do?"
Shaoyou stopped walking briefly, the question clearly caught him off guard.
He clicked his tongue softly before continuing forward again
"there's been no news from the Thirteenth Dominion for over two months... who knows which poor people they're busy destroying right now" his tone sounded dismissive
Pinming stayed silent.
Shaoyou let out another irritated sigh, shoving his hands into his pockets
"and as long as he stays away from me, I genuinely don't care"
Yet strangely enough, the moment those words left his mouth, that faint tingling sensation spread in his chest
Annoying.
The man had caused nothing but chaos since entering his life. Violence, manipulation, sleepless nights and moments Shaoyou genuinely didn't know how to process...
and yet... truthfully the silence HuaYong left behind somehow felt noticeable too because HuaYong had made himself too visible for Shaoyou to forget him just like that...
from discovering his vulnerable past, handing his trauma right at his hands to sharing a heated moment together -his first kiss... he won't deny, there are nights HuaYong occupied his mind and he hated every moment of it and even more at himself and his body for responding.
Surprising and embarrassingly enough his body had betrayed him ever since that morning in HuaYong's villa. Now his manhood would spring alive from time to time, no longer dormant.
It reacted before his mind could stop it.
Against his will and against his pride.
There had even been one night where he'd lost the battle against himself entirely -alone in the suffocating dark, weak and restless beneath the sheets... he had given in to the humiliating ache in his body and touched himself while remembering that kiss -the rough pull of HuaYong's hand at the back of his neck, the heat of his breath, the memory of HuaYong's mouth on his burning too vividly and that thick warm tongue plunging in his mouth... firm thighs pressing against his manhood...
Fuck.
The realization alone made him sick the next morning.
It was unbearable.
He regretted it bitterly but no matter how much he denied it, no matter how violently he tried to suppress it, the truth remained disgusting and undeniable ...his body responded only when it came to that man.
And he hated it.
God, he hated it down to the marrow of his bones that his body craved the one person he wanted to stay away from the most and the bitterness of that truth sat in his chest like poison.
"...but isn't it good? Only I'll help you. Only I'll touch you... and no one has to know Shaoyou"
Wait... at this time why the fuck was he thinking about him?? Oh he must be out of his mind.
Shaoyou grabbed a few knives from the nearby weapons table before walking toward the practice range, he needed to clear his mind.
Pinming followed behind him. The target dummy stood several feet away already filled with old blade marks from previous training sessions. Shaoyou rolled his shoulders once before twirling one of the knives lazily between his fingers, his thoughts drifted to things he felt it mattered
"for the next few months" he spoke calmly as his eyes fixed ahead "I want Sheng Creed to focus more on drugs, goods, arms and ammunition routes"
A knife flew from his hand instantly.
Thud.
It pierced directly into the center of the target. Shaoyou grabbed another one
"that's enough profit already. We don't need to stretch our hands into every filthy business out there"
Thud.
Another clean hit.
Pinming stayed silent while listening
"I don't want Sheng Creed involved in human trafficking" Shaoyou said flatly "or organ trafficking"
The next kniknife struck harder than the previous two, embedding deeply into the wooden target
"that'll be my borderline"
Pinming lowered his gaze slightly, sometimes he genuinely thought his Boss was not meant to lead an underworld organization not because he had weakness but because of certain differences because every damn mafia surrounding them was involved in human trafficking in one way or another. Organ trafficking too.
Those businesses earned horrifying amounts of money quickly, it was one of the easiest ways to rise fast and swallow entire markets whole.
But Shaoyou never touched those operations. Never allowed them near Sheng Creed and Pinming understood why.
Shaoyou's father had been deeply involved in those trades years ago. As a child, Shaoyou had witnessed horrific things no child should ever see. People treated less than animals and somewhere within all of that ugliness, the roots of Shaoyou's trauma had formed and yet unlike other boss Shaoyou did not let those things shape him to be the same and that makes him different.
Pinming still remembered the rare moments his Boss would go completely quiet whenever topics like trafficking or underground surgeries surfaced during meetings. The look in his eyes always changed slightly to cold and distant like memories he hated were clawing their way back up again.
Another knife flew from Shaoyou's hand.
Thud.
Straight into the head of the target... Shaoyou exhaled softly before speaking again.
"I already deal with enough garbage daily. I'm not dragging innocent people into it too"
Maybe that was exactly why people like Pinming stayed loyal to Sheng Shaoyou.
Because beneath all the chaos, smuggling, violence and bloodshed their Boss still held onto parts of humanity that most men in the underworld had already buried long ago.
While the Thirteenth Dominion remained at the top, God knew how filthy that mafia truly was -one of the reasons Shaoyou hated them and wanted absolutely nothing to do with them even before he met HuaYong.
Organizations like that thrived in darkness too deep for him to tolerate. Their name alone carried stories of massacres, disappearances, trafficking routes and brutal executions whispered throughout the underworld.
Shaoyou killed too. He was far from innocent but he got rid of people who betrayed Sheng Creed, ruined deals, threatened their business or harmed his people. But there were still lines he refused to cross.
He never killed for enjoyment, never tortured innocent people and never dragged unwilling victims into hell just for profit.
And that was exactly why mafias like the Thirteenth Dominion disgusted him, unfortunately, HuaYong stood right at the center of it all.
Pinming's phone suddenly rang, interrupting the silence around the training grounds
"Excuse me for a moment, Boss"
Shaoyou only hummed absentmindedly in response. By now he was already lost in his own thoughts again.
He switched from knives to a handgun raising it calmly toward the targets ahead
Bang.
Direct hit.
Bang.
Another perfect shot.
The sharp sound of bullets echoed repeatedly through the training grounds while Shaoyou remained expressionless, almost using the shooting to quiet his thoughts entirely
A few minutes later, Pinming returned
"Boss,"
he called out "there's a ring fight this week. Do you wish to go?"
Shaoyou paused mid-motion
It had been a long time since he last attended one. Mostly because he barely had time for events like that anymore even though places like those were considered entertainment among people in their world.
After a moment of silence Shaoyou lowered the gun
"add to the schedule"
"Alright, Boss"
__________________________________
Back to China
The moment his private jet landed in Jianghu, HuaYong didn't even bother resting. Straight from the airport, he headed directly toward the ring fight venue
That alone said enough about his priorities.
The city lights blurred past outside the tinted car windows. His man wouldn't dare disturb him after weeks of witnessing his temper overseas.
his phone vibrated.
A new message.
One of his men had sent a photo from inside the VIP lounge and the moment HuaYong opened it-
everything inside him snapped.
Seconds passed.
His eyes were nearly bloodshot from staring at his phone screen for too long.
A captured photo filled the display
Song HuanCheng sitting beside Shaoyou inside the VIP lounge with a small smile on his lips.
Just breathing beside HIM -as if HuaYong's warning had meant absolutely nothing.
His grip around the phone tightened dangerously, the veins along the back of his hand surfaced while rage crawled beneath his skin and his jaw tightened violently
A dark laugh escaped his throat, low and humorless
"still not listening..."
he muttered quietly to himself
The driver tensed instinctively and ChangYu looked worried.
His thumb slowly zoomed further into the picture- onto Shaoyou specifically.
Alive and fine ...so damn beautiful as always -that ugly possessiveness inside HuaYong eased for only a second before Song HuanCheng entered the frame again as he zoomed out, his hands shook from jealousy.
Immediately, his blood began boiling all over again.
Two months.
He had survived hell for two fucking months only to return and find that man occupying the seat beside Shaoyou
That guy was so dead tonight.
He had barely survived a knife wound. Endless nights fighting through ambushes. Recovery alone had taken him far longer than expected and there were days he genuinely couldn't move properly without reopening stitches.
But now?
Now he was finally fully fit again and excited... excited to return and see the only man he had thought day and night in those miserable two months only to be welcomed like this.
HuaYong leaned back slowly against the seat, eyes darkening dangerously while the lights of the underground arena slowly came into view outside the window.
A faint smile tugged at his lips. Psychotic. He will put on a show tonight for everyone to see.
"Changyu" he called out
"yes Boss"
"Talk to the cordinator and add me to the ring tonight"