#chenai

He didn't need Chen Dong Yang here to express his disappointment, he could feel it down to his marrow with every thumping heartbeat that pounded in his breast and throbbed behind his eye.

"Chen Yi," Ai Di's hand caught his arm, fingers pressed hard against the taut corded muscle that strained against the way Chen Yi clenched his now bruised fist. "It's alright." He said, despite the way his words were slightly off, slurred by his split lip and bruised jaw.

The last thing he wanted was Ai Di out of his sight after this. He wanted Ai Di glued to his side, attached to him in more ways than just the symbolic binding properties of the rings on their fingers. All the same, he wanted to hide him away - to tuck him into their room where he knew he was safe and couldn't be stolen away again. He knew neither option was acceptable to fierce, free spirited Ai Di but he had to try something.

"Di, can't you just go? Just.. go to our room. Take care of these." He said through clenched teeth, hand lifting to brush his thumb gently beneath the cut across his brow and swipe away the sluggish trail of blood.

"Shut up. I'm not going anywhere until I know you're okay. You can't go tearing this place apart just because I have a few scratches." Ai Di growled as if he wasn't the one holding his arm against his chest, as if he wasn't the one in bloodied and dirtied clothes, standing tall (as tall as Ai Di could) despite the Hell he had no doubt endured in the last thirteen hours.

He felt his rage morph into raw fear, felt as his fists relaxed and instead trembled at his sides. This could have ended so differently. This could have ended terribly.

At least he would have only had to endure the news for one second. Just one second was all he'd have to survive without Ai Di. It still felt far too long.

"Yi." Ai Di snapped, demanding his attention again and Chen Yi was powerless to resist. His eyes focused on his partner, feeling his face fall from it's contortion of rage into something far more sorrowful.

"I'm okay but I need you to be okay too." Ai Di spoke softly, in a tone only ever used for him and two other people.

Chen Yi sighed heavily and pulled Ai Di to his chest - careful of his injuries - and pressed a kiss to his sweat and blood-matted hair.

"We're okay, but those bastards won't be when I'm finished with them." He would rain Hellfire down upon the Jade Tiger Clan, declaw them and leave them bleeding in the streets as a message.