#diamondxdust

The door slammed open in his hurry to unlock it whilst still keeping his hold on the woman. A muffled laugh burst from the woman’s mouth and he chuckled before pressing her against the wall, his lips running teasingly down her neck. Once he reached her collarbone, he playfully nipped at her flesh, his hand going around her waist and slipping under her shirt to lightly run his fingers up her spine then down to the hem of her tight jeans, his fingers tracing over the skin, hinting at what he wanted—not that it wasn’t obvious, but he liked to incite them further. She tugged at his hair so he brought his lips back to hers, going to kiss her deeply even as she caught his bottom lip between her teeth, her eyes heated and teasing. He smiled and freed his lip then kissed her again, his tongue slipping easily into her mouth, tasting her. He angled her head and his hand slipped from the back of her pants to the front, once again running his slim fingers over the hem. Zitao could practically see her melting and was just about to unbutton her pants when the door opened and he heard a throat clearing. His eyes flashed at the interruption, and he looked up to see the new female worker, her eyes non too amused as she looked at the two. Mary decided that it was rather embarrassing to get caught about to have sex in one of the storage rooms and slid from beneath his grip and ran out of the room. He sighed and turned a glare on his co-worker. “You just cost me my fuck.”  he said, purposely using the language to test her, she didn’t even flinch and this made him want to try harder, but all she said before walking out was, “Well then you should have brought her to a bed instead of bringing her to the storage area. Asshole.” He watched after her, his gaze going from pissed to downright amused then something else. A slow smirk spread across his lips, his eyes gaining a determined light.

Zitao saw the woman a couple times, he had found out her name was Choi, and he made it a habit to make sure she saw him taking back women, and men, to the back rooms. It was like some messed up game, yet, her expression of distaste and hate incited to do it further, upping the the game each time, and sometimes giving her a show when he was on the dance floor with that nights conquest. He would run his hands over their bodies and kiss them, his hips moving in time with theirs, all the while keeping her gaze. For some reason she never looked away, it was like she wanted to show all her hate for him, but couldn’t take her eyes away. 

He was serving the man in front of him, mixing the drink and handing it across the counter when he heard cheers around the club and from his fellow co-workers. He was about to ask what was going on when he looked up and saw her—Choi, she stood up on the stage and was wearing a half shirt along with very ripped jeans, her eyes lined with kohl and eyeing the crowd as if she was queen and all those below were her loyal subjects. Both men and woman stared at her, and he himself couldn’t seem to take his gaze away as he watched her start to move.  He quickly learned that Choi was made for dancing, her movements were smooth and sensual, slim muscular arms swayed over her head and down her body, and her perfectly pale stomach caught the light every time she moved her hips. Her hair was free and when she turned her head, it would fall into her heat-filled gaze, drawing anyone who looked, in. His breath caught and he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of her, it was like all those times he had teased her, she was finally paying him back. Tenfold. It wasn’t until the dance ended that he realized he had been frozen to the same spot for the entirety of her show. He dropped the cloth in his hands on the counter and disappeared into the back. 

He found her in the dressing room, his steps sure as he cornered her and caged her in with his arms. To his surprise, she didn’t show any indication that this was unexpected, instead smirking and running her hand over his cheek. “Did you enjoy it, little Zitao?” His breath stalled for a moment before picking up double time; she was stilled dressed as before and he very much wanted to touch her, to run his fingers over her flat stomach and the perfect thighs that peeked through the black material of her jeans, to taste her lips. But, as soon as he moved, she pushed him back, her eyes snapping. “I’m not one of your quick fucks. Did you enjoy it, did you enjoy being played with? Because I sure don’t. Cut out your twisted games.” He was about to reply when Choi brought her hand forward, her intent clear; he stopped her, his hand encircling her wrist roughly. She tried to pull away, but in doing so, caused the leather bracelet she wore around her wrist to unsnap and fall to the ground revealing the name that was inked against her skin, black as sin. Zitao. She looked in horror at the name that he could now see, his own, and his wide eyes went from the name to her then back. He was about to say something, he didn’t know quite what, but she freed herself and pushed past him. He ran after her, his hand catching her arm and spinning her around, his lips finding hers as he pressed her back against the wall. Tao could feel her start to relax and even respond before she realized what was happening and pushed him back, this time her slap connected, the resounding crack singing through the halls. “Make no mistake, just because you are my Soulmate does not mean that I will fall into your arms. You are despicable.” With this, she left him standing there, his breath rapid and his gaze shocked. 

He saw her after that, but she no longer paid him any attention, not even bothering to glance at him. There was an explanation, yes, she was his Soulmate, but that didn’t mean he had to care. It wasn’t like he had fallen for her overnight, or in their case, a couple minutes. He increased his activity’s, sleeping with more people than ever to fill the unknown void that yawned wide within him. It was when he was laying in bed one night, his latest conquest lying asleep beside him that he realized—it hadn’t happened overnight. Rather, all those times, over the course of months, he had, in his own twisted way been trying to get her attention the only way he knew how. Zitao lifted his wrist up above him and looked at the rippled, scarred flesh. The name that once rested there could not be seen anymore, burned off by his mother who had thought that because her marriage had not worked, neither should he have a chance. This did not excuse his behavior, he knew that, but he had always wondered, “what will happen if I just pass my partner by, what if we never find each other?” He sighed and turned over, his heart hurting even as he fell asleep.

Slowly, ever so slowly, his activity’s stopped. The late night conquests halted and he stopped flirting with customers. It was if he had lost something, the will to do anything other than his job, and he no longer found comfort or pleasure with those things.

He was walking back to his room within the club when he suddenly heard an inviting voice then hands on his arm. He turned around just as a pair of lips attached to his, his eyes were wide as he looked down at the girl, Mary, the woman from before, her eyes were closed and her arms looped around his neck. He tried to push her off, but not before he felt a pair of eyes on them. Tao looked over, his eyes meeting those of Choi, who was staring at them expressionless. It seemed too late so he just left it as it was, even kissing the woman back, his eyes closing. He heard the footsteps walking away and pulled back, avoiding any attempts of the girl to kiss him again. “I’m not interested.” Not bothering to even look at her, he stalked off down the hall.

Time seemed to pass slowly, yet, faster than before. He now avoided his soulmate, even going so far as to change shifts, not caring if she noticed. He didn’t care much for anything anymore. 

He was late for his shift, and took a different route than usual, his steps silent, though quick. Turning the corner, he glanced up, his steps halting abruptly at the sight that greeted him. Choi was pressed against the wall, and a man was kissing her neck, it was obvious that was perfectly satisfied where she was and that this wasn’t against her will. He started to back away, but sudden anger surged through him, all encompassing and blotting out any other thought. Tao walked forward and separated them, pushing the man away, his eyes furious as he brought his fist forward and punched the male’s face. Repeatedly, over and over. He could vaguely hear a woman’s yelling, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. The red haze that enveloped him caused him to only feel flesh giving way under his blows, bone crunching as he connected with the male’s nose, and hot blood spurting everywhere. The man couldn’t even get any of his own blows in, having no choice but to take the defensive along with the beating. Zitao barely noticed that his victim had fallen until a female form ran in front of him, her arms going around him to try and hold him back. The only thing that stopped him was when he snarled and looked down to realize that the person was his soulmate. He gasped and staggered back, his bloody knuckles dripping on the floor, his eyes pained he whispered lowly. “I-I’m sorry.” Then he ran—like everything else in his life, he ran away.

The hot water poured down his back, his breaths rapid, his thoughts racing. Why had he done that? It wasn’t like him. He hadn’t ever cared enough to fight for or against anyone. The thought nudged him, that he might care, but no, he couldn’t accept that. It would just end in him being thrown away again. Zitao stepped out of the shower, his movements slow because he didn’t feel like he had any energy. He got dressed quickly, intent on just going to bed and forgetting everything; he opened the door and walked out, not noticing that there was someone in his room until he walked towards his bed. She looked up, her eyes impassive, and patted the bed next to her with one hand, the other holding an emergency aid kit.  All her wanted was for her to go away, and she didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving until she had fixed him up, so he sat on the bed while she moved to kneel in front of him, carefully taking his hands and taking the things out to treat his wounds. Her voice was soft, but firm when she finally spoke. “Why did you do that?” He hesitated to answer because he didn’t entirely know the reason himself. “I don’t know…” She shook her head, though didn’t look up from her work. “Not good enough, you must have had a reason.” The words rang in his head, “Not good enough.” No he never was it seemed, there was no reason, not that he could think of. “There is none. I am just a violent nobody.” He hissed slightly as she applied some type of solution to his split knuckles. “I have not seen evidence of this.” Zitao brows furrowed before his brain shut off, his actions entirely programmed into his system. He pulled away and got up abruptly, his movements choppy as he walked over to his wall and punched it, an irrational hate for the structure suddenly coursed through his system and he screamed. His injuries reopened, blood flowing down his hand and arm. He might have kept doing until they were broken, but a pair arms wrapped around his waist, and he collapsed—like a building whose foundations were irreparably worn and had finally given out, unable to hold the pieces of the structure together anymore. Tears streamed down his face, sobs wracking his body, and, all the while, Choi held him tightly in her arms, the embrace never loosening, not once. This, more than anything, crushed him. He had been terrible to her, placing her at the forefront of his twisted games, all because he didn’t know how to love properly. Love. The words ran through his head, his mouth then getting ahead of him, the letters streaming into the air, arranging themselves up like little soldiers about to do the most damage possible. “I love you.” He heard a sound behind him, but otherwise there was no indication that she had heard, he waited but there was none. A couple minutes later, when the tears stopped, he finally felt the need to speak, his voice thick. “I do not mean this just because you are my soulmate. It is not plausible to just fall in love with someone once they are announced to be your supposed partner for life.” She didn’t say anything, he could hardly feel her breathing and he sought to fill the empty space in the air. “It was before that. I don’t know when, but…I-I loved you before that.” He knew that it sounded like an untruth, he had been sleeping with all those people, one after the other, this didn’t follow in character with his words, yet, she finally spoke, her words barely there. “I believe you.” A gasp left his lips, and emotion spilled through him in a torrent. Someone, Choi, believed him. He did not know exactly how to take it, all he knew was that it gave him hope. 

Two months later.

He laughed at the customers joke, and replied playfully, his eyes sparkling. There was nothing provocative in his gaze, no hidden, or not so hidden, intentions, there was only a man who looked satisifed with his lot in life. Cheers spread through the club, resounding from the crowd as a female came onstage. Zitao glanced up, a smile staying on his lips as the music started, but, instead of dancing Choi found him and crooked a finger in his direction, her gaze challenging. He raised a brow and hid his grin, making his way from the bar up to the stage and standing behind her. As soon as he was in place, she moved her hips, brushing against his thighs and crotch. He took this as a “do what you want” invitation, and did accordingly, wrapping his arms around her, his hands resting on her stomach, and began moving his hips in time with hers. She laughed, bringing her hands back around his neck, then dragged her body down his, making sure that he could feel every contour of her. Several thoughts ran through his head, but one came to the forefront. This was his Soulmate. His. And she was absolutely amazing. 

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