Of Love and Thorns

[besitzt_fics]

Title: Of Love and Thorns
Pairing: Tao/Kris
Genre: AU, Dark, Horror, Action
Warnings: Violence, blood, minor character death
Rating: NC-17
Chapters: 1/1
Summary: A unwitting Tao is selected from the streets one day to compete in the blood-bath twisted game that rules their post-Apocalyptic world called the Igra, an event where the rule is kill or be killed. Young and painfully unprepared, Tao struggles to survive. Luckily for him, an older competitor named Kris decides to take Tao underneath his wing.


Blood.

Blood was the first thing that hit Tao’s nose when he came to. The thick stench of freshly split blood hung in the air and clogged his every pore as Tao’s tired eyes at last opened to see the scene that was before him.

“W-what?” The dark haired boy mumbled, a dull throbbing at the back of his head, as his mind struggled to make head or tails of the situation.

He was in a cattle car, bodies strewn everywhere, some already dead with their guts like an endless tangled snake on the floor, others half alive and groaning about their pain, and some cowering in the corner in fear. A body, a man’s body or at least what was left of it, lay only a slight bit away from Tao’s face and it was enough to have the boy jerking awake and shooting upright.

“What… what is this?” Tao whispered, hands tightening into fists on that bloodied floor. The warm liquid surrounded him, stained the ripped material of his jeans, soaked into his previously white shirt, as the corpses around him bled.

The whimpering of another passenger in the car caught Tao’s attention and the boy sat up, stumbling when he attempted to walk over to the other. Instead he fell and collapsed onto one of the bodies littering the floor, breathing heavily in the scent of death as he struggled to make his vision stop spinning.

“Where…” Tao swallowed desperately against the dryness in his throat, “Where am I? What is this?”

“N-n-no!” The boy whimpering in the corner shook his head furiously. “N-no!”

“What-”

“N-no! No! No!” The boy’s cries grew louder as he began to claw at his throat. The boy’s fingernails left long red stripes down his neck and Tao watched in horror as the other began to claw his own throat out.

“H-hey! Hey!” Tao attempted to crawl towards the boy in hopes of stopping him, “Stop that! Hey, stop that!”

“N-no! No more! No!” The boy’s cries grew louder as he began to scratch with a new vigor, “No please! No!”

“Stop it! What the fuck? You’re going to kill yourself!” Tao raised himself up on trembling arms, mind still spinning, as his eyes adjusted to darkness of their prison.

“No!” The boy’s throat began to bleed heavily, the smell of iron hitting the air as the blood and skin collected under the boy’s fingernails, “No! No!”

Tao watched in horror, body still too weak to really do anything, as the boy’s fingers sank through layers of skin before he finally fell quiet and slumped to the side. The dark haired boy shivered, stomach turning unpleasantly as he watched the steady gushing of blood down the dead boy’s front.

“Leave him.” A voice spoke firmly from somewhere amongst the shadows. Tao heard it but was unable to tear his gaze from the corpses tossed around the cattle car, each bleeding profusely with their bodies mangled in some manner.

The stench was overpowering and Tao’s eyes widened, hands flying to his mouth as he felt his stomach’s contents beginning to rise. The voice spoke again in that same authoritative tone but Tao could not process what he was being told any longer.

Instead, the boy hunched over, eyes burning and watering with tears, as he retched again and again blowing chunks across the rough wooden floor. Tao continued to gag even where there was nothing left in his stomach, his body simply going through the motions, as he went into an almost state of shock.

He had been walking home from the convenience store, prepared to eat another cheap meal of instant noodles alone as his crack whore mother was passed out and his bastard of a father was off doing god knows what, when he’d been jumped. There had been three guys, they had knives, but Tao was pretty well versed when is came to defending himself after years of street fighting in the impoverished neighborhood that he called home. He’d easily taken the first two down but the last one had proven to be a bit more difficult. He’d sliced Tao’s left thigh pretty badly before the dark haired teen had managed to grab a discarded knife and nail his attack in the lower stomach. The man had gone down easily then and the last thing Tao had remembered as the sound of someone applauding him, then it had all faded to darkness.

They’d drugged him, whomever ‘they’ were that took Tao in the first place. He could still feel the last effects of the drugs working through his system but the worst was mostly over by now. The teen had an inkling on just exactly where he was but he refused to believe it, lying down on the floor and closing his eyes as he listened to the sounds of the survivors breathing.

There was death here but Tao knew very well that where they were headed there would be nothing but death there as well. Tao closed his eyes and allowed himself to be swallowed up by the darkness.

Tao was jostled awake once more when their train came to a screeching stop, the bodies being tossed around their car like animals thrown about in a holding pen, when the doors were flung open and the bodies in the darkness were cast in light.

Tao squinted, barely able to make out people moving about the car, when someone shoved him roughly in the shoulder.

“Get moving or they’ll shoot you.” The same voice from earlier spoke. Tao squinted against the harshness of their dying orange sun and turned to face the speaker.

He was a relatively slender man with a pointed chin and darker chestnut hair. He looked to probably only be a few years older than Tao but his eyes spoke otherwise, this boy had seen things.

“Get up.” The boy urged, grabbing Tao from beneath the arm and hauling him to his feet. “If you don’t keep moving, it’s over for you. You don’t want to end up like them now do you?”

The boy jerked his head towards the corpses that were now being tossed out of the car by men in hazard suits and Tao frowned. It was just as Tao suspected. Line after line of cattle car was grouped together to form the train that had been transporting them. All around them, people were stumbling out from their holding pens, covered in blood and cursing under their breath, as men in hazard suits and men carrying electric shock rods ushered them along.

“Move it!” Tao heard one of the men shout as he prodded at one unfortunate prisoner. The captive fell to ground with an anguished scream as he prodded repeatedly with the electric rod.

“I said move it!” The guard snarled once more, turning up the voltage and striking the sobbing man on the ground once more. The prisoner continued to scream in pain as the guard proceeded to shock him until finally the man lay dead, body smoking and skin burnt black.

“Don’t stare.” The boy spoke, pulling Tao along to follow the swarms of young men that were filtering into the large grey building before them. “Just be thankful that wasn’t you.”

“Why are we here?” Tao whispered, eyeing the rather rough looking crowd that surrounded them. Young men with multiple piercings, neon-dyed hair, tattoos, and crooked smiles made their way into the grey building where they were all locked into one large room. The doors slammed shut behind them and Tao looked nervously overhead to the guards that walked along a suspension platform.

“I think it should have been obvious by now.” The boy chuckled, running a hand through his hair. “The name is Yixing by the way.”

“Tao.” Tao smiled weakly and the other boy sighed once more.

“You got a fighter name?”

“A what?”

“A fighter name.” He repeated. “A name that you go by in the leagues. It’s best not to tell too many people your real name. Mine is Lay. I’m from the Hunan province. What about you?”

“Oh well…” Tao looked down to his feet, “I’m from the Shandong province so…I haven’t… actually fought in any of the leagues before. I’m just a street fighter.”

“Eh?” Lay squinted closer at Tao and frowned. “You’re just a street fighter and they decided to take you? You must pack one hell of punch to get selected… either that or they’re planning on you being deposed of early.”

“Excuse me?” Tao blinked.

“But street fighter or not, you still need a fighter name. You don’t go by anything else? There’s no other name you can think of?”

“I’ve always gone by Tao.” The dark haired boy shrugged, “I have no other name to go by.”

“Well think of one.” Lay advised before they were moving once more into another room. “Once this thing gets started, you’ll be thankful to have one.”

The new room was smaller; already guards were starting to go through the lines and were pulling out people seemingly at random. Lay kept his head down, hands clenched tightly, and Tao followed suit as this process went on for a few more minutes before a new figure emerged on the suspension platform.

“Welcome most respected fighters.” The figure was a sharply dressed man in a business suit, he had a long scar running down the side of his face, and instantly the room quieted.

“I’m sure all of you have had a very long journey so just bear with me for a bit longer. Congratulations on being selected for this year’s newest crop. We’d like for you all to think of this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to better yourselves. I’m sure all of you are somewhat familiar with the rules but for those that are not…” The man trailed off, sinister grin on his face as he surveyed the crowd standing a safe distance below.

“The rules are quite simple: kill or be killed. The goal of this game is to collect a full house of tags and then you will receive the promised three trillion credit points that I’m sure so many of you desperately need. You see that’s why you all were selected. You all come from very… diverse backgrounds where you have all the wants of the world but none of the means. This little game can offer you just that. You all have been selected because you have nothing left in the world to lose.”

“N-no.” Tao whispered, eyes wide. He turned to Lay with a panicked expression, “This isn’t actually-”

“Hush.” Lay whispered, “Causing a scene will do you no good now. There’s no backing out once you’ve been selected. Keep quiet or you’ll draw the guards’ attention.”

“You all will be given five tags to begin with. Each tag bears a character like that from a deck of cards. There are Jacks, Kings, Queens, and even Jesters out there. A full deck is needed to win. Tags are handed out at random, so please, do not start fights over supposedly favored competitors. We all want you to win but there can only be one that leaves this event alive. The moment you enter District 4 you may start the game. In order to take someone’s tag, their back must hit the ground and there must be a witness. One tag must be worn and visible at all times to alert others that you are still currently in the game. If you do not follow these rules, we do have officials within the district to take care of rule breakers. And believe me,” The man chuckled, “We take enforcing the rules here very seriously.”

“This is it.” Tao said to himself, staring around the room in a numb shock. “We’re actually in this thing.”

“Gentlemen, I welcome you to the Igra. May the game begin.”

“Once we get through the gates,” Lay spoke while staring straight ahead, his face was white and it did little to settle Tao’s nerves, “Run as fast as you can and find shelter. It’s going to be a bloodbath the moment we enter District 4.”

“What about you?” Tao kept his voice down, eyes darting around to the competitors around him. Some men were brandishing their tags in pride, beaming that they’d received a higher-level tag like a King or Queen.

Lay had already advised Tao to only wear one tag around his neck as to not draw too much attention. Tao could not help but notice a few competitors were steadily eyeing the ones who had bragged of their higher-level tags earlier. There was no doubt that they would be the first targets.

“We shouldn’t stick together at the beginning but come and find me later in the game.” Lay said as the countdown for the gates to open began. “Take care of yourself kid and come up with a fighter name already.”

“Thank you… for everything.” Tao grasped Lay’s hand tightly in his and looked the boy in the eyes. The countdown clock announced that there was only ten seconds until the gate opened and Lay smiled before turning away to compose himself.

The entire room was tense now, guards eyeing everyone carefully, as the giant yellow numbers on the screen overhead dwindled down to only three seconds remaining.

Tao took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Three…

Two….

One…

The heavy double metal doors swung open, as time seemed to slow down then. There was movement all around Tao, people shoving, pushing, running forward in this massive surge that brought the dark haired boy along with them. Tao managed to just make out Lay’s face, barely able to hear his voice over the fury of chaos that was around them, as he shouted for Tao to run. Then Lay was running forwards and disappearing as well.

The doors led into a long narrow concrete tunnel, no doubt taking them underground, as the competitors shoved one another like a swarm of scurrying rats. People pushed and knocked into Tao’s shoulders, spinning the boy round, as they growled out at him to watch it. Attempting to stand still in one place was like trying to go against a mighty tide and then it clicked for Tao. The boy set off running, sneakers hitting the damp ground, as he entered the surge of bodies that raced down the tunnel. There was no time to think, just act, as the air began to thin and grow warm from the masses.

The journey down the tunnel was a short one, the glint of knives urging Tao to run faster, before the group was suddenly emerging to the surface again. Tao barely had time to adjust when the man standing next to him suddenly had a knife in his throat. Tao jumped backwards, hand reflexively reaching for the pocketknife that he kept on his belt, as the man collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from his neck.

The tunnel had led them to their final destination, the sector that would serve as the battleground for the Igra. District 4 was a war-torn ghetto, the land’s original inhabitants killed or long gone, as the government had bought over the land for the Igra to take place on. For generations now the slum had been falling apart with each competition as the contestants became more ruthless, more bloodthirsty, until almost all rules from the Igra had been abolished. The dog tag system was still kept in line in order to determine a winner but overall there were no laws here. Decaying skyscrapers reached upwards to the grey sky, a layer of pollution hung overhead, their planet’s dying orange sun barely able to penetrate the smog as District 4 was virtually always in a state of nighttime.

Broken glass lay scattered amongst the streets, crumbling buildings and the skeletons of automobiles added to the scenery, as hundreds of bodies engaged in war. All around Tao, people were fighting, ripping tags off one another, killing others despite that they were only a few minutes into the game.

The man that had stabbed the man besides Tao now turned to the dark haired boy, eyes flickering to the tag hanging from Tao’s neck. The teen swallowed, hands securing around his knife, as the man screamed and made his move of attack. It was a straight forward move, one that Tao would have expected from some of the newer street fighters, and one that Tao easily evaded by simply twisting to the side.

The man stumbled forwards to where Tao should have been before turning around and facing the boy with a look of fury. The teen waited in anticipation, fingers wriggling at his side, as he watched the man prepare himself. Over and over again the man tried his attacks on Tao, only over and over again to be dodged each time. Years of fighting on the streets had taught Tao an important lesson, it was better when fighting an opponent who had no finesse but was all brawn to tire them out as soon as possible. This man, while the worst Tao had faced, surely could have easily pinned the teen if he’d been a bit more skilled. Plus taking on someone had reckless and sloppy in their fighting, as this man was dangerous. While it was easy to predict his moves, the man still had element of surprise, as he was not committed to one particular fighting style.

Again he charged and this time Tao made his move. As the man’s knife shot past Tao’s ribcage, the dark haired boy seized the man’s wrist and twisted it behind his back before pulling the man’s back flush to his front and holding his knife steadily at the man’s throat.

The man froze, shakily side glancing to Tao, who stood calmly behind him, hold on his knife never faltering. Tao could have slit this man’s throat, he could have killed him in an instant, and yet the teen hadn’t delivered the killing blow.

“Get on the ground and hand over your tag.” Tao commanded.

“What?” The man snarled, furiously trying to break free but his struggling stopped the moment Tao pressed the knife tighter to his neck.

“If you value your life, get on the ground and hand over your tag.” Tao narrowed his eyes and the man seemed to contemplate for a moment.

“A-alright.” The man gasped when Tao made the slightest cut to the man’s neck. “Alright! I’ll get on the ground!”

Tao watched him steadily, well aware of the fighting that was still going on around them, the agonized screams as some competitors met their fate to be yet another victim of the Igra; the clangs of metal scraping against metal and the sounds of blood splashing on the ground. Already the soles of Tao’s shoes were crusted in the crimson liquid that seemed to flow like rivers in this hellhole.

“Okay good.” Tao breathed as the man lied down on the ground as instructed. “Now the tag.”

“I’m going to get you back for this, you know.” The man snapped, handing over his dog tag begrudgingly. “I’d be sleeping with one eye open if I were you.”

“Shut up.” Tao snarled, delivering a swift kick to the man’s head. “Just consider yourself lucky that I didn’t kill you.”

“Please.” The man laughed weakly, blood trickling down his temple. “A dough boy like you? Fresh off the streets, weak, I bet you’ve never even killed someone before.”

Tao stiffened, hand clenching tighter around his new prize, the tag, as he stared down at the man in a state of paralysis. The man’s black eyes glinted up at the dark haired boy in mockery, goading him, and Tao gritted his teeth. The teen’s other hand sought the knife in his belt.

“A pretty boy like you won’t last the first night.” The man smirked at him and then Tao saw red, hurt ego and rage at the truth of how utterly unprepared Tao was for this tournament hit him. “You’ll probably get butt fucked by the older men in this game before they finally decide to take pity on you and kill you.”

Then the teen was moving, a scream ripping from his throat, as he swung his blade forward and stabbed the man straight in the forehead. The man’s body bucked beneath Tao’s, a startled gasp leaving his lips, before there was the sound of a crunch as Tao’s blade broke through the layer of bone in the skull. Then the man was dead, void eyes staring up at Tao in surprise as blood flowed steadily from his wound and onto Tao’s hand where he stilled gripped the knife.

Tao breathed heavily for a few moments, letting his anger and hurt subside, as he felt the swirl of emotions leave his body. Then the teen was gasping, clumsily falling backwards, and staring at his stained hand in horror. He had just killed a man.

“W-what…” Tao whimpered, eyes flickering over the corpse of the man. Tao had killed him. He had just killed someone.

The knowledge was enough to make Tao sick and he rose to his feet, hands flying over his mouth, as he ran off down one of the alleyways. Away from the main street, away from the fighting, leaving behind the man’s body and more importantly his knife that still stuck proudly out of the man’s skull. Tao stumbled down the alley, hands slipping against damp slippery brick, as he ventured further down in the darkness. There was no light in a place as nightmarish as this.

In the distance, Tao could still hear the screams of other contestants dying, the sounds of war as time went by. The teen collapsed onto his knees, hidden from sight in this dark side street, as he retched in disgust and shame at his actions. He had killed a man. Tao had killed someone.

The teen’s head was spinning and he hugged his stomach until his body went numb. Tao was breathing heavily now, mind in a state of shock, as he curled up in the fetal position.

The boy fell unconscious then, thoughts of how he’d ever be able to touch his mother again flittering across his mind as he kneeled to the darkness.

When Tao awoke again it was dark outside, but truly dark this time as it had become nighttime.

The air was still and everything was absolutely silent as the teen rose to his feet and looked around in confusion. He had passed out so quickly that he hadn’t even had time to ready himself. Nighttime, Lay had said, was the most dangerous time of the day. It was at nightfall that competitors would kill others in their sleep if not a safe enough spot to rest was found. Shelter, Lay had engrained into Tao, was the best way to survive not killing others.

But now Tao had failed to do just that. It was already dark out and Tao hadn’t even scouted out the area and found a secure location to sleep. It was a miracle that no one had spotted him down this alley already.

The teen made his way back out the main street, trying to ignore the bodies littering the ground on the otherwise barren landscape. The dark streetlamps loomed overhead, their lights not having worked in years, as Tao walked down the cracked street. Instead the light from the pale pink moon shown down on him thought for a moment. It would be safest to find shelter first and then to find food later. He could go one night without eating, although his stomach protested to the idea greatly.

“Hey! Over here!” A voice boomed from around the street corner and Tao whirled around.

“Where?” Another voice joined in.

“This one! The one with the knife in his head, he still has four tags on him.” The first person spoke. Tao’s hand went instinctively to his belt only to come up empty. The speakers’ figures cast shadows on the buildings are they began to round the corner and Tao looked around quickly for a place to hide.

“Check the ones over there then.” The voices were drawing closer.

Tao’s eyes landed on a dumpster and he darted behind it, pressing himself flush against the wall it was propped again and prayed that the strangers would have no reason to come in this direction.

At last the figures rounded the corner and came into view. There were three of them, all of them significantly older than Tao with the battle scars to prove so, as they walked like a pack of starved wolves amongst the corpses.

“I’ll get these.” One of the them spoke before motioning to the other two, “You guys check the ones over there. Remember to go through all the pockets.”

“Got it.”

The group then began to rifle through the bodies, hands searching everywhere for any hidden tags. They were vultures, waiting for all the killing to be done before going amongst the remains to pick up any scraps. Tao’s eyes fell to the heavy steel pipes each member was carrying and he began to backup along the wall. The teen tried to regulate his breathing despite the fact that he was terrified out of his mind. Just a bit further, just a bit further of sneaking before Tao would be able to run from the other entrance of his alley to safety. Just a bit further, Tao thought as he swallowed thickly, sweat pouring down his neck in beads, as his hands trembled terribly.

The group’s voices were getting fainter and fainter and Tao thought that he truly was going to make it when his foot kicked a beer bottle that he’d been unable to see in the dark.

The noise rang out and the group of three was immediately looking in Tao’s direction.

The teen did not hesitate before he was running, legs kicking behind him, as the group caught sight of him and gave chase.

“Come back here!” They shouted. The sounds of feet slapping on the ground was close behind along with the scrapping of the metal pipes along the ground as Tao ran faster than he ever had before in his life.

“Yeah!” Another called wickedly, “We just want to play!”

They chased after the teen, hollering and laughing, as Tao darted around corners and hopped fences unable to shake them. They pursued him until Tao felt as if his legs were going to fall off, the teen’s limited knowledge of his surroundings working against him as he took the wrong turn down a dead end. The dark haired boy was met with the sight of a wall of brick and he banged his fists angrily against it as if that would help.

“Playtime is over, little boy.” The group stood at the alleyway’s entrance and Tao pressed himself against the wall, mind running a million thoughts a minute as he tried to conjure up some way to escape this situation alive.

“Aw are you scared?” One of them cackled as the group began to move down the alley, effectively blocking any means of escape for Tao.

“Don’t be scared.” Another one grinned, “We won’t hurt you if you behave.”

“Stop!” Tao shouted, body trembling in fear. Surprisingly the group halted, staring at Tao in curiosity as the boy looked nervously amongst the three of them.

“I’ll give you my tags.” Tao said, “I’ll give them to you.”

“Oh well there was no doubt in that.” The largest one, presumably the group’s leader, laughed. The one of the left was squinting at Tao funnily now.

“You know,” The man drew closer and Tao curled his fists, “You’re pretty cute to be out here by yourself.”

“Yeah.” The one of the right hummed, “Pretty boy.”

“Why don’t we have some fun with you before you hand over those tags, huh?” The leader laughed and Tao’s eyes widened.

“W-what?” Tao’s throat felt dry.

“Pin him.” The leader instructed and Tao cried out as the two other members held his arms down to the wall.

“Let me go!” Tao thrashed, trying desperately to free his arms but to no avail. The leader stepped forwards and pressed his thigh between Tao’s legs, a wicked smile across his face.

“If you behave, maybe we’ll let you live.” The man stuck his nose to Tao’s neck and inhaled.

“Fuck off! Get off of me!” Tao snarled, bringing his head forward to head-butt the man but he had predicted the teen’s move.

“Hey watch it now!” One of the man’s cronies snapped, hold tightening on Tao’s arm and the teen cried out in pain.

“It’s fine.” The leader spoke, taking hold of Tao’s jaw and forcing the teen to look him in the eye. “I like them feisty. It makes it more fun to break them.”

Tao’s stomach dropped at the look of lust in the man’s eye and he winced at the man’s attempts to arouse him when he rubbed his thigh between Tao’s legs. The other two would no doubt take him as well and Tao began to struggle once more, panic overtaking his mind.

“Let me go!” Tao screamed, he tried with all his might to pull his arms free. “Let me go! Let go!”

“Hey. Hey now.” The leader tried to get Tao to settle down. He made the mistake of trying to caress Tao’s hair when the teen lashed out and bit his hand. The leader retracted furiously.

“You little bitch! You bit me!” The man slapped Tao across the face before grabbing hold of the teen’s dog tag and pulling it clean off his neck. “I’ll teach you a lesson!”

“Violation.” A voice called calmly from the entrance of the alleyway.

“Huh?” The leader turned around to see who it was that had joined them before there was a bang and suddenly the man no longer had a head.

Tao screamed, blood and chunks of flesh landing on him, as the two cronies stared at the newcomer in terror. They instantly let go of Tao and the teen slid to the ground.

“Hey man,” One of them put his hands placating, “We meant no harm.”

“Violation.” The newcomer spoke once more, “A competitor’s back must hit the ground before one is allowed to take a tag. Failure to do so is a violation of the rules. Rule breakers are to be dealt with swiftly. The Igra has no room for scum like you.”

“Wait what?” The two men began to back up. “We meant no harm. We were just talking with the boy. We wouldn’t have taken his tags.”

“Violation.” The voice rang out again and the two men swallowed uneasily. “Lying to an Enforcer after already being an accomplice to a rule breaker. Second warnings are not issued. Violators are to be dealt with swiftly.”

Then the man was raising a gun towards the two and before they could even scream, both had their heads shot clean off. Their skulls exploded with a low pop that turned Tao’s stomach as blood rained down and spurted out from their necks in a red spray. The body swayed for a moment before collapsing to their knees and falling dead besides Tao. The teen shrieked, eyes wide at the gore before him, as the figure began to walk down the alleyway towards him.

He was a tall man, taller than Tao even, with wavy blonde hair like that of a foreigner’s. The man was dressed in a long black leather trench coat, the sleeves cut off at the shoulder to reveal the man’s muscled arms, left open in the front to reveal a rather complicated looking black outfit fitted with various weapons strapped to his chest and waist. The man’s face was void of emotion, harsh eyes falling onto Tao’s form, as the teen gaped up at him terror.

“Competitor,” The man spoke at last in a low tone that sent shivers down Tao’s spine, “Are you unharmed?”

“Y-yes.” The man extended his hand to Tao and helped the teen to his feet. The man’s touch was warm and Tao released the breath he had not known he’d been holding. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. It is my duty to enforce the rules. Do not let me find you in a similar situation or you will suffer the same fate.” The man pried Tao’s stolen tag from the corpse’s clutch and handed it back to the teen. “This is yours.”

“Yes thank you.” Tao gladly took the tag. “Thank you again.”

“Good luck in the games.” The man said before he was setting off back down the alleyway.

“W-wait!” Tao cried out as he realized the man was leaving. The figure stopped in acknowledgement but did not turn around to face him.

“What’s your name?” Tao finally said after a moment.

“My name is Kris. Enforcer twelve.” The blond haired man spoke.

“Tao.” The teen smiled, hurrying down the alley after the taller man.

“Is that your fighter name?” Kris’s tone was serious but the slightest trace of a grin crossed his face. Tao blinked up at him in slight wonder, never having encountered someone as utterly dangerous and composed as Kris before. The teen wondered exactly how old Kris was.

“Y-yes.” Tao stammered, a blush creeping up his neck. “For now at least.”

“Well, Tao,” Kris glanced down at the boy, “Obey the rules and you hopefully will not have to see an Enforcer again.”

With that Kris began to walk away once more, tall form returning to the darkness, as Tao watched after him. Kris’s form was almost out of sight when Tao ran after him again.

“Wait! Kris!” Tao set off after the taller man. The teen easily fell in pace along side him and now Kris was raising an eyebrow in amusement.

“Should you really be walking around near the main street by yourself this late at night? Have you no group to return to?” Kris inquired, “And with no weapon on you at that?”

“I…I had a weapon.” Tao’s face burned at his scolding. Was this man really lecturing Tao right now?

“I lost it though. It’s amongst the corpses back there.” Tao made a move as if to go back to go in search of his weapon when suddenly Kris’s hand was enclosing around his forearm.

“That is not a wise choice so early in the game.” Kris frowned and tightened his hold when Tao spun around in surprise.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s your crops first night in the Igra. Of course no one is going to stray too far from the main street. Those men that just captured you are what are referred to here as hyenas. They are competitors that hang around kill zones like this to search through the dead for tags. It’s best to avoid places like this until you are better equipped.” Kris’s voice was smooth and low, the slightest whistle between the barely noticeable gap in his teeth when he spoke.

“Oh.” Tao looked down to his feet, face burning in shame. “I wasn’t planning on staying around here for too long. I have someone I’m supposed to be meeting up with.”

Kris kept silent for a moment watching Tao with an unreadable expression. It was painfully clear that Tao did not know what he’d gotten himself into. The boy’s face, while slightly haggard from living in the slums, still held a childish innocence to it. The massacre this morning could not even compare to the veteran competitors from earlier crops that were lurking amongst the rubble.

While it was against his nature, and it uncommon for Enforcers to take a personal interest in the game, Kris felt sorrow for this youth. This boy would not last until morning most likely if Kris did not intervene.

“Where is your shelter for the night?” Kris spoke softly, leading Tao by the arm down another side alley. The Enforcer checked over his shoulder to ensure that they were alone. After all, Kris himself had not personally taken interest in bettering a competitor before. Enforce eight, Onew, had taken it upon himself to help out a competitor by the name of Jonghyun but that had been several crops ago.

“I haven’t found one yet.” Tao muttered, “I was planning on getting a weapon first and then finding shelter.”

“That is not wise. To find a weapon is difficult, hyenas snatch up leftovers pretty quickly after the kill, your knife is probably gone by now.” Kris shook his head.

“Then shelter first.” Tao sighed, running a hand over his face. All he felt like doing in that moment was crying. This time yesterday he was safe back in his old town, probably trying to figure out if his prize money from a street fight was enough to buy himself dinner or not. But he was here, in the Igra, where simply even staying alive was exhausting.

“Shelter is always first.” Kris released Tao’s arm and the teen rubbed at the slight bruise that had been left there. “What experience do you have? What ring system were you in?”

“None. I was a street fighter before this.” Tao said and Kris made his decision then.

“Come with me.”

“Where are we?” Tao found himself asking after being led through the maze of twisting metal that made up District 4.

Kris had instructed Tao to follow him giving no explanation as he set off and navigated the ruins with the expert knowledge of someone who clearly knew these streets like the back of his hand. Once Tao had seen another competitor but after catching sight of Kris, he had gone off running.

Now they were inside what used to be a hospital, on the top floor, large windows that spanned from ceiling to floor smashed out, as a cool breeze blew in from the opening. It was a long way down and Tao could now see the smallest glints of light below them in the distance.

“Fire pits that some other competitors have set up. It’s easy for me to spot them from here.” Kris explained as Tao squinted down at the lights in wonder.

“I wonder if Lay is somewhere down there.” Tao whispered to himself as Kris threw off his trench and began to discard his weapons. The teen watched in silence as weapon after weapon, knives, guns, bullets, chains, were pulled off from Kris’s body and tossed carelessly on the table.

“That’s a lot.” The dark haired boy stated in shock at how much weaponry Kris carried around with him daily. Finally the man was pulling a long slender sword out from its sheath and Kris sent him a lazy smirk.

“Shooting them all would become boring after awhile. Normally I have more fun with them than that but today was a different case.” Kris stretched his arms high above his head and groaned when his back cracked. “When was the last time you ate?”

“Oh um… before the train…so…” Tao tried to figure out just how long it had been.

“Here.” Kris tossed Tao a colorful packet before he broke into one himself. It was a food bar of some type; bright colorful font promising that it would taste good.

“What is this?” Tao wrinkled his nose as he tore open the package.

“It’s the only form of solid food that is sold here in District 4. It’s like a protein bar. Just eat it.” Kris took another bite of his. Tao sighed, wincing slightly as he took his first bite, only then to start coughing terribly as the taste of the bar hit him.

“Ugh! This is horrible.” Tao exclaimed and Kris began to laugh. “It tastes like soap!”

“The taste never improves. It’s always this bad.” Kris laughed, dark eyes twinkling as he stared at Tao oddly. The teen found himself blushing as he turned his attention back to his meal, well aware with how Kris’s gaze did not wander for the continuation of their meal.

It was only an hour later that Kris laid out a sleeping roll for Tao and himself. Kris only had one, or so he had claimed, but sharing a bed beat sleeping in a damp alleyway. The teen had gladly lied down next to the older boy, backs facing each other, as Tao waited for sleep to come.

However Kris only had a few moments of silence before Tao was speaking once more, not noticing the soft sigh of annoyance Kris made.

“Kris?” Tao whispered.

“Uh.” Kris grunted.

“I just wanted to thank you again.” Tao said, “For saving me earlier and for this now.”

“I told you not to thank me.” Kris yawned and Tao picked idly at his sleeve.

“I know. I just wanted to.” Tao said softly. “I’d probably be dead right now if not for you.”

“You wouldn’t.” Kris said automatically although the blonde knew full well that it was most likely the truth.

“I…I would.” Tao sniffed, as tears began to sting his eyes. There was no way that Tao was going to be able to walk away from this game. Being sent to the Igra was like a death sentence and Tao knew that the moment his suspicions of why he’d been taken was confirmed. Tao would never be able to return home. He’d never be able to see his mother again.

As Tao began to wallow in his self-pity, Kris was shifting through the sheets now, an annoyed sigh leaving his lips as he wrapped his arms around Tao from behind and pulled the boy flush to his body. Tao gasped, fingers curling in the futon, as he craned his neck to see Kris behind him.

“W-what?” Tao sniffed against his tears and Kris stared emotionlessly back at him.

“Don’t cry.” Kris spoke after a moment, voice low and calming. “You’ll make it out of here.”

“I… I don’t…” Tao tried to pull free from Kris’s hold but the older man was stronger. Kris easily kept Tao pinned to his chest and brushed the boy’s bangs from his eyes.

“Hush.” Kris whispered, before leaning down and capturing Tao’s mouth with his.

For a moment Tao froze, wide-eyed and stunned, he was unable to process that Kris had just kissed him. Then after a few moments, Kris hummed and adjusted himself over Tao, arms creating a cage around the younger boy’s head as he moved to deepen the kiss. Tao clenched his eyes closed and began to push up against Kris’s chest urging him off.

“Mph! N-…no!” Tao shoved upwards and turned his head to the side, gasping for breath. Then the teen was turning to face the elder as he beat on his chest.

“What the fuck was that?” Tao cried outraged. Kris merely stared down at the dark haired boy calmly.

“That was a kiss.” Kris said blankly.

“Why are you kissing me?” Tao stiffened as he felt Kris’s knees on either side of him digging inwards.

“Sometimes seeking physical comfort is the best way to take one’s mind off of things.” Kris held no mirth in this voice and Tao’s face held a look of horror.

“L-look…” The teen’s ears were burning now, “I’m not sure what I did for you to think that but I’m a man. I’m a man and I don’t… I don’t go that way, okay? I’m very grateful that you saved me but I’m sorry.”

Tao tried to sit up, thinking that Kris would move aside easily, when the older boy pinned him back against the sheets. Tao’s head smacked the floor rather painfully and he cried out, knees drawing upwards to kick Kris from him but the blonde had him effectively restrained.

“Kris, let me up.” Tao’s voice was small as he stared into the other’s eyes.

“Just let me show you.” Kris’s voice was like honey. “Just close your eyes and let me show you.”

“I don’t think…” Tao trailed off as Kris’s face drew nearer, hooded eyes locked with Tao’s dark ones before the elder had captured the younger in a kiss once more.

Tao mewled, hands coming up to push Kris from him again, when Kris pinned the dark haired boy’s wrists besides his head. Tao’s heart was racing now, eyes falling shut, as Kris moaned and worked his legs on either side of Tao’s. They kissed for a few moments before Kris began to bit and lick at Tao’s lower lip to ask for entry. Tao resisted, trying to turn his head to the side, when a cool hand suddenly touched the teen from beneath his shirt. The teen’s mouth fell open and then Kris was slipping inside, hot heavy pants against his mouth as Kris’s tongue found Tao’s.

Tao was trembling now, strange feelings stirring in his lower abdomen as Kris released his hold on the teen’s hands. Then Tao was clenching his fingers into the material of Kris’s shirt and the older man took that as permission to begin to more fully explore the teen.

Kris’s touch was like fire to Tao’s skin. Those hands, large palms and nice long fingers, brushed along his body in curious exploration. Touching, caressing, palming, and sweeping up and down appreciatively the defined lines of Tao’s leanly muscled form. They came to rest on Tao’s upper thighs and the teen moaned into the other’s mouth, pants becoming tighter with each passing moment.

“S-stop.” Tao said breathlessly against Kris’s lips when they broke for air. “This is wrong. We’re both men.”

“This is the way of the Igra. There are no females here. Years without a woman’s touch and one begins to view gender much differently.” Kris captured Tao’s lips in a kiss once more as his right hand began to snake upwards beneath the teen’s shirt.

Teasing fingers touched a sweaty muscled stomach before brushing ever so lightly past a dusky nipple. Tao moaned and Kris smirked against the boy’s neck having decided that he’d like to claim the expanse of skin there. A warm thumb pressed inward, teasing in a circular motion on the areola, and Tao’s knees trembled.

“K-Kris.” The teen said softly as the older man continued to lave at his neck.

Kris hummed and continued with his ministrations, playing and teasing Tao until the two little peaks were fully erect from the stimulation. Kris then took the opportunity to pull Tao’s shirt from him thus letting the boy’s bare form hit the cool night air. Hot skin slid against hot skin as Kris then pulled his own shirt off, ribcage expanding as he breathed heavily while taking in the sight of Tao’s partially naked form beneath his.

Then those warm hands on Tao’s body again as the teen arched upwards, moaning softly as Kris’s hot mouth closed around his nipple. The older boy laved at the peak, eyes trained on Tao’s contorted face as the teen moaned softly.

“Kris!” The teen gasped when the man’s other hand found its way to his groin. “K-Kris stop!”

“Let me take care of you.” Kris pressed a kiss to Tao’s sternum as he palmed particularly forcefully between the boy’s legs. Tao threw his head back and made a small strangled noise, hands flying up to Kris’s head from where it rested on Tao’s chest.

“Ah.” The dark haired boy’s breath hitched and Kris smiled. He had him now.

“Let me take care of you.” Kris repeated as he began to unbutton Tao’s pants. The older man slid downwards, eyes watching Tao as the teen watched him in return, trailing kisses down his stomach before coming to stop at the boy’s inner thigh. Kris could feel the warmth radiating from Tao down there and he nuzzled against the clothed bulge.

“Tell me what you want.” Kris’s voice was low as he pulled Tao’s pants from him.

“I can’t… we can’t… we’re both men.” Tao seemed to be having an internal battle with himself as when he said these words, his hips bucked upwards. Kris chuckled and pulled down the boy’s boxers, grinning as Tao’s leaking member was revealed.

“No.” Tao’s protests had become weak now, “Don’t.”

“Hush.” Kris said before he was moving forwards and taking Tao in his mouth.

“Ah!” The teen moved to buck upwards in surprise at the wet warmness surrounding him only to be held down by two strong hands on his hips. Again the teen bucked upwards only to be restrained. Sweat stuck the boy’s jet black hair to his forehead now as he felt as if his body were on fire.

Kris hummed around the flesh, tongue licking one long stripe up the underside of Tao’s member as the teen thrashed in delirious pleasure. At only eighteen years of age, Tao had still yet to fully experience the pleasures of a woman besides a few quick fumbles that really couldn’t be classified as anything.

The older boy bobbed his head, flaxen hair glinting in the pink moonlight, as the cold night air raced up and down Tao’s naked form. Kris alternated between sliding his mouth upwards and downwards and by applying suction at different times, It wasn’t particularly the world’s most skilled blowjob but it was enough to have Tao looming on edge. It was when Kris suckled at the head, tongue pressing against the slit, just as Tao was about to peak, that Kris pulled off.

Tao moaned weakly, fisting the sheets at his side, as he looked to Kris in disbelief but the older boy was already struggling with his pants. Tao’s beating heart stopped short for a moment as he watched Kris discard his pants and then underwear before Kris was turning back to the panting boy on the bed.

“We’re really going to do this?” Tao wiped at his eyes and pulled himself further up on the bed. Kris smiled, producing a small tube from somewhere apparently, as he crawled up the bed and placed a quick kiss to the teen’s mouth.

“Have I not already shown you the pleasures that a man can bring you?” The blonde goaded as Tao’s face burned.

“Well…” Tao grumbled, gingerly moving his legs as the problem between continued to rage for attention.

“Get on your hands and knees,” Kris moved to guide Tao’s hips into the correct position, “It will make things much easier.”

“I’ve never… I’ve never done this before, you know.” Tao said shakily as he rose up in the kneeling stance that Kris had instructed him into.

“I know.” A cool hand ran down the boy’s back in means of calming him, Then there was a squirting sound as something cold and blunt came to rest at his entrance. Tao shot forwards, not having expected the touch so soon, and Kris wrapped his free hand around the boy’s front, hushing him as he began to stroke Tao’s member.

“I said that I’d take care of you. You just relax for me.” Kris pressed a hot open-mouthed kiss to the teen’s shoulder and Tao relaxed a little.

“Okay.” Tao whispered as Kris began to stroke him.

The teen moaned, hips cantering forwards as Kris continued a slow and steady pace with his ministrations. The elder took time and care to bring the younger pleasure as he applied varying pressure, hand expertly bringing Tao to the point of almost coming but still denying the teen of that. Such actions went on for quite a few minutes until Tao was totally relaxed, moans of appreciation leaving his lips as he bucked softly forwards into Kris’s hand. The older boy then took the opportunity to slide his first finger in.

The intrusion was uncomfortable. Tao’s shoulders had stiffened some and he’d frozen slightly before Kris’s other hand was distracting him once more. The blonde tried his best to keep his partner relaxed and distracted as he showered the boy’s shoulder and neck with soft kisses, caressed the boy between in the legs in the most intimate way possible, and whispered words of praise. Over time more fingers were eased in until the fit became a bit tight.

Tao had become well aware of the pain now as he gritted his teeth and begged Kris to get on with it already. The boy’s back was bowed now as he emitted small pained noises when Kris pulled his fingers free. It would still be tight during the inwards slid but Kris was already hard with need, body urging his hips forwards behind the boy’s rear.

Tao gasped as Kris’s member touched the skin of rear and left a wet sticky trail. It was obvious that both men wanted this in the situation and Tao no longer had any thoughts of escape as he surrendered his body fully.

“Are you ready?” Kris asked but he was already sliding forwards.

Tao cried out, body falling forwards, but Kris’s hold on his hips kept him in place as the blonde slid deeper in. It was painful, the boy’s ring of muscles straining to accommodate for the thick length that was pushing past it and forcing its way inside. Both men were breathing heavily now, Tao fisting the sheets and gasping as Kris threw his head back in a satisfied groan. The elder slid forwards until he was fully seated, balls kissing the boy’s skin, and Tao whimpered.

“F-fuck.” The dark haired teen squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth. “It burns. Shit! It fucking stings!”

“It will feel good once I begin to move.” Kris explained, “Try to relax in the meantime.”

Tao nodded, blinking rapidly, as he willed his body to adjust. It took a short while but it was not difficult for Kris to show restraint despite how much he wanted to simply slam forwards. Kris was a trained fighter, a man with an incredible amount of self-control and discipline, so waiting for the trembling body beneath his was no challenge. Meanwhile the blonde was taking his time in truly observing his bed partner. Tao was young, that much was already obvious from his fighting skills, but Kris now realized just how young the teen must have been. He was just a child thrown into a man’s world and Kris did not feel very comfortable with the idea.

“Alright. I’m good.” Tao breathed and Kris simply nodded before slamming home.

Tao cried out, back arching, as he felt the thick slide of Kris within his body. The blonde was large and while slightly painful, there was instant pleasure from the older boy’s movement. The blonde really began to thrust then, hands tightening so harshly on Tao’s hips that his fingers left bruises, as wet squelches and the sounds of slapping skin was heard.

“Ah! Kris!” Tao moaned, letting his head to fall to rest on his forearms.

“Huh.” Kris groaned in response, hips pistoning inwards and outwards at a pace so fast that it began to burn as the lubricant ran thin.

“K-Kris!” Tao cried as the teen began to jerk himself furiously and the older boy choked as he felt the younger tighten around him.

Tao came then, his member shooting out a steady flow of the milky white substance that stained his thighs and the bedding beneath them. The teen rode out his pleasure in waves, hips cantering weakly as he came down from his high. Then the dark haired boy was collapsing onto the bed, wincing as Kris rolled him over and entered him once more.

“Fuck.” Kris swore as he grabbed Tao’s leg and angled it outwards to wrap around his waist. Then Kris was taking Tao’s other leg in his hand and forcing it upwards to enter the boy at a better angle that allowed him to drive in deeper.

The older boy pounded into the younger’s with a new fury, his touch rough and harsh as he took the boy at an aggressive pace. Tao was wincing now, mewling softly as his oversensitive body took all that was given.

“Come already. Come Kris.” Tao pleaded as Kris groaned in frustration and thrust in harder. It hurt slightly that time and Tao groaned in pain.

“Almost.” The blonde dropped his forehead down to rest on the teen’s shoulder. “I’m almost.”

“Come on.” Tao whispered, fingers playing the man’s hair and caressing his neck. “Come for me.”

“Argh.” Kris squeezed his eyes shut as he found a good rhythm and rode out his orgasm in a series of short thrusts.

At last Kris had found completion and lied down atop Tao, chest rising and falling as he struggled to regain his breath.

Tao wanted to say so many things in that moment and yet he remained silent. The sounds of chilling night air the only accompaniment after their fucking as Tao felt sleep overtake him.

“Tao?”

“Uh.” Tao groaned, rolling over onto his side and swatting at whomever was speaking to him.

“Tao, dude, get up. Tao?” The voice spoke again.

“No. Just a bit more.” Tao refused to open his eyes when suddenly someone had kicked him in his side.

The teen shot awake, sitting straight up and scowling up at the figure looming in the sun’s light over him. It took a moment for Tao to realize that it was Lay before him.

“L-Lay?” Tao scrambled to his feet before looking down in confusion at his clothed body. “Wait, what?”

“I told you to come and find me after you’d found shelter.” Lay shook his head in disappointment. “You really shouldn’t be sleeping in an area like this anyways.”

Tao spun around. They were in the remains of a shopping mall, Tao had been sleeping on one of the benches and from what he could see so far, they were alone. Kris was nowhere in sight.

“Where’s the hospital?” Tao blurted out immediately.

“Huh?” Lay squinted at Tao in confusion. “I have no idea what you are going on about. You’re lucky that my camp is near here or I never would have found you. Of all places too and you’re sleeping at the mall like some punk teenager.”

“I don’t understand.” Tao frowned and Lay scanned the boy.

“Nice sword by the way. It’s agile and light, good for fighting. Where’d you pick up a top-grade weapon like that?” Lay nodded towards the weapon lying on the bench that Tao had not noticed before.

“What?” Tao scooped up the item, immediately recognizing it to be the one that he’d seen Kris with earlier. “Lay, was I alone when you found me?”

“Of course you were. Lucky thing too. It’s not good to be sleeping out here in the open like that. It’s alright for quick afternoon naps but not as a permanent shelter for the night. We should head back to my camp anyways. There’s some guys I want you to meet. I’ve already put together a team and everything. It was just a matter of finding you, you little punk.” Lay grinned and began to set off in the direction of the exit.

He got a few paces until he realized that the teen was not following him. Lay watched Tao curiously as the boy looked around the upper level of the mall expectantly.

“You coming or not?” Lay asked annoyed.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m coming.” Tao grabbed the sword and hurriedly scrambled after the older boy.

The pair then set off for Lay’s camp, leaving the dark empty mall behind. They encountered no one on the roads, but the whole time, Tao couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching him.