Work Text:
Johnny never imagined that what he's seeing really happened. It was real that he wished he's just dreaming and woke up and there was nothing in front of him. It's too painful for him. He wanted to look away to the other side so that he didn't have to see it.
No.
He didn't want to see it.
"Johnny, grab that boy's bag!"
A loud voice startled him, forcing him to realize he's here, standing among the gang's members in the rain. His feet suddenly felt so heavy when he stepped over the the boy who slumped on the ground.
A rain made him, that boy and everyone on this empty place soaked. Indeed, seeing how the boy was shaking due to the cold and a low groan slipped out of his mouth were something that broke his heart. But he had to do it. He had to take the boy's bag just like what other guy asked for. As the youngest member of this gangster gang, he couldn't resist any of their orders. No exception if he had to hurt this boy.
"No, don't...."
Instantly, Johnny gasped as a hand gripped his wrist, preventing him to take the bag. His eyes accidentally switched to the boy who already lifted his head to look at him. Johnny could feel something shattered inside his chest.
This boy... looked so pale. Too pale if Johnny had to compare with his usual pale skin. His lips were faintly blue, there's a purple bruise near his cheekbone. His hair was wet and messy. Even he could feel how cold the boy's hand was on his wrist.
Johnny couldn't breathe.
"Please, don't. This...."
"What are you waiting for, Stupid?! Take that damn bag and give it to us!" One of big man shouted at Johnny, his loud voice drowning the boy's who begged Johnny with a weak voice.
Johnny's hand that already hold one of the straps of the bag was shaking. He saw a nametag on the boy's school uniform. It's Dong Sicheng. That's written there.
So, It's his name?
Dong Sicheng, a boy who a month ago helped him when he ran away from police?
Dong Sicheng, a boy who nursed him for one week in his big house?
Dong Sicheng, a boy who told him that he's always alone in that house because his father was busy working?
Dong Sicheng, a boy who told him that his father was a police who just killed a leader of some gangster gang?
Dong Sicheng, a boy who had to suffer tonight because what his father had done?
No.
Johnny couldn't.
Johnny couldn't hurt Sicheng who had cared about him. he couldn't let Sicheng hurt only because of his father. But... he also couldn't let Sicheng's father alive. This boy's father had killed a man who's so important in his life. Sicheng's father had killed someone who had been taking care of him since he's 6 years old.
Just like other members of this gang, he also wanted to take a revenge. But not to this boy. He didn't want to do it to this precious boy.
"Hyung....."
Johnny's chest felt like being stabbed with thousands knives as he heard Sicheng calling him "Hyung" in weak and hoarse voice. Brows furrowed, he looked down to meet Sicheng's eyes.
Suddenly his body fell towards Sicheng as someone pushed his back from behind and grabbed a bag in his hand. Immediately he slipped his arm under Sicheng's neck and hold his upper body with his other hand on the ground so he didn't press Sicheng beneath him.
Another painful thing was when he fell down, Sicheng immediately curled up, hiding his head and grabbed the front side of his black jacket. He knew the boy might think he was going to hit him.
"What the fuck, Johnny! You're so slow. what happened to you, hah?" One of the older men dropped several books onto the ground after ruffling the content of the bag.
Johnny could feel his blood boiling as he saw Sicheng's books scattered on the ground, even there's some dirty mud on those books.
"Hyung, please don't kill me. I don't wanna die, Hyung. It's my fault. I shouldn't record what you and your friend did that night. I shouldn't tell my Dad and showed the tape to him. I'm guilty. Hyung, please, don't kill me."
For God's sake, Johnny wanted to stop the time and bring Sicheng away from here, if only he could. Sicheng was so scared to death beneath him. He clearly could see his shoulders shaking so hard. The urge to place his hand onto his shoulder and gently rub it so that he could calm down and the urge to pull him into his arms so that the boy could feel warm were so strong. However, the reality he faced was more important and he had no reason to avoid it.
"Kill him, Johnny!"
He heard it again from behind his back. And something just dropped near him. He turned his head to see what it was. His heart suddenly stopped beating when he realized that thing was a gun. A black gun. Did they really want him to kill this boy? Kill this innocent boy? Kill this boy who had saved his life before?
No. He couldn't do that.
"We can't find the tape. He might already give it to his Dad. Before we kill his Dad, we have to kill him first. I really want to see his Dad crying over his son's dead body. I want him suffering, just like what we're feeling."
'I want him suffering, just like what we're feeling.'
Those words kept ringing in his head as he pulled himself away from Sicheng. His gaze didn't move from Sicheng's eyes with unreadable expression on his face. One by one, his memories with the leader of his gang were playing in his mind, placing him into the battle field against himself.
Because of Sicheng's father, he lost his leader.
Because of Sicheng's father, this gang couldn't get away from the pain.
Slowly, he took the gun and pointed it towards Sicheng, causing the boy gasped.
Sicheng looked so scared at that gun in Johnny's hand. He's more scared when he looked at Johnny, tears trailing down to his cheeks.
"Hyung, please, don't. I'm sorry. I'm sorry to you all. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that to you all. Please, don't kill me. No, please!" Sicheng pleaded in his cry, his heart was racing so fast as he looked back to the gun.
There's heavy breath coming out of Johnny's mouth as he started to pull the trigger.
"Hyung, no. I'm sorry, Hyung."
A second later, There were a sound of gunshots and people shouting in pain. Sicheng already covering his head with his both hand, shaking because of the intense state around him.
"Sicheng, get up! Sicheng, you hear me?"
Sicheng was too scared to lift his head that that person had to put his arms around him and tried to help him.
"Hyung, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Sicheng kept muttering in his shaky voice as Johnny dragged him away from his members and put him into the car.
=== T H E E N D ===