Mo Guan Shan was walking away when his phone chimed, so he pulls it out to see who texted him.
Why did that chicken dick text me? Guan Shan thinks as he goes to open the text. Before he can get the message open, he feels a heavy hand land on his shoulder. He knows from the pressure behind the grab that it is not He Tian. He Tian never applies that much pressure, even when Guan Shan is trying to get out of his grip. As Guan Shan turns to see who grabbed him, he feels his heart drop to his stomach. She Li is the one who has grabbed him.
"The ear stud's not bad," She Li says as he pushes Guan Shan against the wall. Guan Shan tries to keep his expression from showing his fear as She Li gets in his face. "I almost forgot I was the one who gave you the piercing."
"What do you want?" Guan Shan asks, trying to move out of Shi Li's hold, but he just grabs the front of Guan Shan's jacket.
"This is a rare meeting, why don't you come with me?" She Li asks, leaning towards Guan Shan's face.
I need to get out of here and fast, Guan Shan thinks, trying to quickly figure out what to do. As She Li gets even closer, Guan Shan does the only thing he can think to do, swing his backpack at She Li's face. As Guan Shan swings his bag, She Li manages to get his arm up and block the blow. Guan Shan takes the minor distraction and bolts. He has no idea where he is running, he just knows he has to get away from She Li and quick. As he's running, he feels a tug on his jacket sleeve, which causes him to fall. As Guan Shan falls, he allows his backpack to swing at whoever grabbed him. When he sees it is She Li, he quickly starts running, even before he is standing back up. At one point, Guan Shan hears a security guard yelling at them about running, but he completely ignores him. He almost trips as he is suddenly running down a set of stairs. As he gets to the bottom of the stairs, he finally realizes where his feet led him. As he is turning towards the train He Tian is on, he hears the warning that the train doors are closing. When he sees He Tian standing right inside the door, he pushes his legs to run faster. He can see the worry on Jian Yi's face and in Zhan Zheng Xi's eyes. He does not focus on them long as he notices the panic shining in He Tian's eyes. Right as the doors are closing, threatening to close off his escape route, Guan Shan lounges through the doors. He slams right into He Tian as the doors close, and he grabs a hold of He Tian's arms to stop himself from falling. When he feels He Tian wrap his arms around him, Guan Shan lets himself fall fully against him, trying to catch his breath. She Li is stuck on the other side of the closed doors, watching as He Tian seems to be holding up Guan Shan. He Tian glares at She Li as he gives him a thumbs down and holds a trembling Guan Shan close. When the train suddenly jerks, He Tian tightens his hold on Guan Shan, but he is still unbalanced. He would have fallen if Zheng Xi had not braced him. He Tian meets Zheng Xi's eyes and gives him a small nod before focusing on Guan Shan.
"Little Mo?" He Tian asks, leaning back slightly to see Guan Shan's face. He is shocked to see how pale Guan Shan's face is, paler than normal.
"Is he alright?" Jian Yi asks surprisingly calm sounding.
"Take his backpack," He Tian says, frowning at how much Guan Shan is shaking and gasping like he cannot breathe. Jian Yi grabs it and carefully pulls it out of Guan Shan's hands.
"There are a couple of open seats. Let us move him over to sit so he can catch his breath," Zheng Xi says, reaching out and laying his hand on Guan Shan's back. He Tian is surprised by how violently Guan Shan flinches. He Tian looks up and meets Zheng Xi's eyes, and he is surprised to see the worry in his eyes. The two of them have never been very close because of the fight. He Tian focuses back on Guan Shan when he hears how close his breathing is to hyperventilate.
"I am going to move us over to sit down, alright?" He Tian asks, rubbing Guan Shan's back. When he does not respond, he scopes him up and walks to the empty seats. As he sits down, he notices everyone in the train compartment staring at them. Some seem concerned, some seem to be disgusted, and some seem to be glaring at them. He frowns when Guan Shan holds on tight when he tries to set him next to him. He Tian locks eyes with Zheng Xi when he kneels in front of them.
"You need to try and get him to slow his breathing down," Zheng Xi says as Jian Yi sits where there is still a seat between him and He Tian.
"Little Mo? Did you hear him? You need to slow your breathing down," He Tian says, trying to get Guan Shan to unbury his face. "He is not slowing his breathing." He Tian locks eyes again with Zheng Xi. He frowns when Zheng Xi looks towards Jian Yi with an expression that appears to be asking him something. When Jian Yi frowns and nods back to Zheng Xi, He Tian feels confused and his frown deepens. Jian Yi gets up suddenly, and Zheng Xi takes the seat Jian Yi has been sitting in.
"Set him down in the seat between us," Zheng Xi says, turning towards the seat with one knee resting on his seat. He Tian hesitates, but when Jian Yi places his hand on He Tian's knee and nods, he turns to match the way Zheng Xi is sitting. He then tries to sit Guan Shan down, but he does not let go.
"Let me," Zheng Xi says, reaching out towards Guan Shan. He Tian tightens his hold though as he looks at Zheng Xi. When Zheng Xi nods, He Tian forces Guan Shan onto the seat in between him and Zheng Xi. Zheng Xi carefully pulls Guan Shan out of He Tian's arms and against his chest, resting his chin on top of his head. He Tian frowns at how intimate it looks, but his frown eases some when he notices Guan Shan's breathing seems to stop coming out as hyperventilating. "That is it. Try to match your breathing to mine."
"How does he know how to do that?" He Tian asks Jian Yi in an almost whisper. He frowns when he sees Jian Yi slightly flinch at the question. Right, when He Tian thought Jian Yi was not going to answer he did.
"I used to get panic attacks when we were little," Jian Yi says, sitting on the floor and leaning slightly against Zheng Xi's leg, who glances down at him but continues to lightly encourage Guan Shan to calm down. He Tian gives Jian Yi a questioning look before focusing back on Guan Shan, who is slowly calming down. "My mom tended to go away for work and sometimes not pick me up after school. I cannot count the number of times I stayed with Xixi because she forgot."
"I never knew," He Tian says, glaring at a woman he catches out of the corner of his eye giving them a dirty look.
"That is why I do not like to talk about my home life," Jian Yi says, smiling up at Zheng Xi when he moves a hand down and brushes the hair from Jian Yi's face. He Tian focuses back on Guan Shan when he hears Zheng Xi say his name.
"Do you want to sit up or lean against He Tian?" Zheng Xi says, leaning back slightly to look down at Guan Shan. He Tian hears Guan Shan speak, but he cannot hear what he said. Zheng Xi locks eyes with He Tian before slowly easing Guan Shan away from his chest and towards He Tian. He Tian quickly reaches out and pulls Guan Shan against his chest and frowns when Guan Shan hides his face in He Tian's neck. "After an attack that bad, he is bound to doze off."
"Can you grab my phone out of my bag?" He Tian asks, running his fingers through Guan Shan's hair as he feels him lean more and more into him. Jian Yi digs through He Tian's bag and pulls out his phone. He Tian shifts to take the phone, but it causes Guan Shan to let out a small sound of protest, so he instantly stops.
"You want me to text your brother about needing a ride?" Jian Yi asks softly, smiling softly as he looks at Guan Shan.
"I would appreciate that," He Tian says, holding Guan Shan closer as the train nears the stop right before the one they always get off on. As the train slows to a stop, Jian Yi sends the message as Zheng Xi makes sure he does not slide on the floor when the train jerks to a stop.
"He's asleep," Jian Yi says, smiling up at He Tian, who is frowning down at Guan Shan. "Why do you think he freaked out so much? She Li is always bothering him at school, but he never freaks out then."
"I do not know," He Tian says, resting his cheek on top of Guan Shan's head. "Has my brother responded?"
"He just did," Jian Yi says, looking down at the phone before sending a text back. "He says he will have a car waiting at the next stop. He also says he wants to talk to you as soon as possible."
"Thank you," He Tian says, causing Jian Yi to smile brightly up at him. He Tian frowns at him and lightly pushes him over with his foot. "What are you so smiley about?"
"You are showing your soft side," Jian Yi says, causing He Tian to push him over again. They end up riding the rest of the way in silence. When they get close to their stop, Jian Yi picks up He Tian and Guan Shan's bags.
"Do you need help with him?" Zheng Xi asks as Jian Yi stands up.
"If you can hold him long enough for me to get up, I would appreciate that," He Tian says, carefully easing Guan Shan up once Zheng Xi nods. He Tian quickly stands up and then leans down and scoops Guan Shan up bridal style, letting Guan Shan's head rest on his shoulder. Guan Shan groans and He Tian quickly looks down at him to make sure he is not waking up. When he sees he is not, he moves over to stand in front of the door. As the train slows and jerks to a stop, He Tian feels Jian Yi and Zheng Xi brace him. He gives them a small smile and quickly heads through the train station. Jian Yi and Zheng Xi stay next to him the whole way to add a buffer between him and anyone else. As He Tian gets towards the exit, he is startled to see He Cheng and Brother Qiu standing there looking around.
"Hey, it's Brother Qiu," Jian Yi says, which draws the attention of Brother Qiu and He Cheng. Brother Qiu quickly moves over to them and stops close to Jian Yi. He Cheng, on the other hand, steps in front of He Tian.
"Are you ok?" He Cheng asks, reaching towards He Tian, but He Tian moves back.
"I am fine. I just need a ride to my apartment," He Tian says, trying to move around He Cheng, but He Cheng keeps blocking his way.
"What happened?" He Cheng asks, looking down at Guan Shan. He Tian goes to say something, but Zheng Xi beats him.
"He had a panic attack and needs to get to He Tian's apartment to rest in peace," Zheng Xi says, moving to stand slightly in between He Tian and He Cheng. He Cheng steps closer so that he is in Zheng Xi's face as he glares down at him.
"Brother, don't. Either give us a ride, or we will walk it," He Tian says, growing angry and worried as he shifts Guan Shan slightly into a new position.
"The car is outside," He Cheng says, glaring over Zheng Xi's shoulder at He Tian. He Tian tightens his hold on Guan Shan, which causes He Cheng's eyes to drop down to him. He Cheng looks back up at He Tian before turning and heading out. Zheng Xi looks back at He Tian, who nods, before leading the way for the rest of them with Brother Qiu walking in the very back.