#for @florbexter's h3trappedcollection

[shijiujun]

and i said, i’ll be good to you

Tang Yi wakes up in the hospital with a stomach ulcer after too many days of skipped meals and heavy binge drinking with prospective clients.

“Don’t tell Shao Fei,” is the first thing he says.

---

He hasn’t seen Shao Fei in 23 days.

When he opens his eyes after struggling for a while, the first person Tang Yi sees is Hong Ye, who’s leaning over him with her eyes all swollen and red, as if she’s been crying for a while. Tang Yi knows immediately that he’s in the hospital. Having spent a lot of his time a few years ago in a hospital ward has burnt the memory of the smell of disinfectant and the sight of white walls into his brain.

“Don’t tell Shao Fei,” is the first thing he says.

Hong Ye pauses for a moment, and when she realizes what he’s said, she actually curses. Tang Yi hasn’t really heard Hong Ye say so many vulgarities in a single sentence in years, and that’s when he knows he’s in trouble.

She must have called for someone, for Tang Yi finds a nurse turning up before him the next time he opens his eyes. It’s a little uncomfortable until he sees another familiar face.

Jin Tang.

“Look at you, what did I say? Did I not tell you to take better care of yourself? I already have to deal with one Meng Shao Fei, and I thought you were the more reliable one, but I should have known. A few years as a CEO didn’t get rid of that stubbornness and refusal to take care of yourself-“

“He just woke up,” Hong Ye squeezes in next to Jin Tang, shoving him away. “Stop nagging at him!”

Tang Yi tunes them out for a second, trying to recall what happened to land him in the hospital. It takes a little for him to recall what happened before this — in the haze of his memories, his last memory is of him finishing a dinner with Lin laoban, walking the man out of the restaurant and watching him go off in his car.

“When’s the last time you ate huh?” asks Jin Tang, peering at him again. “Your stomach ulcer must’ve been hurting like a bitch, and you probably just thought it was gastric or what not, I assume. And drinking on an empty stomach?”

Ah. The last bit clicks in his head — after sending Lin laoban off, Tang Yi recalls a burning in his abdomen and sweating profusely, his whole body going both cold and hot. And then nothing.

“Will I live?” asks Tang Yi wryly, looking to Hong Ye and she automatically helps him up, trying to fluff the pillows up behind his back.

Jin Tang and Hong Ye both glare at him, and he smiles weakly, “Sorry, bad joke.”

His eyes do a once-over of the VIP ward he’s in, and aside from Hong Ye and Jin Tang, no one else is here. The disappointment in his eyes is obvious, even as guilt rams into him for feeling so sour about this.

It’s not like Shao Fei is away deliberately. He’s on some other joint operation down in Taichung with Team Three on their latest case, and if it so happens that he hasn’t seen Shao Fei for more than three weeks, Tang Yi isn’t complaining. He knows how Shao Fei gets when he’s fully focused on a case, but the only difference is that Shao Fei is getting better at ensuring his phone and a portable charger is with him at all times, and he calls everyday without fail.

Still, Tang Yi hasn’t laid eyes on his boyfriend in three weeks, and now that he’s sick and in pain, he’s turning into a whining, pitiful child.

All he wants is to see Shao Fei. He wants Shao Fei to be here, to sit next to him, to share his warmth with him, to tell him that he loves him. It’s ridiculously cold in here and the twisting in his stomach is definitely not a figment of his imagination, even though Tang Yi’s certain that Jin Tang has him on the good drugs. If only Shao Fei was here, he could leech some of the warmth of his boyfriend, hide his face in Shao Fei’s neck and let the man take care of him.

Since when has he become this useless, he wonders.

Just three weeks away and Tang Yi has landed himself in the hospital. He didn’t even realize how little he was eating and all the meals he skipped without Shao Fei around. Before Shao Fei muscled his way into his house, Tang Yi has always enjoyed eating alone, and eating regularly.

Shao Fei is the one who likes to give his body trouble by drinking too much coke and pairing it with spicy food, sometimes forgetting to eat when he’s too engrossed in a case. It is always Tang Yi who turns up at the station while Shao Fei is working overtime with supper.

It’s just… nothing tastes as good, not without Shao Fei around.

“You guys didn’t disturb him, did you?” he asks, taking the cup of water Hong Ye passes him.

“You said he was on an important case, so I didn’t,” Hong Ye reassures him. “Ah Yi, you need to take better care of yourself. Song Jia was freaking out when she called me earlier, you just collapsed out there at the lobby.”

He nods, satisfied with the answer.

Later, as he’s sipping at some hot soup that Dao Yi bought from a restaurant downstairs, Tang Yi’s phone rings and Shao Fei’s photo pops up on the screen. After shooting a warning look at both Hong Ye and Dao Yi, Tang Yi picks up the call.

“Tang Yi,” comes Shao Fei’s cheery voice, and any unease and upset that was gnawing at Tang Yi earlier dissipates immediately, like the sun after a storm.

“Shao Fei,” Tang Yi finds himself smiling. “What’re you doing? How’s the case going?”

“Mnn, it should be wrapping up soon, I’m giving it a couple more days at most,” the voice on the other end of the line sounds again. “Tang, I miss you. I haven’t seen you for so long!”

Tang Yi’s heart drops a little once he hears that it’s going to take another few more days before Shao Fei can be cleared to go home. It’s only two more days, or three at most, but right this moment, the next 72 hours sound like an absolute torture for him to go through without seeing Shao Fei.

Then again, that will give Tang Yi some time to recover from this stint in the hospital. He doesn’t want to worry Shao Fei.

“Be careful,” Tang Yi says in the end. “I miss you too. I’ll see you in a few more days then.”

They speak for a bit longer but Tang Yi doesn’t want to hold Shao Fei back from rest and the conversation ends sooner than he would have liked. Once Tang Yi puts his phone aside, Dao Yi and Hong Ye exchange glances when they see Tang Yi’s mood deflate almost immediately. The person he was on the phone with Shao Fei earlier and the man sitting before them right now are almost two different people.

===

Zhao Zi catches Shao Fei frowning at his phone for a full minute after he hangs up.

“What’re you staring at, Ah Fei?”

Shao Fei doesn’t answer Zhao Zi immediately, replaying his conversation with Tang Yi earlier in his head. Tang Yi didn’t say anything out of the ordinary, so he could be being a little too sensitive, but something tells him that not everything is quite right with Tang Yi.

In fact, Tang Yi sounds a little sick, his voice weaker than usual.

He looks around him. They caught their suspect and his partners a few hours ago, and what’s left is administrative work, some debriefs and clearing out the temporary office given to them for use these few weeks. It honestly would take at least two days to fully finish up here.

Shao Fei hasn’t seen Tang Yi in three weeks, though, and if he was missing Tang Yi before, it feels as if he might go mad if he doesn’t see Tang Yi today, not after hearing his voice like that.

“Zhao Zi,” he calls, glancing at his watch. “Can you and Jun Wei handle the rest of the case? I’m going to head back to Taipei for a bit, I’ll be back by tomorrow evening.”

“Ah… that shouldn’t be a problem,” Zhao Zi nods curiously. “Did something happen?”

“I hope not,” Shao Fei grimaces, picking up his bag from the couch and then he’s out of the office, leaving Zhao Zi staring at him.

He doesn’t ask more. Instead, he takes his own phone out and texts Jack.

===

He thinks he’s dreaming when he feels a warm furnace plaster itself to his side, and the press of lips against his cheek is so familiar.

Tang Yi turns a little towards the source of heat, breathing in deeply. Not moving even when a hand comes up to caress at his face, to brush the hair away from his face and draw him in even closer, Tang Yi finds his lips curving.

Another kiss to his forehead, and that voice murmurs, “Sleep, Tang Yi. I’m here.”

Shao Fei is here, and with Shao Fei around, Tang Yi knows he can finally, finally go to sleep and rest-

He stiffens in Shao Fei’s hold, and all hints of drowsiness disappear as Tang Yi wakes properly, looking up in disbelief.

“Why’re you staring? Have you not seen as handsome a face as mine in the past few weeks?” Shao Fei teases.

“… what’re you doing here?” Tang Yi rasps.

At that, Shao Fei’s expression darkens. “You’re asking me why I’m here? I should be asking you that. You’re sick and you didn’t tell me when I called earlier, and lied to me. Didn’t you know that I would worry?”

Tang Yi swallows, wondering how he should defend himself, but there really isn’t much to say because Shao Fei is right. In the end, he sighs, and hides his face against Shao Fei’s shoulder, just as he wanted to do earlier when he first woke up. His hands clutch at the back of Shao Fei’s jacket, wanting to be as close as he can to the man.

“I’m sorry,” he says finally. “I didn’t want you to worry, so I told Hong Ye not to tell you.”

And you knew anyway.

“Your voice sounded weird earlier,” Shao Fei sighs, his hands stroking up and down Tang Yi’s back. “I called Hong Ye and she told me you fainted earlier.”

Then, in his ear, Shao Fei asks, “Did you miss me that much?”

Tang Yi doesn’t answer verbally, but his hands tighten impossibly around Shao Fei, which is telling enough.

“We’ll settle this later,” Shao Fei murmurs, his voice low as if sensing how tired Tang Yi is.

“… do you have to go?”

Tang Yi still asks even as sleep is trying its best to drag him under, and if Shao Fei says yes, he’ll let him go without hesitation.

“I stood for an hour on the last train back to Taipei because there weren’t any reserved or free seats left,” Shao Fei laughs, and although he’s upset that Tang Yi is in the hospital after not taking care of himself, he hasn’t actually seen Tang Yi like this.

Openly missing him like this, showing Shao Fei all his vulnerabilities. And it is only now, with Tang Yi settled in his arms and sleeping against him does Shao Fei finally feel at ease.

“I’ll still be here when you wake up,” he promises.

[florbexter]

The mercenary’s birthday

a Trapped Fanfiction

Pairing: Zhao Zi x Jack

[AO3 Link]

Happy Reading!

+++

„I had a plan… “

Jack looked around. He tried to maintain a neutral face.

„Was your plan to destroy the house to get a new one?”

There was batter on the ceiling. There was batter on the back of Zhao Zi shirt. There was no batter whatsoever in the baking tin on the counter. It was, miraculously, the only thing in their kitchen which looked clean.

“I wanted to bake?”

The question mark behind his sentence made Jack chuckle, and he put the box with the utensils from his food stall on the floor.

“I can cook!”, Zhao Zi declared and distributed a bit more fluids from his spatula to the floor. “You know I can cook; I didn’t know baking was so different to it.”

Jack stepped over a wooden spoon and some oven mittens to give Zhao Zi his ‘Hello’-kiss (he was very insistent about establishing relationship routines and Jack was very happy to oblige) and got a bit of batter on his leather jacket for his troubles. Zhao Zi still pouted so he gave him another kiss.

“Why did you wanted to bake something?”

Zhao Zi’s eyes shifted to the side, a telling sign of him that something ‘shifty’ was going on but Jack wasn’t going to disclose that to him.

“Just because?”

“Just because?”

“Yes! My grandma left me her baking book and I thought about trying something from it.”

“Try again,” Jack murmured and pulled Zhao Zi back against his body with a hand on his hip. He smelled sweet and delicious and it was always fun to get the truth out of a fidgety Zhao Zi. “I know every single one of your grandma’s cookbooks and there wasn’t one with baking recipes in it.”

“Oh, you think you know them all? But you’re wrong.”

“I’m not.”

Zhao Zi spluttered a little bit and seemed to decide to take the direct approach to deflect Jack from his questions. Zhao Zi’s kiss was deep and throughout and Jack felt a groan forming in the back of his lungs. He lost his leather jacket at some point and, he didn’t know how, but they had wandered off against the fridge and he knew in the tension of Zhao Zi’s body that he was ready to jump up to get his legs wrapped around his waist and Jack was more than ready but…

He ended the kiss and smiled at the whine Zhao Zi made.

“Why were you baking? Meng Shao Fei is the one organising the celebratory occasions in your department.”

Zhao Zi, with his arms still around Jack’s neck, sighed heavily and for a moment Jack began to worry. Did he forget an important anniversary?

“This isn’t going according to my plan,” he mumbled, and the mighty pout was back. Jack kissed it quickly because he wasn’t one to miss an opportunity.

“What was your plan?”

“To have a cake ready when you got home.”

“What for?”

Zhao Zi frowned at him and fuck he really had forgotten something, right?

“Your birthday?”

“My…?”

Jack looked to the side to the huge calendar on the wall. Zhao Zi bought it every year at a fundraiser from the kindergarten a few streets over.

“Oh…”

“You forgot your birthday?”

Jack shrugged. “I haven’t celebrated my birthday in years.”

“What?”, Zhao Zi gasped, and Jack felt his fingers on his neck tightening their hold for a second.

“It’s not that important.”

“It’s not… How dare you!” Zhao Zi gasped.

Amusement took over the confusion Jack had felt, and he grinned at Zhao Zi who looked at him as if he had insulted his grandma.

“How can you say that?”

“Because I don’t care. It’s just not something important to me.”

“But…”

Then it dawned on him.

“Wait… how do you know today is my birthday? I never told you.”

“Which is rather insulting, don’t you think? We’re in a relationship, we live together, and you haven’t told me! You should kiss me to make up to me.”

“You really think this always works?”, Jack asked after kissing Zhao Zi breathless. His words were little pecks against Zhao Zi lips, and he teased him with butterfly kisses along his jawline to his ear.

“How do you know my birthday Li An?”, he whispered in his ear and felt his full-body shudder.

“I may have hacked into some databanks to find out,” Zhao Zi said, and Jack threw his head back to look at him. He did what?

“When you say databanks, what exactly are you saying?” There was an uneasy feeling at the back of Jack’s mind.

“Just that I dug a bit to find the original file while you were in the military and…”

“You hacked into a military database?”

“Kinda?”

Jack stared at Zhao Zi who looked everywhere but Jack’s face.

“One moment. When you told me, you were ‘technically savvy’ what you really meant was that you’re a hacker?”

“I wouldn’t say hacker! I stopped hacking when I was accepted into the police academy. My grandma told me it would be better that way.”

“You hacked into a military database?” Jack couldn’t let that detail go. Jack had been in the special forces and later as a mercenary, he had to know how to get information from the vast space that was the internet. No one… no one just hacked into military servers to get a birth date.

“How weren’t you caught? There should be helicopters and a special task force charging into our house!”

Zhao Zi pursed his lips and played with one button on Jack’s shirt.

“I’m just good, I guess. We should clean up, don’t you think? Or rather, I should clean up, as I have been making this mess.”

Jack let Zhao Zi slip away from his embrace and waited until he was a few steps away to follow him and put his hands on his hips to hold him still.

“Zhao Zi.” He put his arms around him and rested his chin against Zhao Zi’s head.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my birthday.”

Zhao Zi stood still for a moment then he raised his hand to caress Jack’s wrist with his fingers.

“You should have. We’re a family, right? I should have known about your birthday.”

Jack nodded and tried not to burst out laughing as some batter fell from the ceiling to splash on the floor next to them.

“How bold would it be if I ask you to make your own birthday cake?”

Jack chuckled and put a kiss on Zhao Zi’s head. The fondness he felt was overwhelming.

“How about,” he murmured in Zhao Zi’s ear who turned around in his arms. “How about I eat you instead.”

Zhao Zi groaned and rolled his eyes at him.

“Your flirting really doesn’t get better.” But he let himself be kissed and quickly warmed up to the idea.

“Happy Birthday Fang Liang Dian,” Zhao Zi whispered into Jack’s skin over and over that night and it felt like this birthday, of all his birthdays, was a rebirth.

 *end*

[h3trappedcollection]

Adrift in the heat

Fandom: History 3: Trapped

Pairing: Shao Fei x Tang Yi

Length: ~ 2000 words Oneshot

Summary:

Shao Fei rolled his eyes and leaned his head back onto the staple of pallets they had been thrown against. He suspected that they were held in some kind of old warehouse. The windows were either broken or old newspapers stuck to it. The pallets were the only source of shadows because the sun shone mercilessly into the room. Hot air was coming through the open windows. He smelled the hot dirt and dust on his tongue. It felt like he was able to slice through the air.

[florbexter]

The kids made breakfast

a Trapped Fanfiction

Pairing: Shao Fei x Tang Yi

[AO3 Link]

In honour of Tang Yi’s birthday today *hurray* - Have fun reading! 

+++

Tang Yi wasn’t sure what woke him up. The light coming in through the gaps between the heavy dark curtains or the way Shao Fei kneeled on the floor next to his side of the bed and stared at him.

Tang Yi blinked.

“I just want to say,” Shao Fei whispered the moment he was sure that Tang Yi was able to process his words. “That it’s the fault of the devil's spawn.”

Tang Yi frowned. “Don’t call my niece the devil's spawn.”

“I love her, but she’s the daughter of the devil so it fits.”

Tang Yi grunted. He wanted nothing more than to bury himself deeper into his cushion, but he was awake and curious now.

“What exactly is her fault?”

“Hong Ye enables them. I thought we would have a few more years until they wanted to do the whole ��we make daddy breakfast by ourselves’ thing but Hong Ye clearly whispered the idea in Xiao Yu’s head who then told them to our kids and now the kitchen is a mess.”

“Did you always talk so much in the morning?” Tang Yi grabbed him, and Shao Fei climbed willingly on top of him, snuggling closer as Tang Yi arranged him to his liking. He buried his fingers in Shao Fei’s hair and noticed a few more grey hairs. He loved them.

He strained his ears, and yes, he could hear noises from downstairs, the exciting yells from his younger son Chen Xun while his brother Chen Lin was most likely trying to shush him.

“Just so you know,” Shao Fei murmured into the sensitive skin of his neck and Tang Yi let the arousal wash through his body. “It’s my birthday present to you to not clean up the kitchen.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. I don’t want to make you unhappy on your special day when you can’t sort every item to the place you want it to be.”

Tang Yi smiled.

“I thought I already got my birthday present.” He didn’t even hide the leer in his voice. His body ached in pleasant ways because Shao Fei sometimes woke up in the middle of the night with ideas.

“How bad is it going to be?”, he asked as the house got suspiciously silent. Their sons were probably tiptoeing up the stairs trying to be extra quiet.

“I came too late to save the eggs, but the burned lumps are big enough to sort out. The congee might be good though. At least they tried something easy.”

“I need to start cooking with them.”

“Good idea, I always wondered why Old Tang didn’t cook with Hong Ye.”

“She didn’t want to learn it. She rather beat people up,” Tang Yi replied drily, and Shao Fei snorted.

“Sounds about right, okay act like you’re sleeping.”

‘I really would be sleeping if you haven’t woken me,’ Tang Yi wanted to say but Shao Fei slipped under the covers and fit right into the curves of his body and that was one of the best feelings in the world.

A heated discussion took place outside their bedroom and Tang Yi was impressed by how good Chen Xun and Chen Lin were at whispering loudly. He felt Shao Fei’s smile against his skin and wrapped his arms around him more tightly.

The door opened silently, and warmth spread through Tang Yi’s body, the love and fondness he felt taking his breath away. This was going to be one of his best birthdays ever.

 *end*

[florbexter]

Adrift in the heat

Fandom: History 3: Trapped

Pairing: Shao Fei x Tang Yi

Length: ~ 2000 words Oneshot

Summary:

Shao Fei rolled his eyes and leaned his head back onto the staple of pallets they had been thrown against. He suspected that they were held in some kind of old warehouse. The windows were either broken or old newspapers stuck to it. The pallets were the only source of shadows because the sun shone mercilessly into the room. Hot air was coming through the open windows. He smelled the hot dirt and dust on his tongue. It felt like he was able to slice through the air.

[florbexter]

Thanks for posting the themes for this year I've had a fic idea bouncing around my brain since June. April's theme pretty much lit the fuse, I've written my first fic! Just a few more edits and I'll be ready for beta reading! *squeals in excitement that I wrote WenHao back from the dead*

Oh! So nice to hear that! I thought posting the schedule at the beginning of the year takes out the pressure and people will maybe find a theme they want to write for a bit earlier ^.^

Congratulations to your first fic! That’s exciting and I can’t wait to read it! 

[h3trappedcollection]

Author Interview Part IX

Hello, my lovely Trapped peeps! Today is the last part of the Author Interview and it’s me :D @florbexter who’s also the moderator of the @h3trappedcollection. 

Hi! ❤

Thank’s again to all the writers for 1. writing for the collection (y’all are beyond awesome) and 2. answering my questions. 

Here’s an overview of the past interviews:

@dangerliesbeforeyou X

@the-wintry-mizzenmast X

@stebeee X

@trees-and-sky X

@weilongfu X

@decadentdeerpolice X

@ctl-yuejie X

searchingpegasus

Stories I have written for the Collection:

Again, with feeling

The Beginning

The kids made breakfast

The mercenary’s birthday

easy as pie cake

Adrift in the heat

Interview:

How did you come into the Trapped fandom?

I’m a lurker, a level 100 lurker or whatever is the highest level :D After I discovered Crossing the Line I followed Choco TV and all their directors and whatnot on their social media and they had announced the two HIStory 3 projects rather early but then postponed it for a number of reasons. But then they announced the casting and filming etc and I was hooked! A gangster-police action series but in gay?? Count me in. I started to scream about it on tumblr and found the awesome people who are now in the fandom ❤

Who’s your favourite character?

Shao Fei, hands down. I just love everything about him. His FiFi, his ears, his determination, his big heart just everything! Tang Yi is a close second because who wouldn’t love a gangster with a troubled past trying not to fall in love with the adorable police officer who chases after him? Gosh, those two! I LOVE THEM!

What’s your favourite trope?

I like established relationship stories but enemies-to-lovers and fake-relationship are my favourites! There is so much potential of drama and misunderstandings and tender moments and EVERYTHING THAT MAKES YOU SQUEAL. Trapped was a great enemies-to-lovers fic which came to life and they put every trope out there in it and it was great. 

What do you like about writing for Trapped?

There is so much potential! The characters are fleshed out enough to have a good grasp on their motives and emotions but the world can be expanded more and more! We know next to nothing about Shao Fei’s family, Jack’s past is more or less in the dark and Tang Yi’s prison time is a great angle to explore. It’s a playground with endless possibilities. 

Care to elaborate on your writing process?

What I always know when I write is how the story is going to end, otherwise, I would quickly fish in troubled waters and the story would never happen. More often than not I write chronically but it happened too that I have different scenarios and then put them in order and connect them. I draft in bullet points which aren’t that precise just a reminder where I want to go in the next chapter or how I want to end the current scene I’m working on. After a spell check, I post fairly quickly. 

Your favourite Trapped fic by another author?

OMG, there are so many awesome fics out there for Trapped, I can’t decide on a favourite. 

What do you want to write but never had the nerve to?

Mhm, I can’t really think of something. Everything I want to write is currently in my wip folder :D

If you want, please share a snippet of your current Trapped WIP!

tied up in knots

They stood close now.

Shao Fei saw how Tang Yi scanned his face with his eyes and even though Shao Fei got into his car and followed him to this apartment he still seemed to think the ball was in Shao Fei’s court.

Was he supposed to say it out loud? That he was ready for whatever they were going to do here? Of course, he wasn’t ready, but he was willing to fake his confidence until he knew how to stop his heart from bursting out of his chest. He bit his lips and his eyes travelled down from Tang Yi’s face to his neck down his chest.

The tie was still around Tang Yi’s collar.

a shelter from the sky

“Where is the damn handcuff?” Shao Fei yelled and grunted as another fist landed against his arm. The sweat made everything slippery and the heat made it hard to breathe and god why weren’t four people enough to get this man in handcuffs but finally, they were able to secure the man. 

“De-escalation at its finest.” 

Shao Fei didn’t need to look up to know who stood at the side of his desk. He already saw the perfectly polished shoes and the hem of the thousand-dollar suit. His own shirt was soaked through, his hair hung in his face and the sweat ran down his spine and burnt in his eyes. He took a deep breath and blew some fringes out of the way. 

“Tang Yi,” he said, still half-lying on the floor on a man who didn’t want to give up on struggling against them.

Thanks a thousand times to everyone who’s making the Trapped fandom so awesome! And thanks again to all the writers for producing so many fabulous fics 💖