15 15 - What do I do?

Ren froze in shock as soft, trembling lips pressed against his own. By the time his brain caught up and he was ready to react, Fang had let him go.

"I'm sorry," Fang whispered. Despair swam in his purple eyes and his young shoulders looked bowed down with desolation. He stepped back shakily. For a moment, he seemed as fragile as a snowflake about to melt.

"I'm sorry," he said again, his voice broken.

Then he turned and ran out of the room.

Ren stared after the boy with unseeing eyes. What did this mean? Could it be that he was the one Fang liked, not Wade? Why else would the boy kiss him? He went through their entire conversation in his mind once again. Yes, it seemed reasonable to conclude that Fang currently liked him. Whether it was actually a romantic feeling or a feeling of gratitude and dependence mistaken for love...that was a different matter altogether.

Then he remembered Fang's broken and fragile appearance just before he ran out and felt something squeeze in his chest, making him unable to breathe. Heavens, did Fang think that he was rejecting him? Not that he would start an affair with a minor...but after all the encouragement he'd given to the boy right now... wasn't it horrible to reject him? Wouldn't it look like Ren had merely been spouting lies to console Fang and didn't mean any of it...?

It's not that Ren meant to reject him; he was just too surprised to react in time. But for Fang...how much courage had it taken the teenager to take such a step? To reveal his heart and to put it out there for Ren to see...?

Ren was suddenly blasted out of his thoughts by a blaring alarm. The strand of magic he had left in Fang to sense danger was going haywire.

Pushing away all other thoughts, Ren ran after the boy. He would never forgive himself if something happened to Fang because of his own stupidity!

Fortunately, the residual magic could pinpoint Fang's location, so Ren didn't have much trouble finding him. The problem was that Fang was standing on the edge of the highest corner of the terrace right now, and his mind was not very stable.

"Fang!" Ren called urgently. "It's dangerous up there! Come down!"

Fang turned around and looked at Ren in a daze. Then he giggled hysterically.

"I must be dreaming," he murmured to himself in a daze. "Ren must be disgusted with me now...why would he come after me?"

Ren approached the younger boy slowly and held out his hand.

"Come on, Fang," he said gently. "Take my hand and come down, all right? I'm scared when I see you up there. Please?"

Fang stared at him. The desperate hope in his eyes was heartbreaking.

"Ren...are you really here?" he whispered.

"Of course I am," Ren said, inching closer and closer. "Take my hand and see for yourself."

Fang stretched out his hand.

Just as Ren was about to grab the boy's hand, there was a loud bang - some idiot in the neighborhood had lighted fireworks. The noise startled Fang and he lost his footing.

Time slowed down for Ren. He saw Fang's body arch up in the air slowly...if he fell from this height, he would be lucky to escape with mere broken bones.

Ren leaped up in an instant and caught the boy in his arms, protecting him. The two of them plunged down. Ren activated a mild protection magic on himself - he couldn't reveal his magic powers, but he didn't want to lose his life either. An injury was inevitable...so he could only choose the mildest one. As for Fang, he drew the boy closer into his arms, protecting him fully.

They hit the ground with a dull thud amidst the scent of roses. Ren's last thought before he lost consciousness was that Steward Paul would kill him for destroying his prized rose shrubs.

When Ren woke up, the first thing he saw was the furious face of Dr. Gordon.

Ren looked around and realised he was in his own room. That meant he wasn't too seriously injured, right?

"Where's Fang?" he asked hoarsely. "Is he ok?"

Dr. Gordon sighed. "He didn't get injured. You protected him well."

Ren was relieved. "Where is he?"

"I gave him a sedative and sent him to his room. I'll bring him around later."

"Sedative?"

"You were unconscious for almost a day. He got hysterical."

"A day?!" Ren was shocked.

Dr. Gordon flicked his forehead. "You escaped with just a broken leg - you lucky brat! You could have died! No, you would have died if not for your sheer dumb luck!"

"And Steward Paul's prized roses," Ren muttered sadly.

"Paul would rather you be alive than his roses," Dr. Gordon snapped.

"Lucky me." Ren grinned. "So...what's the damage?"

"Fractured tibia on the right. Fortunately, it was a clean break without any complications. You'll be on a wheelchair for a few weeks, but you'll recover completely."

Ren nodded. It was more or less what he'd expected.

"Fang told me what happened," Dr. Gordon said. "And we will discuss that shortly, young man. For now, do you want to send him away?"

"Of course not," Ren snapped. "Why would I?"

"Then what are your intentions? The boy is head over heels in love with you and blames himself for your injury...which is not incorrect."

"Don't blame Fang," Ren said heavily. "I was really slow to realise what was happening, and falling off the roof was an accident."

"It was an accident this time...but the boy did climb up there by himself," Dr. Gordon pointed out.

Ren frowned. "You mean... he's... suicidal?"

"Not yet." Dr. Gordon sighed. "It'll probably depend on what you want to do."

"What do I do?" Ren cried. Anxiety filled his heart and mind - something he'd never experienced before to this extent! He couldn't bear to think of any harm befalling Fang!