Save The Second Male Lead

2-4

The pair travelled together for half a year. Their main source of income came from pickpocketing and their main expenditure was food. In general, they would target people who looked fairly well off but not too rich. They couldn't be too rich or they might offend someone important but they couldn't be too poor or else Xiuya would feel guilty. If they became too infamous in one area, they'd move. If those suspicious men caught up with them, they'd move. They didn't have anything to tie them down so if they faced any trouble, they simply left before their problems could catch up with them. In that way, they survived.

Despite only knowing each other for a short time, the two had grown exceptionally close. The two had nobody to rely on besides themselves and each other, perhaps that's why they bonded so easily. Still, there were times when they'd disagree. Xiuya was a soft-hearted person, she often worried about others when she should've been worrying about herself. The boy was a cold-hearted person, he put his own well-being before anyone else, besides Xiuya, that is. Their polarising personalities would often lead to petty squabbles and minor scraps (fights), but it was never enough to break them apart. During the day they would split up, then they'd reconvene at night to share the spoils. An argument would start in the morning but by the evening it would've been forgotten, that was just how they worked.

Unfortunately, winter was fast approaching. Without any shelter, the two were likely to freeze to death. Although they both knew this, neither brought it up. They were keenly aware that there was no easy solution to this problem and discussing it would not help. As the nights grew colder, it was becoming riskier for them to sleep outside. As usual, they found a remote alley and slept in the corner. Life on the streets was not so glamorous at times like these. There were a few other beggars around, but these people would all generally keep to themselves. Still, it was nice to not be completely alone.

The two slept next to each other. Xiuya shivered as the cold night air hit her, tossing and turning while trying to sleep. The ground was hard and uncomfortable and since they were in the shadows it felt even colder. Without saying anything, the boy opened his cloak and enveloped Xiuya in a glomp. It was a fairly large piece of fabric so it covered both of them easily enough.

"What are you doing?!"

She whisper-shouted at him.

"It's cold."

As they were only kids there wasn't much meaning in them huddling so close together besides trying to keep warm, but Xiuya was more aware of their genders and seemed embarrassed. In the end, though, she chose to just silently go along with him as she was much warmer now. That night, the two comfortably fell asleep on each other.

When she awoke the next morning, she looked up and saw that the boy was already awake. Since she was sleeping on his shoulder, he was probably waiting for her to wake up. Feeling his consideration, she felt happy. She got up and dusted herself off while extending a hand to help the boy up. He took it and stood up beside her. He massaged his sore shoulder with a grumpy expression but didn't say anything. She felt a little bad but didn't say anything since it'd probably just make him grumpier if she brought it up. Instead, she silently vowed to give him some extra food later.

Just as they were about to set off, a shrill scream pierced the calm silence. The two immediately made eye contact. Xiuya wanted to help, the boy wanted to leave. Xiuya won the staredown and ran in the direction of the voice while the boy reluctantly followed after her.

In the dingy alley, they saw a beautiful woman cornered by four evil-looking men. The two sprung into action, they'd already formed a certain level of understanding so they didn't need to speak. Out of nowhere the boy suddenly appeared in front of the woman and attacked them. His goal wasn't to beat them but to distract them.