It was an undergraduate class in one of the neighbouring labs who had caused the evacuation of the entire floor, and none of them looked sure whether to be horrified or delighted at their achievement. That was, until the medics arrived and declared that everyone had to be given a counteragent injection, just to be on the safe side. Then their reaction definitely tipped towards horror, especially when they realised that some of the more senior people in the corral set up in one of the lecture theatres were responsible for their grades that year.
Shen Wei felt more amusement than irritation, since he wasn't working to a deadline and had nowhere else he needed to be. Under the guise of mingling to chat while he waited he had already used his dark energy to locate and heal anyone seriously affected by the toxin, although of course he trusted the effectiveness of Haixing medicine. It rendered the need for the counteragent moot, but obviously he had no way to explain that so he lined up along with everyone else.
The injection was quick, professional, virtually painless. "Thank you," Shen Wei said, with a smile, and stood up, and was almost out of the lecture theatre before he realised that something in his body was going horribly wrong.
It started with a pressure behind his eyes, rapidly building into shocking pain. He put a hand to his forehead, digging in with his fingertips, and then his vision began to fragment and the room spun giddily, unaccountably.
He — he couldn't —
He tried to grab the doorframe for balance but he missed somehow, his hand sliding past it and sending him off-balance. He needed to — to —
The floor tilted further and he hit the ground heavily without having realised he was falling. The pressure was still building in his head, blinding agony, and he pressed his hands there and curled his body in and he couldn't make out what the alarmed voices around him were saying over the buzzing in his ears and he was losing his sense of what was happening, losing time.
Hands, voices, all blurred and indistinct. He didn't know what was happening any more and tried to open his eyes but all that was blurred too, smeared light and colours and dizzy movement and it all hurt and he was cold and he couldn't even grasp his dark energy, his head was splitting open and he felt sick and he was being moved and everything was a nightmare swirl of unreality.
Hand. In his. Through all the pain and confusion he knew its shape and the warmth and scent of the body bent near to him. "Yunlan," he forced out, the name in his mouth gifting him a fraction of stability. And Zhao Yunlan's voice murmured in his ear in response although the individual syllables were lost. Shen Wei clung to him, a buoy in a storm, shivering and desperate and drowning.
A little later he was being violently sick into a basin and Zhao Yunlan was supporting him, rubbing his thumb against Shen Wei's neck. Shen Wei moaned, clammy with sweat and too cold, and Zhao Yunlan kissed his hair. "It's okay, baby, it's okay," he murmured, over and over. Shen Wei leaned into him, limp and wrung out, and closed his eyes again because things were still swimming dizzily. He focused on Zhao Yunlan's touch, his voice, and when his hand quested for something to hold onto Zhao Yunlan took it immediately and squeezed. Shen Wei squeezed it back and Zhao Yunlan's voice was pleased even as it was going indistinct again.
Later, again, he tried to shift position and found Zhao Yunlan's hand touching his face gently. "Shen Wei? Are you awake?"
He opened his eyes, very cautiously. But though the light did its best to stab straight into his head it was about bearable. Much more welcome was the sight of Zhao Yunlan, although he looked tired, his hair dishevelled. But he smiled widely at Shen Wei. "Hey! How are you feeling?"
Shen Wei tried to speak, but his throat was too dry. Zhao Yunlan helped him sit up and sip from a glass of water. He was in a hospital room. "My head hurts," he said, when he could.
"Yeah," Zhao Yunlan said, sympathetically. "You had an awful reaction to the anti-toxin. Freaked everyone out." He gave a smile that was a bit shaky at the edges.
Shen Wei tried to sit up properly but his head swirled and his eyes were crowded with dark specks for a moment. He groaned, dizzy.
Zhao Yunlan arms were around him immediately, helping him lie back down. "Shhh, take it easy," he said, soothingly. "You'll be okay, it just needs to work its way out of your system. Lie down and relax, okay?"
It was easy to comply, when he felt like this. Shen Wei turned on his side so that he could press his forehead into Zhao Yunlan's chest. Zhao Yunlan's hand smoothed through his hair, anchoring him, murmuring soft endearments. "Go to sleep, baby," Zhao Yunlan told him. "I'm here, it's all okay."
Shen Wei drifted off. Knowing that Zhao Yunlan held onto him, a tether.
no subject
Shen Wei felt more amusement than irritation, since he wasn't working to a deadline and had nowhere else he needed to be. Under the guise of mingling to chat while he waited he had already used his dark energy to locate and heal anyone seriously affected by the toxin, although of course he trusted the effectiveness of Haixing medicine. It rendered the need for the counteragent moot, but obviously he had no way to explain that so he lined up along with everyone else.
The injection was quick, professional, virtually painless. "Thank you," Shen Wei said, with a smile, and stood up, and was almost out of the lecture theatre before he realised that something in his body was going horribly wrong.
It started with a pressure behind his eyes, rapidly building into shocking pain. He put a hand to his forehead, digging in with his fingertips, and then his vision began to fragment and the room spun giddily, unaccountably.
He — he couldn't —
He tried to grab the doorframe for balance but he missed somehow, his hand sliding past it and sending him off-balance. He needed to — to —
The floor tilted further and he hit the ground heavily without having realised he was falling. The pressure was still building in his head, blinding agony, and he pressed his hands there and curled his body in and he couldn't make out what the alarmed voices around him were saying over the buzzing in his ears and he was losing his sense of what was happening, losing time.
Hands, voices, all blurred and indistinct. He didn't know what was happening any more and tried to open his eyes but all that was blurred too, smeared light and colours and dizzy movement and it all hurt and he was cold and he couldn't even grasp his dark energy, his head was splitting open and he felt sick and he was being moved and everything was a nightmare swirl of unreality.
Hand. In his. Through all the pain and confusion he knew its shape and the warmth and scent of the body bent near to him. "Yunlan," he forced out, the name in his mouth gifting him a fraction of stability. And Zhao Yunlan's voice murmured in his ear in response although the individual syllables were lost. Shen Wei clung to him, a buoy in a storm, shivering and desperate and drowning.
A little later he was being violently sick into a basin and Zhao Yunlan was supporting him, rubbing his thumb against Shen Wei's neck. Shen Wei moaned, clammy with sweat and too cold, and Zhao Yunlan kissed his hair. "It's okay, baby, it's okay," he murmured, over and over. Shen Wei leaned into him, limp and wrung out, and closed his eyes again because things were still swimming dizzily. He focused on Zhao Yunlan's touch, his voice, and when his hand quested for something to hold onto Zhao Yunlan took it immediately and squeezed. Shen Wei squeezed it back and Zhao Yunlan's voice was pleased even as it was going indistinct again.
Later, again, he tried to shift position and found Zhao Yunlan's hand touching his face gently. "Shen Wei? Are you awake?"
He opened his eyes, very cautiously. But though the light did its best to stab straight into his head it was about bearable. Much more welcome was the sight of Zhao Yunlan, although he looked tired, his hair dishevelled. But he smiled widely at Shen Wei. "Hey! How are you feeling?"
Shen Wei tried to speak, but his throat was too dry. Zhao Yunlan helped him sit up and sip from a glass of water. He was in a hospital room. "My head hurts," he said, when he could.
"Yeah," Zhao Yunlan said, sympathetically. "You had an awful reaction to the anti-toxin. Freaked everyone out." He gave a smile that was a bit shaky at the edges.
Shen Wei tried to sit up properly but his head swirled and his eyes were crowded with dark specks for a moment. He groaned, dizzy.
Zhao Yunlan arms were around him immediately, helping him lie back down. "Shhh, take it easy," he said, soothingly. "You'll be okay, it just needs to work its way out of your system. Lie down and relax, okay?"
It was easy to comply, when he felt like this. Shen Wei turned on his side so that he could press his forehead into Zhao Yunlan's chest. Zhao Yunlan's hand smoothed through his hair, anchoring him, murmuring soft endearments. "Go to sleep, baby," Zhao Yunlan told him. "I'm here, it's all okay."
Shen Wei drifted off. Knowing that Zhao Yunlan held onto him, a tether.