X Never Marks the Spot

Wu Xie has nightmares. Fortunately he also has friends.

[Podfic read by Naye]

Da Qing nodded. "Lao-Zhao's worried about the same thing. But what could they try this late anyway? If we sleep now, then we'll be awake later to catch them, whatever they're up to."

Which was uniquely feline logic, but Shen Wei could not deny that a little rest might be restorative. Or else that was just his own weakness--of his injured lung, and his heart too, when Da Qing said, imploringly, "Come on, Lao-Zhao will want me to tell him you got some sleep, and I hate lying to him..."

That was asking too much, perhaps; but Shen Wei at least changed into pajamas. He didn't go to the bedroom, though, but sat back down on the couch to meditate.

Da Qing grumbled, but sat down beside him, round and furred. Curling up with his curving spine pressed against the side of Shen Wei's leg, he said softly, "Shen-laoshi--it's going to be okay."

"I chose to come to you," Xia Zhu says, as Fu You instructed him to. Not seductively but plainly; that, she'd told him too. "I asked for this honor."

Hei Pao Shi advances another step. He's near enough now that Xia Zhu can smell leather and sweat—like any soldier, though there's an underlying musk; different than the burning braziers, sweet like incense yet sharp in the nose like frost. "It's not an honor," Hei Pao Shi says.

naye

undeadrobins is hosting a pan-fandom Kissathon -- gen/platonic as well as ships; stop by and leave a prompt or a fill!

The inaugural Kissathon!

I just posted a fill - WeiLan, naturally, to her lovely prompt "a surefire way of stopping an argument"

Still blocked; efforts at writing every day have been encouraged by sakana17 hosting this month's appropriately named Write Every Day event. ...Which I haven't actually gotten up the whatever to check in on, since I've mostly only been managing a couple hundred words. But seeing the daily check-in posts has been inspiring, and it means by the end of the week I find myself with a thousand-odd words that I didn't have before; I'll take it!

And also! naye, who last month posted a podfic of my completely ridiculous Guardian fic Out of Focus, just followed it up with a podfic of the sequel Focus Pull. Which is even more ridiculous and also over 20K -- the podfic is 2.5 hours long, guys!!! -- and is one of the most fluffily self-indulgent things I've ever written and I kind of love it too much, and I love the podfic way way too much. It's beautiful and perfect and her drunk!Shen Wei voice is amazing and hilariously adorable. Go listen and tell naye she is brilliant and also completely nuts!

sundial_exchange

Shen Wei moved his trembling fingers, typed into the phone, You shouldn't risk this, Zhao Yunlan.

Then he stared at those stark words, and wrote beneath them, I miss you too.

Just a few characters--they weren't enough. But then, as spoken words they would still be inadequate. Far too small things to encompass the hollowness of the last few days--the fear of not knowing, the yawning emptiness.

He'd lived for years without Zhao Yunlan--waiting for Kunlun, for that promise to be fulfilled. He'd known loneliness, and the constant tug of yearning.

But that was nothing to this now--now, when he knew what it meant to have a life with Zhao Yunlan. Not just stolen moments between battles and nights hidden from the others, but to share work, meals, a bed. To make for him a home, and live in it with him, and know he would be coming back to it every night--Shen Wei hadn't realized how completely he had acclimated to it. Begun to expect it, to rely on it, in some deep unconscious part of himself. So to be deprived, even for those few days--to face that he might never have it again, no longer even waiting, but just--

The phone buzzed: I miss you so much, Xiao-Wei

"Zhao Yunlan told us to give it to you," Chu Shuzhi said with grave reluctance.

"Lin Jing installed a secure GPS tracker app on this phone," Zhu Hong said, in a tone like she was making more sense of something instead of less. "Already signed in with Chief Zhao's phone, and he's got his own app set for this phone."

"I see," Shen Wei said, who didn't.

"So he'll be able to see where you are, and you can see where he is," Zhu Hong said. "Take the phone--please, Professor Shen? If you don't, Lao-Zhao will take it out on us."

Gingerly Shen Wei accepted the phone. Its glass screen was cool to the touch, Zhu Hong not producing any body heat to warm it. It weighed a little more than a dead mouse.

Zhao Yunlan sank to the floor--not quite falling, but not quite controlled, either. He ended up crouched on the balls of his feet amid the shards of the broken light bulb, knees bent, one arm dragged up by the cuff. He dropped his head into his other hand, knotted his fingers in his hair.

Da Qing squatted down beside him, mirroring his pose. "Lao Zhao?" he said, but when he didn't get an answer he didn't ask again, just leaned in, until his shoulder only just touched Zhao Yunlan's.

Zhao Yunlan twitched, but didn't sidle away; he sat there and endured that contact.

brush_and_lantern

Just inside the community center, behind the now-empty frames of the double doors of the entryway, was a figure--a shadow against darkness now inside; the light bulbs hadn't survived that blast, either, but the black cloak was darker yet than the unlit gloom within. He was holding his glaive, planted on the floor amid the shattered glass.

Zhao Yunlan grinned at that sight, even with glass crunching under his boots--overkill for sure, but to stop this guy... He lifted one hand, the other still knotted around Yan Shuyuan's collar, and offered a thumbs-up to that figure. "All good, Hei-laoge, we got him..."

The Envoy didn't hear him--no, ignored him. Zhao Yunlan saw his hooded head turn, saw his gaze passing over everyone below--the wailing and cowering crowd, the police officers with their guns drawn. And Zhao Yunlan--but he didn't pause, not meeting his gaze for even a moment, and Zhao Yunlan's hail died in his throat.