(no subject)

[wildguardian]

Who: Zhao Yunlan, Shen Wei, Zhu Hong (also this is a catchall so hmu if you want a starter!)
Where: Temple of Mars & neighborhood
When: March 9, 2017
What: Zhu Hong wants to apologize for embarrassing drunken conversations and Shen Wei's invited over to see just how unfit for human habitation Yunlan's managed to make his room in a mere few months. Shenanigans, probably.
Warnings: Guardian end series spoilers, discussion of death/mourning, Zhao Yunlan being uncharacteristically insecure, but, look, he would like to point out he's got reasons. Other warnings in headers if anything comes up!

Comments

Zhu Hong - midday

[wildguardian]

[He really considers, when he looks up on his walk back to Bakugou's temple after lunch and spots a familiar bobbed haircut on a figure up ahead, just pretending he hadn't seen her. Their first conversation had been about as awkward as it was possible to imagine. He's still not sure what Shen Wei's possibly-dead ex might have been to her, he's desperately not thinking about what any of that conversation might have meant about him, and--

Oh, hell, is that a new temple behind her?

Are they neighbors?

The seductive thought of ducking his responsibilities fades under the harsh light of reality. He can't avoid her forever, not when there are so few newcomers, and the old gods mostly avoid the newbies. He definitely can't avoid her forever if she lives next door. And she probably won't start crying at him if she's not drunk, but, if she does, at least he's got tissues in his jacket pocket.

With a deep breath, he fixes a careless grin on his face and raises one hand in greeting.]

Zhu Hong! You live out here now?

[fierceredlips]

[Now that she's sober and less emotionally raw than she had been last night, Zhu Hong is a much better actress. It still hurts--it will probably keep hurting--but she can hide it better today. Her makeup is flawless, she's dressed in the killer combo of black skinny jeans and studded moto jacket, and she's so much more in control today. She turns around with an apologetic, embarrassed grin.]

Zhao Yunlan, right?

[She bows her head in contrition.]

I want to apologize for last night. I was very drunk and don't remember much of what I said, but I was upset and I think I dragged you into it.

[Well, at least the drunk part is true. She remembers exactly what had happened, in excruciating detail.

The bit about being neighbors leaves a bit of a sour taste in her mouth. It's going to be hard to stay away from him, won't it?]

I guess we are. This is where my temple ended up, for whatever reason. It's all very new to me; becoming a goddess wasn't exactly on my to-do list a couple of days ago.

[wildguardian]

[On the plus side, she doesn't remember last night and she's smiling at him with every appearance of calm. On the minus side, he doesn't know just how much of that smile might be sincere, and how much due to not remember most of the conversation....]

I can't blame you! My first night here, I got smashed, too.

[The corner of his mouth tilts in a crooked grin, and he spreads his hands.]

It's a shock. And I didn't even remember anything else. On the plus side, shinki don't have quite as much responsibility.

So, I don't know if you remember the introductions, but -- Zhao Yunlan. And you're Zhu Hong, right?

[fierceredlips]

[Today's game of "let's play pretend" seems to be going swimmingly.

Zhu Hong looks down and shakes her head, laughing a little.]

Yes, I am. [She points towards her temple.] Would you like to come in for a coffee? It's the least I can do after last night.

[wildguardian]

I wouldn't mind, but -- are you sure?

[Maybe she really doesn't remember last night, but she hadn't looked that thrilled to see him then. Devastated, is more like it.]

[fierceredlips]

[Her temple is pretty modest when compared to Shen Wei’s, but she doesn’t mind. It reminds her a great deal of Fourth Uncle’s house back in the Snake Tribe village.]

I insist. I have a...

[She looks embarrassed again.]

I don’t know what to call her. The person yesterday said she was a soulless, and even though I’m not sure what that means, she’s an excellent cook. I’ll ask her to make snacks.

[The doors to the temple open magically as she approaches them. The outer courtyard is neat and the garden is well-cared for as they approach the inner courtyard. Those gates are somewhat grander and once they’re inside...

A change comes over Zhu Hong. The legs of her skinny jeans split as her legs merge into a massive snake’s tail from the waist down.]

Damn, I liked these. [Then she realizes.]

Oh, shit.

[How had she forgotten? Her Zhao Yunlan had seen her snake tail countless times. This Zhao Yunlan, though?]

Shen Wei mentioned the, uh, alien thing last night, didn’t he? I’m remembering that correctly?

[wildguardian]

[He starts back at the snarl of ripping denim, and blinks down at her new snake tail, and then up at her face again. If he wasn't feeling quite so off balance, he'd probably have to make a comment about her sudden pantsless state, but as it is--]

You must go through a lot of jeans.

[Alien is one thing, turning into a half-snake is, well, a little weird.

On the other hand, he's already met another guy who turns into a cat, so snakes aren't that much more surprising. It does, still, take a few minutes of blinking.]

And yes, he's mentioned.

[fierceredlips]

[Zhu Hong laughs, a little self-consciously.]

Not usually. I should have more control over this. Must be a god thing.

[She slithers towards the main hall. It still doesn’t look like much from the outside, but on the inside it’s like stepping into a very chic luxury hotel.]

It wasn’t just the Dixingren who fell on that spaceship back then. There were others who mixed their genes with animals or plants and gave birth to the Yashou—the Wild Tribes. I’m from the Snake Tribe. How do you like your coffee?

[wildguardian]

Might be. Shen Wei gets these fancy ancient robes every time he steps into his temple, and the antique hairstyle to match. [He gives her a careless grin-- well, he'd meant it to be careless, but he's having to hustle to keep up with that slither. On nature videos, big snakes always look slow, but apparently big magic snakes not so much.]

I haven't heard of any other gods having that problem, though.

[It's a good thing, because he's pretty sure Bakugou's reaction to being forcibly toga'd would be explosive.]

[fierceredlips]

[Zhu Hong busies herself making coffee. It was usually Wang Zheng or Xiao Guo’s job to make it, but she’s done it enough time to know the Chief’s general preferences.

She snorts.]

We must be special.

[She hands him the coffee and starts pouring one for herself.]

[wildguardian]

Oh, shit, sorry, I didn't-- [--answer her question; but the coffee's black and sweetened, which is how he likes it anyway. He takes a sip, and nods to her.]

Thanks.

And maybe so, or maybe it's something about the fact that you've already got that ability to change?

Honestly, even after a few months here, I've still got a lot to learn about the place.

[He shrugs easily, cradling the coffee cup in his hands.]

You've got a nice temple. You said it's just you and one of the soulless shinki in here?

[fierceredlips]

[She just takes her coffee black, so it isn’t too dissimilar from Yunlan’s. She’s not the biggest fan of sweet things (being a carnivore and all), not unless she’s in the mood for them.]

That’s as good a theory as anything, probably. They wouldn’t give me a clear answer yesterday about why any of this is even happening. There’s a bit of whiplash, going from the worst day of your life to godhood.

[She gives him a sardonic little laugh.]

That’s why I was drinking.

[And why she still wants to.

Instead, she gulps down bitter coffee]

Mm, I guess. On the outside, it kind of looks like the house where I grew up. Add Ayi to it—I call her that because she acts like an auntie. I’ve been here two days and she’s already telling me that I need to eat more. Next, she’ll try to find me a husband. It’s very familiar.

[wildguardian]

I'm not sure they know. From what I've heard, people showing up here like you and me is a new phenomenon. Started just over a year ago, and nobody's admitting to knowing why it's happening.

[Which doesn't mean that no one knows -- but at this point Zhao's pretty sure that anyone who admitted to being in on the reason why people are appearing and disappearing would get themselves ripped apart by an angry mob.

He chuckles at her complaint about the shinki.]

Aw, she just wants to look out for you. Probably.

Shen Wei - evening

[wildguardian]

hey are you free after dinner? thought id show you around my place

[There, Yunlan thinks: that's about as casual and lighthearted as he can manage, with all of the fresh uncertainty Shen Wei's reaction to his former colleague had left him with. They need to talk, if nothing else, and maybe not the kind of talk where Zhao Yunlan starts to say something and then chickens out into flirtatious bullshit, either. His room's a long way from the sterile cleanliness of everywhere he's been in Shen Wei's temple, but it's his space, and this is going to be a hard enough conversation already. He doesn't want to have it in the echoing, alien halls of Shen Wei's place. He wants to have it among his own dirty laundry, which unfortunately is not metaphorical at all.

He tosses himself back onto his bed, one arm crossed under his head for a pillow, and kicks a pair of mudstained jeans from the Hinamatsuri picnic off the foot of the bed as he searches his pockets for a lollipop with the other hand.

God, fretting about romance sucks. He doesn't even remember being thirteen and he still feels thirteen, burning with the need to know if the guy he likes likes-likes him back. With the additional small complication that the answers to most of the questions he most wants to ask would kill him to hear.

And that's not metaphorical either.

Yunlan bites his lollipop in half and eyes the screen of his phone balefully as he waits for a reply.]

[cloakedinruins]

I am free, yes. Should I bring anything when I come over?

[ He had a feeling that this was going to be more than a social visit. Shen Wei had the tendency to insert a whole leg into his mouth when it came to emotions, especially when it came to ones dealing with love and loyalty. He wasn't sure how he was going to talk about this whole mess; Zhao Yunlan had been his lover and is now his lover, but being a shinki had added an extra problem to the whole thing. He didn't remember the past and he could be told about it either, and Shen Wei wasn't sure how he was going to deal with it.

First he has to just talk with Yunlan and if that meant he should start with something small - and offer to bring food is something people do when visiting families of lovers was the custom right? - and then go from there. Maybe this time he will keep from tripping over his words yet again. ]

[wildguardian]

just your cute self

though i wont turn it down if youve got the urge to bring snacks xxx

[Shen Wei's texting style is too formal to work out how he feels from it, but Yunlan isn't turning down his cooking. He has had a few experiences with Shen Wei's cooking already, and he's a fan.

It's not as if his boyfriend's amazing home cooking is going to help him start the fight he's about to start, but also, worst case, if he no longer has a boyfriend by the end of the night at least he'll have snacks in which he can drown his sorrows.]

[cloakedinruins]

[ If Yunlan could see how Shen Wei frowns at the screen and slowly types each word as if he was a ninety year old grandmother without her reading glasses, he may look at the texts a little differently. Shen Wei just has a hard time wrapping his mind around the ins and outs of this fancy piece of equipment, though he has gotten past the instinctive urge to just magic the thing to do what he wished. It was progress. ]

Alright. I shall be there in ten minutes?

[ And a couple minutes later, another text as a correction to the first one. ]

Sorry, I didn't mean the question mark.

[ That sent, Shen Wei took a minute to just breathe. Sure, this was the first time they really were going to talk after Zhu Hong came to the Heavens. Sure, he had no idea outside of the boiling unhappy feeling he was getting from the bond with Yunlan what may happen next. Will he decide to break up with him because of secrets he can't tell Yunlan? Would he fight him? Shen Wei didn't know and he was scared that whatever happens next will have him lose Zhao Yunlan.

Shen Wei wasn't sure if he could survive that again.

Pushing that thought to the back of his mind, he put together a small case of little tidbits - some steamed buns and wonton soup and fresh cookies - and headed over to the huge Roman-styled temple Yunlan lived in. ]

[wildguardian]

[He's not in the mood to be charmed by fussy apologies for punctuation, although it's Shen Wei, and because it's Shen Wei he's sure that the apology hadn't been intended as charming. He's seen the man's efforts at using the internet. Ninety-year-old grandmothers would laugh.

So maybe the sincerity is a little bit charming, but really: not in the mood. Instead, he kicks enough of his dirty laundry into his closet to make a solid effort at looking like he cleans the place, and heads to the temple's front door to meet Shen Wei exactly ten minutes later.]

Hey.

[The case he's carrying smells exactly as amazing as Yunlan'd expected it to. He steps back from the door, waving Shen Wei in.]

My room's this way. And -- I wanted to talk about last night.

[cloakedinruins]

[ It hadn't been; it was just Shen Wei trying to navigate a new - for him - system of communication. He just needs a system that will not start giving him errors every time he tried using his powers on it. He just wanted something that will work as easily as a waved finger, and not something that he was afraid will start smoldering on him. At least he hasn't had that happen on him yet.

Shen Wei was dressed casually this time, the fussy suit gone in favor of over-sized sweater and jeans. He held a container of food in his hands and while his smile was soft and slightly awkward, the knuckles of his fingers were white with tension. ]

Hello.

[ He swallowed at the mentioning last night and forced himself calm, nodding and stepping inside. He can do this. They do need to talk. Even though this talk was probably going to be more painful than that moment before they first started dating when Zhao Yunlan tried to ge thim to say who he really was. ]

Yes. I suppose we do need to talk.

[wildguardian]

Mmhm. [He'd thought Shen Wei'd picked up on his reaction -- not like he'd been subtle about it, whether his emotions were coming through the bond or not. There's something about that I suppose we do need to that bothers him to hear anyway.

Shen Wei looks pretty upset himself, Yunlan notes, and reaches for the container before that white-knuckled grip cracks it.]

Here, I'll get that. This way.

[It's not all that far to his room; down a side corridor on the left and around a corner, and he's shoving the door open with a foot and nodding at Shen Wei to enter. It's relatively large, with a desk on one side of the room and the bed and dresser on the other; there's still some dirty laundry shoved under the bed and spilling out of the half-open closet door, and the desk and dresser are both choked with the detritus of his days. Ads, brochures, tissue packets, the occasional dirty napkin...

He clears a space on the desk, sweeping the junk to the back, and sets down Shen Wei's food container, turning to level a stare at him.]

So, first thing, I get that you have a past. That's fine. But can you not proclaim your loyalty to the last guy in front of me?

[cloakedinruins]

[ He follows Zhao Yunlan to his rooms, a little curious at how this temple had its living quarters arranged. It was actually not that bad if he disregarded the mess; the room fair sized, the furniture modern and sturdy, and the room having a lived in feel unlike the temple he was in. Part of it could be blamed on the mess, Shen Wei tended towards being neat while Yunlan hadn't grown out of his living in college dorm years. The urge to clean everything up was strong but he didn't move, only let go of the container at Yunlan's insistence.

Shen Wei winced, and nodded. ]

I wasn't thinking, and I hurt you.

[wildguardian]

[Shen Wei winces and nods in perfect penitence, and oh, goddammit, now Yunlan's pissed. I wasn't thinking, what the fuck? Does he think that's the main problem here, that he was being careless?

He comes up away from the desk, one hand smacking its surface in annoyance before he points a finger at his lovely, domestic, dumbass boyfriend.]

Don't give me that crap! Anyone with a teaspoon of brains can figure out that swearing you're still loyal to the last boyfriend right in front of the current boyfriend is going to sting!

What happens to us if he shows up?

[cloakedinruins]

[ The last time they fought, it was over Shen Wei being poisoned by Zhao Yunlan's life force. At that time, they had reached a truce of sorts, even though Yunlan spent some time being the hovering worried boyfriend when Shen Wei grew weaker. This was different even if Yunlan's anger was still as sharp as ever. ]

I know. As soon as I said it, I knew it was the wrong choice of words. [ He couldn't say the real reason. He couldn't tell Yunlan that he was that man. Shen Wei curled his hands helplessly, trying so hard to radiate sincerity. ] I'm always stumbling over my words with Hong-jei.

Nothing. Even if he does [ a small part of his mind was laughing hysterically of Yunlan being jealous of himself. ] I'm not leaving you. I love you.

[wildguardian]

I haven't even known you for two months.

[Yunlan's silent for a long moment, his hand falling back to the desk and resting there, fingertips against the wood. Everything about his posture is casual, and only the chilly, level stare he's giving Shen Wei belies it. At last, he shifts his weight, leaning one hip against the desk, and lets his gaze slide away from Shen Wei's face to the window. There's not much he can see out of it -- his room's partly underground, the angle of the window revealing only sky and a fragment of shrubbery.]

I don't know if you're lying to her or to me.

[It's a sunny sky, and a happy-looking little fragment of shrubbery. His toes itch with the urge to stomp it back into the soil.]

I'm going to have to get upset if you're lying to me. Even if -- [His gaze flicks back to Shen Wei's, and he takes a breath against the rush of terror that even getting close to these thoughts causes him.] -- there's things you can't tell me. Tell me you can't explain, that's all.

Don't lie to me.

Oh, and? [He breaks the stare, checking the mess on the desk top for a spare lollipop and coming up blank. The sugar's fine, but he's found himself wondering if he might not prefer cigarettes. The calming effect's better, and it's not like they're going to kill him deader than he already is.] Don't talk about your ex where I can overhear you anymore. Turns out I'm a jealous guy.

[cloakedinruins]

It feels longer.

[ Because it was longer. Shen Wei had known him for a very long time, it was only Zhao Yunlan who kept on forgetting about him. This time being the worse time. ]

I'm a terrible liar. [ Something that had been pointed out to him by this very same man. He could get away with things if he didn't say anything, but Zhao Yunlan had seen through his lies (then again what had he been thinking when it came to some thing? He worked out?). This almost felt like the last time he had confronted him, trying to get him to confess that he was the Black-Cloaked Envoy. Shen Wei curled his fingers at his side in uneasy remembrance. ]

Yunlan... [ He takes a breath and closes his eyes, fighting against the years of not saying anything of burying his thoughts behind just existing. ] I'll try. I just... [ Another breath and he opens his eyes, uncurling his fingers slowly as he tries to force away his years of self-imposed silence. ]

I'm not use to being fully honest. I may be a teacher now, but I hadn't always been one. I can only try to be as honest as I can but it is hard to break centuries of habit.

I promise.