thenearshore | (no subject)

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(no subject)

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!

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What time is it? [He doesn't bother hiding his jaw-cracking yawn as he sits the rest of the way up, blankets puddling around his waist. Shen Wei's face is easier to see as he turns; he's got a little fairy light hovering beside him, casting leaping upwards shadows on his face. They make him look like a kid with a flashlight under his chin, ready to tell ghost stories.

Yunlan lets out a tired chuckle, and waves at the unoccupied other half of his bed.]

Whatever. You don't have to clean up after me before the sun's even up. Come back to bed.

[There's something in his hands, but it's too dark for Yunlan to quite see what it is. He squints, curious.]

A little after three? I think.

[ He didn't need to, but Shen Wei liked to do so. It was just one of those little habits that Yunlan had gotten use to before, just like Shen Wei growing use to the gradual messes that Yunlan would create. They had reached an understanding before the end there, one in which both of them made concessions for the other.

Shen Wei waved the little werelight up and to the side and made his way back over to the bed, bare feet soundless on the floor. He settled on the edge of the bed and reached over to smooth some of Yunlan's hair, his expression fond. During his cleaning spree, Shen Wei had pulled on some of Yunlan's clothing and didn't bother with his glasses, looking young and soft and also a lot domestic. He also still held the pendant, a fact he noticed after he moved to lay back. ]

Oh. This is an unique piece; where did you get it?

[He looks much younger this way, wandering around barefoot in Yunlan's shirt even though it's a little tight over his shoulders, with his hair short and in disarray. Expression softening with affection, Yunlan teasingly reaches up to tuck a strand of Shen Wei's hair back into place as he settles onto the bed.]

Unique?

[Oh: it's that thing. His gaze goes distant as he recognizes the simple golden pendant.]

I had it in my hand when I came here.

[And, glancing up at Shen Wei:] I tried wearing it for a while, but... I don't know. It felt weird, wearing something when I didn't know where I got it.

[Not really. And it doesn't seem like his style, either; it's simple and a little old-fashioned, like a keepsake someone's grandfather might have. If Zhao Yunlan were picking jewelry for himself, it'd have been more punk and less heirloom.

In other words, it probably is an heirloom, or something that someone else had given him, something important.]

You did?

[ He kept his voice steady, tried not to even think but he stroked the smooth amber almost subconsciously. He wore it for years, and as always it felt warm in his hand, reminding him of that fragile love he held. ]

I suppose it might have been a keepsake?

[ Which he knew it was even if he couldn't say. Xhao Yunlan was breaking his heart yet again, having gone to his death holding a piece of him like that, enough to bring it here and not remember exactly what it was. He had joked about his necklace one time; Shen Wei rarely removed it and one night, Yunlan had played with it, telling him that he didn't expect Shen Wei to be into jewelry.

Frowning down at the pendant, he sighed slightly. ]

It does seem a little simpler than your usual style.

It must've been. [Shen Wei sounds calm, but he's clinging to the little pendant, his thumb stroking the bead in what looks like a habitual gesture.

Yunlan's been considering getting him a necklace. He's got that other habit, of reaching for his neck as though looking for something he'd used to wear, and doesn't anymore.

The pieces are all there. Resolutely, Zhao Yunlan refuses to put them together, and instead reaches out to fold his hand around Shen Wei's and the little golden bead.]

It's not really my style.

[And, with only the slightest hesitation before he glances up to meet the other man's eyes, he offers:] Want it? It'd look good on you.

[ He nods, not daring to say more because he can feel the memories building up in the back of his throat and he wasn't going to slip, not after their conversation earlier. His thumb stills as Yunlan covered his hand with his, raising his head to look at him.

Shen Wei won't say it, but he does look down at their hands and the tiny impossible orb hidden there. ]

No, it really isn't. I barely can picture you even wearing a tie.

[ Which has had worn in the past and looked as awkward as Shen Wei had felt. He didn't wear it for very long in any case since he had more important things to do, like lean against Shen Wei as he cooked. ]

Are you sure you are willing to part with it?

Yeah, I'm sure. [Yunlan tightens his fingers around Shen Wei's. He's still looking down at their hands, not meeting that gaze, yet.]

It probably is an heirloom. But right now, to me... all it represents is that I can't remember.

[It's something important enough to him that he'd died clinging to it, and now it's just a mystery. That hurts, when he lets himself think about it; even when he doesn't let himself dwell, it's still there, reminding him every time he spots it on his desk or dresser. It itches at him like a splinter.

But he can't throw it away. It's his. It's one of the few things he has that connect him to his lost life, and maybe the only thing that he can safely think about, because it's just a bit of jewelry. It's not answering any questions.

And whether there's a connection or not, whether this is right or not, if he gives it to Shen Wei...

... then he'll know what it means, without waiting to remember. It'll have a meaning in this life, and not just from his last one. It'll be more than a mystery.]

I want you to have it.

[ He continues to look down at their hands, eyebrows furrowed in thought. He had made the necklace years ago, forming the stone around a wrapper from one of Yunlan's lollipops as a reminder of him. It wasn't given to him, not really, just something he had picked up and stuffed into his robes until he remembered it was there after his time unconscious.

A piece of a memory, preserved in amber like a tiny fly from a long forgotten past. Unasked for, ungiven, but still there and in his heart.

And now Yunlan was going to freely give it to him.

Shen Wei licked his lips and looked up, trying to not show how shaken he felt. A gift, no matter where it came from, was still something big. ]

Okay.

[Yunlan looks up in turn, meeting his eyes. His expression is dark and serious, at first, until he relaxes into a lopsided grin.]

Good. I'd have my feelings hurt if you turned it down!

[He gives Shen Wei's hand one final squeeze, and lets go, abandoning the necklace to him. For all his claims of certainty, it still feels like a leap of faith.

Well, hopefully he isn't going to remember anything that makes him take this back. Going with his gut has led him right so far, and overthinking's useless anyway when he only has guesses to base his thoughts on.]

[ That such a small thing would mean so much did not go unnoticed to Shen Wei. He held still for a moment, still feeling the lingering traces of Zhao Yunlan's warmth against his skin before taking a deep breath and looked down at the necklace. He ran his fingers lightly along the braided leather cord, then slipped it over his head. It settled around his neck with its familiar weight and Shen Wei felt a little less lost as if a piece of his history had finally come home. ]

We wouldn't want that to happen. [ A moment's pause and the corners of his mouth turned up. ] You would probably steal my cat in retaliation.

Your cat?

[His feelings, watching the pendant settle against Shen Wei's chest, are mixed; but there's a quiet satisfaction blossoming among them, slowly subsuming the others. He reaches out, teasing, to brush his fingers over the pendant. It's an echo of Shen Wei's own habitual gesture, though there's never been a necklace there before.]

No way. I can't afford enough fish to steal your cat for my own.

[He grins at Shen Wei, leaving his fingers resting against the other man's breastbone.]

He could work for his meals as well.

[ He was half-teasing, knowing that Da Qing did actually work and had a paycheck, even if it had been spent mostly on his food and other necessities. The only reason why he hadn't done that yet was all up to Da Qing and whether or not he wanted to. Shen Wei was not going to restrict him making money for himself.

It was not like Da Qing was his cat after all, only just so happen to be his shinki due to the forces at work here. ]

He could do with a little exercise.

[ Reaching up, Shen Wei rested his hand on Yunlan's leaning towards him with a small, satisfied smile on his face. ]

I was going to surprise you with a clean room, but I guess I need to think of something else now, so... any requests?

A cat? Work for his food? I'm not sure I buy that one. [The tone's fondly teasing: Zhao Yunlan might still be working out a lot of things about himself, but apparently, he knows cats.

Sometimes, he's forced to realize that he must have been a hell of a loser in life. No domestic skills, cat lover, thirtyish with no wedding band, smart but not academic? Death's treating him better so far. He shifts his fingers against Shen Wei's; the thrill of lust the touch sends through him is the comfortable, sleepy kind, because with the tension of skating too close to his past fading, his body's remembering that it's the middle of the night.

He scoots back onto the bed, winding his fingers in the old t-shirt of his that Shen Wei's wearing, and tugs the other man after him. No, he's too sleepy for more than copping a feel while they cuddle.]

Come back to bed. You can get back up later, but-- [he shoots Shen Wei a glance through his eyelashes, half seductive, half trying to hide his own sincerity] --I sleep better when I fall asleep with you, baby.

[It's true. Embarrassing as hell, but true: he's got an annoying tendency towards vague stress dreams. He startles himself up from sleep convinced he's missing something, he fucked something important up, it's too late, and his asshole brain won't cough up any details. With Shen Wei to snuggle up to, he sleeps better.]

There are ways to get him to move... calling out his superior skills to the test or flattery at just the right amount. I've managed to talk him into dealing with my garden's turtle and snake problem.

[ Which meant that Da Qing would end up sitting on top of the biggest turtle calling out orders while the animals just acted as they did. It was a little amusing and Shen Wei feels that he needed an award for resisting the urge to record and post the end results.

He went with the tug, shifting around as he was dragged down, laughing softly at getting manhandled like this. Only Zhao Yunlan was allowed to do this really; anyone else would have found themselves with a ripped piece of shirt in their hands, but Shen Wei didn't think on that. ]

Mm, I should stay in bed then so you can sleep better. [He flicked his fingers at the little light, making it pop out of existence as he settled next to Yunlan, shifting so he could be cuddled against. ]

Exactly. [Shen Wei staying in bed -- at least until he's asleep again and won't care -- is all he wants here, and he doesn't bother to squelch the wave of pleased contentment that Shen Wei's not arguing with him about it. Instead, he stretches out until his spine creaks with it, throwing an arm and a leg over his lover and making a satisfied noise into the crook of Shen Wei's neck.]

'Night. [That, he punctuates with a yawn, and snuggles in closer as he lets his eyes close.]

[ There were things he would argue with Yunlan about, but staying in bed while Yunlan cuddles up against him is not one of them. Shen Wei allowed himself get manhandled into position, moving his arm so that he was pressed tightly against his side. Then he relaxed, feeling Zhao Yunlan breath softly against his neck, his limbs warm and solid against him.

Only when he was sure that he was fully asleep, Shen Wei turned his head, pressing a soft kiss on the mass of dark hair. ]

Ah-Lan, Ah-Lan, what you do to me.

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