Darkness and Destiny: A Guardian Story

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Resolution

From his position on the bed, Shen Wei looked up at the man kneeling over him.  He was suddenly painfully aware that the cotton bathrobe he was still wearing left very little to the imagination. He swallowed heavily.

Zhao Yunlan suppressed a smile at the professor's nervousness, which he found rather endearing.

"Don't worry," he reassured him.  "I won't ravage you completely.  You're still not well.  But you aren't going to get away totally unscathed."  He reached out for the belt of the robe and gave it a swift tug.

He settled back into his previous position on top of Shen Wei, before rolling them both over.  Then, he slipped his hands beneath the thin fabric of the open garment and felt warm skin beneath his palms.

"That's better," he said, taking his time reaching around the professor's waist, before tightening his grip and pulling his prey even closer, so that their noses were practically touching.

Shen Wei studied the face of the man beneath him.  Reaching out, he brushed a few strands of unruly hair out of brown eyes that were gazing at him intensely, and smiled.

"I'm not sure I should trust you to behave," he said.  "A few moments ago, you were telling me how hard it was to control yourself.  Perhaps you should sleep in the spare bedroom, just to be sure."

"Absolutely not," came the reply.  "I'm not such a scoundrel as to take advantage of a sick man during the night.  Kiss me once, and I'll consider myself satisfied.  But only in the short-term."

Zhao Yunlan did not wait for the professor to comply with his request, instead taking the initiative, and before long Shen Wei found himself returned to his original position, this time with nothing separating his skin from the bed beneath.

The coolness of the cotton sheets on his back contrasted with the heat radiating from him and the man moving above him, and it was making him a little lightheaded.  He held on even more tightly to the shoulders of Yunlan, who took it as a sign to continue.

As the detective focussed on leaving what would no doubt be a very obvious and embarrassing mark on his neck, Wei became acutely aware of the sound of his heartbeat, or was it Yunlan's, reaching dangerous levels.  If they did not stop now, there would very likely be no turning back, and he was not ready to take that leap, for several reasons.

First, was the mark on his back from the wound he had received a week earlier.  Whilst it was healing well, it was still visible, and the longer they carried on like this, the more likely Yunlan was to see it and put two and two together.  Of course, he could just tell the detective the truth, but it did not seem like the right moment.

The second reason was related to the first.  When he finally let himself be completely vulnerable, he wanted it to be not just physically but also emotionally.  That meant he needed to reveal his other identity as Black Robe first.  It was not just for him but also for Yunlan.  He deserved to know who the person in his arms really was before they took the final step towards complete intimacy.

He felt Zhao Yunlan's hands start to roam even lower, and inhaled sharply.  The swift intake of breath brought on a sudden coughing fit, and his companion sat up immediately, concern evident on his face.

"Wei, are you alright?  I'm so sorry.  I said I would behave myself and now I've made your illness worse."

He jumped out of the bed and ran towards the kitchen, and the professor took the opportunity to reach for a vest and some pyjama bottoms, only just managing to clothe himself before the detective returned.

"Here you go."  He held out a glass of water and watched while Shen Wei sipped at it slowly, before setting it down on the nightstand.

"Thank you, Yunlan.  I'm fine now.  But I think perhaps I should try to get some more sleep."

"Of course.  I should probably give Zhu Hong a quick call, so I'll leave you in peace.  I'll be in the living room if you need me."

He gave the patient a quick kiss on the forehead, then made his way out of the bedroom, leaving the door slightly ajar.

Alone in the darkness and quiet, it still took a long time for sleep to come to Shen Wei.  It was only once he heard the creak of the door, felt the mattress shift, and sensed the presence of a warm body behind him, that he finally drifted off.

***

The following morning, Zhao Yunlan was uncharacteristically quiet.

"Is something wrong?" Shen Wei asked, reaching across and resting a hand lightly on the other man's arm.  "You seem distracted."

"I'm sorry."  The detective put down the piece of toast he was absent-mindedly chewing and picked up his teacup.  "It's nothing you need to worry about."  He smiled.

"Tell me anyway.  I may not be able to help, but you might feel better if you get it off your chest.  And remember, if it's about work, I'm still your consultant."

A sudden thought occurred to the professor.

"Or is it about last night?  Is it because we didn't...?"

Zhao Yunlan almost choked on his mouthful of tea.

"God, no!  I'll admit, it did take me a bit of time to cool down afterwards, but I would never be upset about something like that.  It's work.  Gang activity is on the up again, and Old Sheng has asked for support from the other departments.  Apparently, something big is in the pipeline."

He looked down and saw that his companion was gripping his teacup so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.  He reached out and covered his hand with his own.

"I didn't say anything at first because I know it's a bit of sensitive subject for you.  After what happened to your brother, I mean."

Shen We smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, but it's okay, really.  Organised crime is a real problem in Dragon City, and I can't just ignore it because it brings up bad memories.  I probably can't do anything to help, but you can always talk to me about it."

Zhao Yunlan got to his feet, walked around to where Shen Wei was sitting, and kissed him on the top of his head, before taking a second to run his hand through the silky strands of hair.

"I know.  Now, do you mind if I leave you alone for a few hours?  Sheng has called an urgent meeting for this new taskforce, and I really should be there."

"Of course.  Don't worry about me.  I feel much better."

"Good, but call me immediately if anything happens.  Anything at all."

The professor sat quietly for a long time after Zhao Yunlan had left.  He had been contemplating telling the man about Black Robe that morning, but the revelation about the gangs had put an end to that thought.

Shen Wei was not a self-important man.  He knew that his contributions to keeping the city safe were minimal at best, but they were better than nothing, and it was the only thing he was capable of doing to honour his brother's memory.  If Yunlan knew he was Black Robe, no doubt he would put a stop to it immediately out of fear for his safety, and he was not ready to hang up his black coat just yet.  Not when the situation with the gangs was becoming critical.

However, he was becoming increasingly ashamed of himself for not telling the detective the truth.  Consequently, as soon as this latest threat was dealt with, he resolved that he would bring everything out into open once and for all.  Hopefully, Yunlan would understand, and forgive him.