Testing the "Superpowers" of Our Chemistry

@☾ Yuan Jinglin "You're right. We'll do everything together." Zhiwei corrected himself, smiling even in the darkness. He leaned in as best as he could to Jinglin, keeping the other's hand hugged tightly to his chest since he couldn't turn and envelope the older fully in his arms. The gentle kiss was soothing, and Zhiwei felt like his husband had magically kissed the discomfort away. "En, I'll listen to you, no matter what." Zhiwei hummed, his voice getting lower and lower as his eyelids began to feel heavy, the comforts of being next to his husband and the fatigue of his day finally taking him over. "Goodnight, baby."

There was a point in time when Zhai Zhiwei believed that he would stay in Payul for the rest of his live, hiding from people, hiding from reality, and hiding from himself. He didn't truly understand himself before. In fact, he couldn't even be completely sure of the legitimacy of his existence, considering he could disappear and reappear at will. But meeting Yuan Jinglin had changed him. Jinglin had grounded him, given him a sense of existence, and therefore Zhiwei had no regrets about moving here. Although Payul had once been his last resort, it ultimately proved to be his fresh start. Zhiwei would leave his uncertainties behind. He'd move forward with the light of his life. And under Jinglin's light, Zhiwei believed his entire existence became meaningful.

@☾ Zhai Zhiwei "Wherever /we/ want to go," Jinglin corrected, reaching am arm back to switch the bedside lamp off, plunging the room into darkness. "We're married. We make decisions together." It took a couple seconds for Jinglin's eyes to adjust in the dim light that streamed through the window. Not wanting Zhiwei to roll in his sleep on his injuries, Jinglin propped their generous amounts of pillows behind their backs to keep them only inclined backwards halfway. He pulled the younger against him, drawing up his legs to cradle Zhiwei. "But sure. The sooner we leave, the better." He kissed Zhiwei's temple, rubbing circles into Zhiwei's wrist to lull him to sleep. There was something freeing about the prospect of leaving the city, abandoning the pain that had led him here in the first place. Although Jinglin met the one blessing in his life in Payul, it was the only sentiment he held towards the city. Otherwise, he was glad to be moving forward with his husband. His Zhiwei. "Don't forget we still need to go to the school so I can hold someone accountable for tonight." One more kiss. "Goodnight."

@☾ Yuan Jinglin "Oh?" Zhiwei asked, his eyes still closed though he expressed interest in what Jinglin could be thinking about so late at night, and going so far as to voluntarily voice it out. They had only moved into this current place a few years ago, and while it was comfortable, Zhiwei had to admit that the older did have a point. "Indeed, I would have to say the best part of my life is cited back to this dingy place...because of you." he replied, finally opening his eyes and applauding himself for such good timing to catch his husband's blushing face, "Wherever you want to go, I want to go with you." Zhiwei hummed, pressing another kiss to the back of Jinglin's hand, "Let's start looking for housing tomorrow then." he said, already in agreement.

@☾ Zhai Zhiwei Jinglin was never the type to start talking sappy all of a sudden, so he stopped before he could embarrass himself trying to impress his husband, only listening to the reassuring words the younger gave him. It did calm the fire in him a little, but Jinglin was dead set on vengeance, though he didn't voice those thoughts anymore. Zhiwei's eyes were beginning to close, so Jinglin held him a little tighter, a little more secure. Happy with Zhiwei's promise, Jinglin leaned in to kiss his husband's forehead. Their hands intwined, and Jinglin rubbed the metal band around Zhiwei's fourth finger. "I was thinking," he began quietly so as to not startle Zhiwei out of the peaceful ambience they've created. "Maybe we should move out of Payul. Everything is ty here and the only good that came out of it was meeting you," Jinglin trailed off, his cheeks dusting pink. "But its dangerous, so... I was thinking Luoyang...?"

@☾ Yuan Jinglin "What would I do if you'd gotten yourself seriously injured? All for some dumb kid?"

"Silly, if it really got to that point, I would have ditched the kid and taken myself off the grid...you know I'm capable of doing that." Zhiwei reminded his husband, a fond smile on his face as he closed his eyes, enjoying the sound of Jinglin's voice and the gentle stroking gesture the older administered against him, coaxing him to sleep despite the discomfort coming from his bandaged wounds. "I will always come back to you." he assured the older male after a pause of silence, knowing this was what Jinglin was concerned about, but his ego would never allow him to admit it, "I promise I won't let anything happen to myself. I'd hate myself if I hurt you in any way...so I won't do that again." Zhiwei softly promised, a hand reaching to take Jinglin's in his own, hugging it to the uninjured part of his chest, eventually bringing it up slightly so he could press a reassuring kiss on it.

@☾ Zhai Zhiwei "Gratitude," Jinling responded with a snort. "I kind of doubt it, seeing the look on her stupid face. Forget it, it happened a long time ago. I'll probably never see her again." With that, he put an end to the topic, genuinely more concerned about Zhiwei's day than his own. He listened intently for any hints or clues that could lead him to the perpetrators, but Zhiwei seemed even more clueless than Jinling, prompting the older to sigh in exasperation when the younger asked him what else he should be saying. "Nothing," Jinling sighed, continuing to Zhiwei's hair in a comforting fashion. "You should't feel bad for these kids wandering around after dark anymore, especially in that part of town. Anyone hanging out that late, alone, that's just stupid and asking for trouble. Next time, just worry about yourself." He hesitated before adding, "What would I do if you'd gotten yourself seriously injured? All for some dumb kid?"

@☾ Yuan Jinglin Zhiwei got into bed obediently, but he shifted himself so he could lay against Jinglin’s chest, his back slightly propped up by the older’s frame. On other days, it would be the other way around, but since his chest was injured, Zhiwei hoped his husband wouldn’t mind the little change in position.

The Zhai Zhiwei before would have been vexed to hear a story about The Inition’s power-hungry vision of ridding humans off the face of this planet. He remembered a time when he would have to follow his husband around (at that time, they were nothing more than strangers pitted together by circumstance), their values conflicting to the cores. However, it made sense as to why Jinglin would get his hands dirty to help that girl - she was useful to what was once his primary belief in life. This must have taken place before Zhiwei’s appearance in the older’s life, and the younger sighed softly, leaning against his lover as he closed his eyes to listen.

He peeked an eye open when he felt his shirt being lifted, smiling as he reached a hand back to run against Jinglin’s chisled jawline, “Don’t worry, you already bandaged it better than a doctor would have been able to.” he murmured quietly. The same hand slid down, taking hold of Jinglin’s hand that was examining his bandages. Holding it in his own, Zhiwei admired this image of their hands clasped together, one warm against one cold. Their past brought another image to mind, and Yibo concluded, “Well, you saved her in a sense.” he said, tilting his head back to get a better look at his husband, “And I’m sure she has not forgotten her purpose…” he assured, “And maybe she didn’t mean to ignore you...she was probably not sure how to express her gratitude.” he then suggested, hoping to quell the discontent that was obviously present in his the other’s emotions. Zhiwei wasn’t particularly fond of the girl already, for more purposes than one, but he’d speak for her because he wanted to gratify the man he loved.


"That's all there is to it. Now are you going to tell me in detail about what happened today?"

“Uhm…” Zhiwei murmured softly, his voice trying to force out hints of sleepiness, “I mean...I was walking back to the car, but then I heard screaming…” he said, offering a sheepish smile, “It’s been a while since I’ve made contact (with Powerdrive) but I guess I felt bad so I turned invisible to try and pull the boy from safety?” he said, “The attackers had vine powers…” Zhiwei felt like he was repeating himself, and there was only so much he could tell before he went around in circles. “What else...should I say, Jinglin-ge?” he asked, a little helplessly, knowing this was simply the result of his husband’s excessive concern for him.

@☾ Zhai Zhiwei Jinglin pulled out a clean and loose shirt for his husband as they passed their walk-in closet, helping guide Zhiwei's arms through the sleeves. As much as he would like to, he never found the power in him to tell the younger no, no matter how stupid the requests were. He had never delved into detail of the time he'd been part of the group who murdered a priest for their own agenda. Jinglin only met Zhiwei after, and did not like to talk about his past. Zhiwei never pushed, but Jinglin felt no issue with telling him now, though all he wanted to do was fret and coddle Zhiwei to sleep. "Get in bed," he said in a low murmur as he tried to arrange his words before speaking. They left only the bedside lamp on, creating a cozy space as Jinglin pulled the sheets over their legs.

"It was a long time ago," he began quietly. "Before we met. I don't think I would call it 'saving' her... maybe 'liberating' was the word. Her father exploited her as a business, but he was suppressing her true potential. To be able to turn any human into a superhuman... it was valuable. The Initiation, the group I lived with at the time, had that vision. I didn't agree with that, but at the time I thought it was only a step away from getting rid of humans." Jinglin paused to lift Zhiwei's shirt up, checking to see if there was any bleeding through the bandages. Pleased that they remained pristinely white, he continued. "It wasn't hard. Her father couldn't really fight back, and she didn't either. I never knew much about her in the first place, so I don't know if she's changed... she just pretended she didn't know me, but I could see that she did. She was fine, then when I spoke to her she was panicking and everything." Jinglin snorted, stroking Zhiwei's hair as he spoke. "I don't care for how well she's doing. I want to know if she's still doing what she's supposed to do when we freed her: turning humans. If they're turned, there's one less human in the world. That's all I wanted to know." As Jinglin's story came to a close, he hugged his younger husband a little closer in his arms. "That's all there is to it. Now are you going to tell me in detail about what happened today?"

@☾ Yuan Jinglin Whoever that girl was, Zhiwei just hoped that she was doing well and that she was worth Jinglin's effort to save. The older male had always kept to himself, and knowing that he was not fully appreciated for the efforts that he contributed before, Zhiwei could only sigh in distaste for the people who were simply not worthy. "Mmm, tell me a story, help me sleep." he coaxed the older male, a soft smile on his face as they got up together. For good measure, Zhiwei pressed another kiss on Jinglin, not letting the other get the last gesture, "Tell me about how you saved that girl..." he suggested, giving the older's hand a small tug, "Was it difficult to save her?" He walked slowly, almost ambling as they retired in their bedroom, "What was her attitude like when you tried to talk to her? Has she changed from what you remember?" he asked, knowing that Jinglin had the tendency to bundle up all that he wanted to say. But Zhiwei wanted to know. He wanted to see who was so important that garnered his husband's attention in the past, and once more now.

@☾ Zhai Zhiwei "I'm not upset," Jinglin said quickly to defend himself, though his cross expression and tone of voice said otherwise. "I'm just... annoyed. Forget it." Never one to bring the attention onto himself, Jinglin tried to move the conversation along the moment they touched based on it, beginning to stretch some gauze over Zhiwei's long cuts. Even though the younger wasn't wincing, Jinglin felt the cuts as if they were over his own heart. "I only talk to you," Jinglin admitted, his voice holding the tiniest bit of shame, as if he'd cheated by /talking/ to someone else. When Zhiwei cupped his cheek, Jinglin leaned into the touch, closing his eyes and taking a second to ground himself. Zhiwei was safe, and that should be good enough for Jinglin. He finished wrapping up Zhiwei's wounds and kissed the younger chastely. "Let's just get to bed," he sighed. "And /tomorrow/, you're going to take me to the school so I can figure out what's happened-"

@☾ Yuan Jinglin Maybe it was the fact that Jinglin rarely ever expressed his emotions, and so when he did, the unfamiliar feeling brought a bout of amusement to the younger male. He was bent over, back exposed to his husband while his wounds were being tended to while listening to the story about an ungrateful girl who just so happened to ignore his husband, the one person who never made conversation unless he had to, attempting to converse with her. Shaking his head, Zhiwei turned his body, concealing his injuries from Jinglin's sight as he reached a hand out, cupping his lover's cheek and stroking it gently, "That does sound pretty ridiculous. And that's so ungrateful of her too, to not even remember what my gege did to help her." he sighed softly, "But, Jinglin-ge, she's not worth your time and effort to be upset about." He said, a light smile on his face as he turned back around obediently so the other could continue to apply medication, "Don't waste your time with irrelevant people...just talk to me." he hummed, bent over and hissing when there was a sharp pain at the mid of his cut, "I enjoy listening to your voice."

@☾ Zhai Zhiwei Jinglin had been trying to ignore the way his husband had been trying to turn the subject away from him and his /whip lashes/ since the younger got home, but it was clear Zhiwei didn't want to dwell on it much longer. Jinglin decided he would entertain the other only for a while, so he could finish patching up the younger, before he continued his interrogation. "What, me?" he asked in a gruff response to Zhiwei's observation. Indeed, Jinglin had a rather sour encounter earlier that managed to dampen his mood for the rest of the day. He'd been returning home from work when the elevator at the station broke down. It might've been alright if Jinglin was alone, but of all the people trapped in an elevator with him, it had to be the standoffish girl he helped liberate, ignoring him completely the /one/ time Jinglin tried to start a conversation. Jinglin relayed this information to Zhiwei as he shut the water off, patting a clean towel over his husband before beginning to apply antibiotic ointment over the uneven, cut skin. "You know I don't like making small talk at all, much less strangers," Jinglin seethed. "She was trying to pretend I didn't exist even though I was the /only/ one in the elevator with her. ing ridiculous."

@☾ Yuan Jinglin Despite knowing fully well that Jinglin was being the most gentle possible, Zhiwei was still flinching and jerking away from the pain on his back. He would like to assume he was always more on the careful end, but because he was unable to exercise absolute concealment earlier, the attacks went right against him insteas of through him. He sighed softly as cold water ran down his back and the water around him was stained a light reddish color. "I'm sorry..." Zhiwei murmured, understanding fully well that Jinglin's little outburst was all due to the older's attempt at being vocal about his feelings. "Mm..I just left." he added once more, shaking his head and refusing to go into further detail. Craning his neck so he could look at the other, Zhiwei smiled softly at the concentrated look on hus husband's face. "What's with you, gege?" he asked softly, a little amusement in his voice as he added, "Did something interesting happen today? You seem like you're frustrated about something more than just me coming home late." Zhiwei said. After spending so much time with Jinglin, of course Zhiwei had come to understand the other much better by just reading his facial expressions. He couldn't definitively read what Jinglin's face was saying right now, but he could definitely tell his husband had something to tell him.

@☾ Zhai Zhiwei "He's a student, kids are always getting into fights," Jinglin replied with a hint of anger, shifting on the couch to get a look at Zhiwei's back. He blanched at the whip cuts that dragged along his back, long and red and angry. "You, on the other hand! It's none of your business what those kids do. You go, you give a lecture, you come back. In one piece!" With that, Jinglin stomped off to grab the first aid kit beneath their kitchen sink. He was angry, not at Zhiwei, but at who could dare involve him or do this to the most innocent and least-confrontational man Jinglin's known. He took Zhiwei's hand, taking him to the bathroom wordlessly and sitting him in the bathtub, pants and all. Jinglin worked in silence, running cold water down Zhiwei's back, to clean off the blood, one hand clasped over Zhiwei's shoulder to keep him still. Jinglin wasn't actively using any power to freeze Zhiwei (he would never do that to his husband if he could help it), but he rubbed his thumb over the skin in comfort. "It's pretty bad," Jinglin finally said when the blood rinsed away. There were only two long but shallow cuts, but to Jinglin, every little scratch on his husband's flawless body was 'bad'. "You just left," Jinglin repeated with a growl. "Did you at least see who the attackers were? Or the boy?"

@☾ Yuan Jinglin Zhiwei nodded his head, affirming all of the older's questions. He winced as Jinglin helped him remove his sweater, the material already stained with blood to the point that it wouldn't be worth salvaging. He sighed softly, an apologetic tone in his voice because he knew Jinglin would worry upon seeing this, but to this extent of dropping that usually hard exterior of his to inquire so much, it was a sign of his husband's major fretting. "I don't know. I just left him at the university." Zhiwei admitted, "He was a bit talkative and...I felt a little unsettled, so as soon as he was safe, I just left." The younger failed to give any more specific details, and purposefully so too. He was fully aware of Jinglin's developing abilities, and if the older got angry to the point that he would consider exacting revenge for Zhiwei, the younger didn't think he had the abilities to stop him anymore. "It doesn't hurt..." he lied, face turned away from Jinglin as his back was examined as well. Zhiwei didn't know how deep the wounds on his back were, so he carefully asked, "Is it bad back there?"

@☾ Zhai Zhiwei Jinglin trailed behind Zhiwei, his hand over the younger's uninjured shoulder as he led him to the couch. "You /jumped/ in?" Jinglin clarified, flaring up with irritation. Not at his husband, but this 'kid' that the younger decided to try and help. "The university was in a bad area," Jinglin scolded, easing Zhiwei's jacket off of him, wanting to see the full extent of the damages. "Since when do you try and play hero? Call the police and move on!" He couldn't help the worry that seeped into his voice now, despite Zhiwei being safe and sound beside him. "Take off your sweater, let me see." Without waiting for Zhiwei to comply, Jinglin grabbed the hem and lifted it over the younger's head, becoming stonily silent seeing the gash that ran down Zhiwei's chest. When he finally spoke again, his voice was icy. "Who's the boy you were helping? Where is he now?"

@☾ Yuan Jinglin His actions were slow and his entire being felt heavy, which was probably the opposite of reality since there was blood seeping out three crevices in his body. Looking up upon hearing his husband's voice, Zhiwei smiled softly. This was the only voice he could never get tired of hearing. Even with Jinglin nagging at him, the same silly smile on his face remained in place. He flinched when a finger brushed near his wound, but quickly collecting himself as he murmured, "It was nothing...some boy on the streets appeared to be in trouble." His gaze flickered upwards to meet the older male's, and seeing that Jinglin was not fully satisfied with this much explanation, Zhiwei added, "He may have screamed while I was saving him, and the chasers happened to have vine whipping abilities." Zhiwei headed over to the couch, the tingling pain settling over him as he sat down, feeling the stretch on his skin, "I'll be fine, don't worry about me, mm?" he chided his lover softly, taking Jinglin's hand and stroking it gently.

@☾ Zhai Zhiwei Jinglin had been dozing off when the jingle of keys sounded from outside the door, and a sweet voice drifted down the hall. Jinglin sat up immediately, the blanket pulled up to his chest falling and pooling around his waist. He pushed it off, staggering to his feet as he quickened his pace out to the front to meet Zhiwei. "Where have you been?" Jinglin demanded first thing, as the younger was taking off his shoes. "You didn't answer any of my calls, ignored my texts. You're not usually-" he broke off, noticing the gash over Zhiwei's shoulder, slitting the seam of his sweater open. "What's this?" Jinglin asked, reaching out to touch it. He pulled at the cloth, inhaling sharply when it pulled away to reveal a red, bloody cut set in the skin. His heart beat picked up, but Jinglin tried not to let his panic show on his face, setting his expression into a neutral one. He couldn't keep the concern out of his voice, however, as he asked, "What happened?"

@☾ Yuan Jinglin Zhiwei was already not a fan of going out, much less going out late at night. And it just so happened that the one time he did, he was met with an unfortunate and time consuming event - witnessing a young boy getting harassed and chased by what appeared to be a gang. It wasn't that he liked to play hero, but when the situation allowed him to, he'd step in if possible. It just so happened that the boy he was saving did not recognize him as a savior, taking him to be yet another perpetrator. When the boy screamed, it had drawn attention to them while the invisible male was trying to get them to safety, eventually earning him a few lashes down his back and one near his shoulder by the bullies' vine whip. By the time he had managed to get them both out of trouble, Zhiwei did not extend his presence in front of the stranger, taking his leave by vanishing into thin air once more.

It was midnight when he had come home, unlocking the door and stepping inside slowly, an ache slowly working through his body. Despite the discomfort in his body and the fatigue accumulated from the day, the sight of his husband put the male in a better mood immediately. "Jinglin-ge." he called, announcing his presence.

@☾ Zhai Zhiwei Jinglin glanced at the clock on the wall for the nth time that evening. It was nearing midnight, and Zhiwei should have finished quite a while ago. However, there were no calls, no texts, no indication at all that he was going to be coming home late or anything. Jinglin knew the younger had perfect defence mechanisms for himself, but he still couldn't help but fill himself with 'what ifs'. The school his husband went to lecture at was in a rather shady area of town - anyone would worry. Jinglin stretched his hand out, summoning the television remote from the other end of the room into his hand to up the volume in an effort to keep himself awake with the noise. 'One more hour,' he told himself. If Zhiwei didn't show up for another hour, Jinglin was going to call the police. That was reasonable, wasn't it?

@Yuan Jinglin *makes no attempt to grab your hand when it disappears, knowing it'll return sooner or later*
*counts down in my head*
/3...2...1/
*smiles smugly as you take my hand again*
Yes, we're going for a walk. Just you and me.
*points to a few stalls in the distance*
And if you're hungry...we can take a break
*gives your hand a squeeze, feeling warm even on this chilly day*

@Zhai Zhiwei /yanks my hand out of yours so I can pull off my skates and put my sneakers on/
Not even if you do that
/despite my words, holds your hand tightly as if you'd disappear again if I didn't/
/returns my skates on the way out the rink, ambling along to wherever you want to bring me/
/looks at you with a suspicious side eye/
We're really going for a walk?

@Yuan Jinglin *follows you to a resting area, removing my skates there*
Hm, well let's see the day that you decide to draw those papers up then...I'll be patiently waiting
*smiles to myself, holding the pair of skates in one hand as I go off to grab our shoes from the locker*
*finds them and drops my skates in the rental return box, bringing your shoes back to you*
You won't be happy anymore?
*takes your hand in my own gloved one*
Not even if I hold your hand and take a romantic walk with you?
*looks around, seeing the crowd and naturally pulling you away from there, going to a quieter area*

@Zhai Zhiwei /closes my eyes and takes a deep breath to stop myself from taking up your challenge and actually forcing you off/
Drawing up divorce papers are not that hard, Zhai Zhiwei.
/lets you lead me out of the rink, startling when I hear the crack of ice beneath my feet as a result of my irritation/
/glances around nervously before skating past it stiffly, hopping back onto dry land and unlacing my laces in a hurry/
I'm not going to be happy anymore. You've ruined it for the rest of today, you got it?

@Yuan Jinglin *hugs you tighter when you try to peel me off*
No, I won't and you can't make me
*grins as my gloved hand purposefully rubs the ring on your finger*
You forgot that you can't exactly escape from me Jinglin-ge.
*eventually nears the exit of the rink, giving you a tug*
Let's get out here then, so my sulking gege can finally be happy~
*materializes in front of you again and takes your hand, leading you out*

@Zhai Zhiwei You know, if I wanted to look lonely and crazy talking to myself doing all these supposedly romantic things alone, I wouldn't have married you
/places my hand over yours, jerking it away from me/
And don't think compliments are getting you anywhere. I'm not happy about this, okay?
/fights a scowl off my face, not wanting you to call it 'sulking'/
/tries to peel you off my back without looking like I'm wrestling with nothing like a madman/
Seriously, get off-

@Yuan Jinglin Well, I'm having fun. So won't you entertain me for a while?
* your flat stomach a few times, hugging you tight to my chest*
Such a handsome man like yourself, you honestly can't look stupid unless you try real hard
Just a while longer, then we can go somewhere else, hm? We already paid for the skate rentals, might as well make use of the equipment
*hooks my chin over your stiff shoulder, satisfied*

@Zhai Zhiwei /skates stiffly and aimlessly around the rink, easily put into a disgruntled mood again/
/deadpans without mincing my words/
No, I'm not. I look stupid, skating and talking to myself now.
/barely reacts even when you laugh, my brow twitching/
Is that why you brought me out here? To embarrass me?

@Yuan Jinglin *pushes your hand back down to your side, tsking in your ear*
The point is for people to see what a great skater you are, without holding my hand
*hugs your waist tighter*
That's why no one can see me right now
*laughs softly in your ear*
Yes, I find this greatly entertaining. You're not having fun, babe?

@Zhai Zhiwei /dares not try to compete with you about how romantic we could get, barely able to keep myself up without using my power/
/snorts when I feel your lips on my neck/
Get back up here, and let everyone see what a great pair of skaters we are, then
/though I'm not particularly enjoying this activity, plays along with what you like to do, holding out my hand for you to take/
/moves my skates a little more confidently as we circle the rink/
So this is supposed to be entertaining, or...?