・ one

@❛ ✧ : zayne. rafayel shuddered at the first touch. however, it was not from the contrasting cold of the cream on his skin. his body reacted a little later, when zayne's fingertips grazed against his arm, skin coming in contact with skin. it was a sensation that electrified him, a shiver running down his spine as if it were the most delightful thing he had felt in ages. which was odd, really—zayne wasn't doing anything extraordinary.

yet, rafayel felt himself leaning forward, as if chasing the warmth before it could leave him. when he caught himself a second too late, he had begun to wonder when he felt another's touch last. another's warm touch against his skin, that used to soothe all the troubles and anger he harbored towards a world he was never meant to live in. her touch had such gentleness. he missed when someone held him the way she used to.

"then what do you do it for?" he asked, averting his gaze to hide the sorrow that took place of its usual, mirthful glint. he remained silent for all of two heartbeats before he answered his own question. "don't answer that. you'd be a lousy doctor if you only did it for the fame. and..." his smile was bittersweet when he raised his eyes to meet those greens and golds. "i know you're a good person. otherwise she wouldn't have cared for you as much as she did."

@❛ ✧ : rafayel. as rafayel sits down beside him, zayne squirts a dollop of lotion into his palm. his other hand gently grabs hold of the former's arm, fleetingly noting the softness of his skin despite the muscle, before he begins to rub the moisturizer into his skin. his hands dance up and down the length of his arm, massaging the lotion into his skin gently. the slight jasmine scent invades his senses, almost enough to keep him from leaning any closer to the other.

yes, he was uninhibited and that was his weakness. he needed to keep his mind occupied with work all the time, he /had to/, or else he would find himself seeking the human contact he truly needed. work, then sleep, then work: if he could just keep up that cycle, he wouldn't have time to fester in the desiderium of the emptiness of his life. in fact, he realizes almost sadly, this may just be the first tinge of physical touch he's had that wasn't born out of work or obligation. at least... since she left.

"it's alright," he responds slowly, voice low and soft. "i don't do what i do for the gratitude." the weight of rafayel's gaze lays heavy on him, and zayne finds himself looking up from his arm to meet the other's eyes, green eyes hiding something behind the fatigue. "i'm here if you need help. of any kind." they've never talked about why they were brought together, about the connection between them that has now all but shattered away. it's easier that way, if they're just the doctor and the artist. and yet, zayne still wants to be here—whether to have someone to share his silent pain, or to size up someone who used to be his competition, it didn't matter. he was still here, even if she was not.

@❛ ✧ : zayne. the lemurian opened his mouth to object, but not in time for the doctor to steal the bottle from his hand. slow to react, all he could do was follow the latter's orders by begrudgingly sitting down on the bed, arm held out like a child waiting for his mother to put lotion on him. except, it was his doctor instead, shirtless and seated atop his bed.

it took everything in rafayel not to stare at him—to take in how beautiful his complexion looked underneath the moon's glow. how the light casting down past the windows from the sky above shone upon him in just the right angle, so that the peaks of his muscles were highlighted, while shadows accentuated the lines in between. rafayel wondered if zayne would let him paint him to capture the beauty he possessed. he did not ask, of course. they had already crossed far too many lines.

"i don't know if i thanked you, by the way," he whispered, lifting his sapphire and magenta gaze to look upon the doctor's face. "genuinely. for coming so late to... um. help me."

@❛ ✧ : rafayel. "maybe, but i wouldn't be too flattered. i do uncharacteristic things when tired, so it probably has nothing to do with you," he quips back as rafayel crosses the room to gather the things he needs from the nightstand. the doctor, ever observant, watches as he brushes his hair, the moonlight dancing across the pallor of his skin. the light let in by the glass accents of the room may not lend to an ideal sleeping situation for zayne, but it does create an image for his tired eyes to rest upon.

when he notices how the other pauses, hesitating to continue spreading lotion on himself, zayne gives a small sigh and scoots over on the bed just slightly closer to rafayel's side. "come here. let me." with that, he gestures for the other to sit down, hand already sweeping over to grab the bottle of lotion.

@❛ ✧ : zayne. "should i be flattered? should i feel special?" he joked in return whilst walking to the nightstand at the side zayne chose to sleep on. he pulled open the top drawer to pull out a brush, which he quickly ran through his wavy, purple strands before tousling them again with his fingers. he returned the brush afterwards then picked out a tube of jasmine-scented lotion, twisting open the lid before squeezing out a dollop of that lotion onto his hand.

he walked over to the other side of the bed as he rubbed that lotion all over his arm—careful not to disrupt the cloth wrapped around his wrist. when he shifted his focus to the other arm, he frowned, brows knitting together as he tried to figure out how on earth he was going to put lotion on that with a bandaged hand.

@❛ ✧ : rafayel. he settles on the side of the bed furthest from the mirror, because he figures there will be less light reflected there, which might help him in actually getting some sleep; not that it mattered when the room consisted of floor-to-ceiling windows and the roof was ing clear. how rafayel could sleep restfully here, he had no clue. when the artist enters the room, zayne is on his side of the bed, arms bent behind his head as he rests on them to gaze up at the sky. his eyes flickers across to the door, but his body doesn't move. "past midnight," he says, biting back a yawn. "you know, i've had patients offer to share a bed before but this is the first time i've accepted," he jokes dryly.

@❛ ✧ : lu guang. he puffs his cheeks, shaking his head and stubbornly not doing what lu guang asked of him. instead, he hugs the other’s waist, refusing to pull his face away and let the other see the embarrassment colouring his cheeks.

@❛ ✧ : zayne. truthfully, zayne didn't make him nervous. it was rare for anyone to—rafayel was often the one in control of the room unbeknownst to anyone within his company. however, he liked to entertain the idea that they had some kind of effect on him. he'd play stupid, if it meant getting some kind of reaction from whoever was in his midst. it was more fun that way.

he did not answer zayne's question and instead gave him an ambiguous smile. when he left, he quickly cleaned up: he rinsed off the takeout containers, chucked them into his recycling drawer, and wiped down the counters. he cleaned his living room and studio, too, however he didn't have to pick up brushes or clean up paint unlike most nights; he had already done that earlier when he waited for zayne to come by.

turning on his robotic vaccuum to clean all of his floors was the last thing he did before heading to the bathroom to do his own nightly routine, before he, too, headed to bed.

"jeez, what time is it?"

@❛ ✧ : rafayel. "what could i possibly do to make you nervous?" retorts zayne quickly, like he's completely unaware of the effect he could have on people, which he most likely is. to zayne, he was just a doctor. sure, he was the youngest cardiac surgeon in linkon and was awarded incredible honors, but... just a doctor. rafayel was an artist, a public figure (even if he avoided the spotlight most of the time).

"thanks," he says after a moment. "i'll see you soon, then." with that, he walks off and disappears down the hall, back into the bathroom once more. he does his quick night routine (as much as he can, here in another's house) before flicking off the light and heading to the bedroom.

@❛ ✧ : zayne. "uh, duh?" he quipped with a raised brow. "how else am i going to clean my kitchen in peace? can't have a doctor scrutinizing my every movement, can i? i'd get nervous." as he spoke, his tone was sassy, lips mirthfully curled at the edges. after finishing his glass of water, he moved to stand on his feet, too, gathering the empty takeout boxes before giving the doctor a look. "i don't really care. oh, by the way, there's a spare toothbrush under the bathroom sink."

@❛ ✧ : rafayel. he watches as rafayel sits back in his chair, revealing the expanse of his chest and stomach once hidden behind the dining table; he tries not to ogle, as that would be rude, but when the other averts his own eyes to look at himself, zayne peeks a bit himself. though, he quickly returns his gaze to a professional one once rafayel looks up once more. "so quick to get rid of me?" he asks, rolling his eyes as the slight joking tone seeps into his voice. then he rises from the chair, though he slides the empty takeout box with his utensils across the table. "i'll choose my own side of the bed, then."

@❛ ✧ : zayne. “rinsing plastic then throwing it out in the recycling bin is barely any physical activity, doctor,” he retorted with a laugh as he set his fork down, the food in both his container and their shared one of steak completely emptied. with a satisfied sigh, he leaned back, eyes falling to his stomach as though he expected it to look any different than before he started eating. it, in fact, was not. he picked up his glass, but right as he held it to his lips to take a sip, he gave zayne a pointed look. “so? are you going to rest now or…?”

@❛ ✧ : rafayel. the way the artist challenges him isn't at all a surprise; he'd always had a reputation for having things his way, and it appeared that today was not going to be the day that changes. zayne narrows his eyes at the other across the table before sighing, "you're injured. remember what i said? limiting your physical activity." he truly was exhausted, and he could feel how little fight there was in his tone. with a sigh, he capitulates. "fine. if you insist. but if don't want to hear you complain if you strain yourself again."

@❛ ✧ : zayne. "you're my guest whom i offered a place to stay so you wouldn't have to tire yourself out any longer," rafayel argued with a roll of his eyes. "it's more impolite for you to refuse what your hose graciously suggested to you." he raised a brow at the male, daring a challenge. upon his lips with a ghost of a smile, that claimed victory even though he hadn't won this banter. not just yet.

@❛ ✧ : cheng xiaoshi. "hm?" lu guang hummed and stared at him with his eyebrow raised in question. "can you repeat that for me? why so shy now?"

@❛ ✧ : rafayel. "what? no," argues the doctor almost immediately, sitting up in his seat at the suggestion, which could be preposterous from how quickly he reacted. "i'm your guest, that's not polite at all." the pout on the other's lips could convince him, if he were a softer man; and perhaps he was, but to the right people. "i probably just need something to tire me out and it'll be okay. we'll do it together."

@❛ ✧ : zayne. "weird," rafayel reaffirmed with a raised brow. then, as he witnessed zayne practically slump in his seat, his expression softened. his eyes shined with worry as a small pout formed upon his lips. he wondered how the doctor managed to operate every day, if he truly wasn't able to sleep. it was impossible. inhuman, even. he must be hanging on by a thread. "hey. why don't you go try to settle down right now? i'll finish up eating and clean up."

@❛ ✧ : rafayel. "i'm /weird/?" zayne repeats, a bit of surprise sneaking into his tone. after avoiding his gaze for a few moments, it seems the artist has been re-energized by the idea of his sleep troubles. "it's not that i'm not tired, but that sleep evades me anyway. and besides, working all day keeps my brain awake so it's difficult to settle down." he sighs, leaning back in his seat once more. the fatigue is deep in his bones, but he knows that once he lays down, he likelihood of finding comfortable sleep will be low. and then he'll have to return back to work, once again. "are my sleeping habits interesting to you? i bet you knock out the second your head hits the pillow, hmm." he asks, a bit of a curious smile at the edge of his lip.

@❛ ✧ : zayne. "oh." although he was embarrassed, cheeks a pathetic, brighter shade of red on his pale skin, rafayel found himself more intrigued by the information the doctor just told him. "that's odd."

he hummed thoughtful for a moment before turning in his chair to face his companion more properly. "that makes no sense to me. you're a doctor. you work on dozens of patients a day. you're always moving. during a surgery, i assume you're standing for hours. we already went over you barely taking any vacations. and on top of that, you exercise and do whatever the hell else you do to keep yourself relatively healthy."

rafayel briefly looked off to the side to let out a quiet, incredulous chuckle. "i'd be so exhausted, i'd have such good sleep every night. and you're telling me you don't?" he brought his eyes back to zayne's, gaze filled with mirth. "you're /weird/!"

@❛ ✧ : rafayel. the expression on rafayel's face, etched across his features, makes him wonder fleetingly if he's said something wrong. but then a moment's gaze makes him realize the notes of his expression are not bored, but something else. if he'd known rafayel better, been able to study the nuances of his face, perhaps he would've been able to read it better. he an eyebrow at the question; had he not been listening to him? "i have trouble sleeping at night. so don't feel that you should stay up to entertain me or anything."

"are you alright?" he asks, sitting up and leaning forward, a bit of concern flashing across his face at the red that jumps up to stain his cheeks.

@❛ ✧ : zayne. "right," he mumbled, his cheeks and the tips of his ears pinking with embarrassment when he realized his assumption for what the doctor was going to say was way off. what was wrong with him? it was not like him to be so desperate. was that what it was? desperation? god, he needed to get his thoughts in order. maybe he'll splash his face with cold water later.

"what do you mean?" he hadn't been paying attention to the last of what zayne said. what was it he said? something about insomnia. knitting his brows together, he looked up from his takeout container to address the male with a confused expression. "how would you keep me up?"

@❛ ✧ : rafayel. he can't help but laugh a bit at rafayel's reaction, though he does his best to keep it under wraps, hiding it in a glass of water as he drinks. when he empties the glass, he simply shrugs his shoulders, gauging the other's reaction and deciding that understanding the artist would require more research on his behalf. "like background noise. sleeping, maybe. i'm a bit of an insomniac myself, so playing movies often helps me drift off."

it was true that he had difficulty sleeping; between being able to relax his body and the nightmares, his ceiling was more familiar to him than any sleep. he realizes with a small sigh that he'll likely get even less sleep here. "don't feel that you have to host me or anything. i'd hate to keep you up."

@❛ ✧ : zayne. when rafayel turned just in time to see the painfully obvious act beside him, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes. what the hell was he trying to do? had he noticed him staring? was he trying to get more of a reaction from him? ridiculous, really. and quite a bit offensive. rafayel was not that desperate.

averting his gaze once more, he busies himself with his food, now incredibly intent on finishing his food instead of giving zayne his attention, even if the latter started making remarks that were uncharacteristically suggestive. truly, what the hell was he playing at?

"yeah?" he asked, simply to continue the conversation. at least, that was what he told himself. a part of him was curious, but he wouldn't admit that out loud. not to whatever ego his little glance managed to give zayne. "like what?"

@❛ ✧ : rafayel. the amused smirk playing at the corner of his lips only grows wider at his reaction; sure he felt bad sometimes, but getting a reaction out of the artist was oh so entertaining. and yet, he realizes as the other's eyes meet not his own eyes but a region rather south of there, that this may be the most interesting one yet. zayne was polite, often choosing not to make assumptions, but he was not daft.

he stretches his arms above his head, giving another yawn (this time feigned), as he responds, "i guess that's true. movies are more of a pastime for cuddling, anyways." then he reaches forward after picking up his fork once more and sticking it into a piece of steak. "or other things," he adds before putting it in his mouth and giving a considerable chew.

@❛ ✧ : zayne. in his defiance, rafayel turned to zayne, intending to shoot glares his way for suggesting the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. "red hair, seriou—" his voice faltered as soon as his eyes helplessly land on the doctor's upper body. his muscles on his arms bulged because he's crossing them over his chest, which rafayel swore looked bigger. deducing that it was because his annoyingly large biceps were pushing each pectoral together, he cleared his throat and looked away, pretending to focus on his food by stabbing another piece of steak. he then pushed the container closer to zayne. "i'm not going to ruin my hair with hair dye. also? me. movies bore me. most of them are uninspired. like, every other movie is the same. bo-ring!"

@❛ ✧ : rafayel. now that he's finished eating, he leans back in his chair, rolling back his neck to stretch out the kinks from his long day. he crosses his arms across the broadness of his chest, simply watching with a bit of mirth in his eyes as rafayel sullenly shoves food into his mouth. "well maybe the nickname should catch on, then. you do somewhat resemble ariel. maybe consider dyeing your hair red." his lips part in a small chuckle. now that he's had a warm shower, his fill to eat, and some mental stimulation, zayne feels the exhaustion begin to seep into his muscles. a small yawn exits his mouth, though he covers it with the back of his palm. "who's too busy to enjoy a movie?"

@❛ ✧ : zayne. zayne putting the fork down quickly caught his attention. his brows furrowed when he peered into the former's takeout container, realizing that he was, indeed done with his food. he looked at his container by comparison and realized that he had only gone through half of it. was he eating too slowly, or was the doctor incredibly fast? or, maybe, was he talking too much?

"well. sylus calls me 'little mermaid,'" he grumbled before shoving a forkful of twirled pasta in his mouth. he was looking ahead again, this time because he's plotting a message to send to the crow about the stupid nickname. "which makes zero sense because i'm not that." he rolled his eyes. "anyway, no. not my favorite. i don't watch movies like that. i'm too busy."

@❛ ✧ : rafayel. a small amused smile perks at the edge of his lips at rafayel's joke. "i guess that would be a bit strange," responds zayne, taking a moment to picture the idea of having to learn spells and such in order to use his powers. it would be a bit tiresome, what with the knowledge he already had in his head. he places his fork down as he takes the last bite of his takeout container, feeling sated now. if only he had some wine instead of water; he'd probably be a lot more interesting.

he an eyebrow at the sudden change in rafayel's demeanor, easy grin now replaced by a frown. "no. god knows he's too hard to get in contact with. no signal, he claims or whatever." his reaction makes the doctor curious. "why do you ask?"

@❛ ✧ : zayne. "i suppose that makes us unique," rafayel shrugged, looking ahead although not at anything in particular. "technically, the only thing that differentiates wizards from one another is how much power they possess. but they all have the same powers, er, magic. that would be a little boring if that was our reality. whereas for us, we can hone our powers and become as powerful as we want if we're dedicated enough." he paused, turning to zayne with a boyish smile. "and besides, how uncool would it be if half the time we're fighting wanderers, we're screaming spells at them? when they don't even understand us? that would be ridiculous."

he laughed at his own speculation, only to stop right in his tracks when he heard /that/ nickname fall from his lips. slowly, he looked up from his food before turning to zayne with a disdained frown. "... have you been talking to that damn crow?"

@❛ ✧ : rafayel. "well," he says, unsurprised by the shock that dances across the other's features. it was a rather old movie series, but he had fond memories of it. memories of watching it as a child, sleepovers with caleb and ... her, three young evolvers unaware of what the future held. it was like it reminded him of a simpler time. "it's a little sad that evolvers are stuck with the limitations of their own power, and don't have the opportunity to learn more. but would we rather have wanderers or death eaters?" he shrugs, a bit noncommittal. "it's just an old childhood favorite."

"and what's yours, the little mermaid?" he asks before putting another forkful in his mouth. it almost feels like he's being scrutinized, but perhaps he's a little paranoid about baring himself to someone who could have once been considered his competition.