Light Against Shadows

Chapter 32

Upon reading Yunlan's answer to his good morning message, Wei had gone into a state of anxiousness. He had considered not going to work, calling the station, demand where Yunlan was and run to him, but he didn't.

He forced himself to calm down, Yunlan might not appreciate him intruding into his job. He was a police officer, it was what he did for a living, and Wei should give him his space and trust him to know what he was doing.

So he went to work, but Yunlan's text was constantly on his mind.

Yunlan's call came shortly after he had arrived; it made him jump on the seat and he answered within a second. He didn't waste any time after that, he simply stood from his seat and hurried out, caring only about making sure that he was really, truly alright.

He called a taxi and gave the driver the address Yunlan had sent him, barely remembering to pay for the ride before he jumped out of it and towards his man.

Yunlan looked so good standing there in a grey shirt, dark blue jeans and his usual brown jacket. Of course he was ok, Wei had known that all along, but nonetheless he had been so worried  that he needed to hold him now.

Wei held him tight for several seconds, unwilling to let go, until he finally realised that there were many people around and Yunlan was talking to him.

He tried to focus on his words, and agreed to talk more about what was happening. Wei wasn't sure what else could he tell him that he hadn't already, there were things he didn't know himself, but he followed him nonetheless.

They walked side by side and Wei managed to calm down, that hug had done his job well and he was feeling more at ease. They entered a bar and sat down. Wei remained silent, waiting for Yunlan to speak.

As a waiter approached their table, Yunlan ordered for both of them and Wei felt something tugging at his heart. Maybe he was being unreasonable, but he felt like they were slowly but constantly moving on, making progress. It wasn't their first time drinking something together, but the fact that Yunlan had ordered a tea for him instead of quickly saying "two coffees" had a pleasant sense of familiarity to it that he enjoyed.

Of course Yunlan neglected to ask him if he wanted something else, he had that look about himself that meant he was focused on his job. Wei could understand  that, but he really needed something sweet right now. How could Yunlan always forget about desserts was a mystery to him.

After adding a piece of cake to the order he turned to look at Yunlan and saw that he was staring at him. Wei smiled at that, and reached to place his hand over Yunlan's.

"I was worried about you. What happened?"

Yunlan waited for their order to arrive then replied slowly.

"I had to... use your gift again, it was the only way to stop her without hurting her too much. I need to stop this, Wei. It's escalating, people are not simply disappearing, they're turning violent and I don't know how to stop it."

Wei saw Yunlan's eyes move to their joined hands, but since he didn't say anything Wei kept his where it was.

"Why does this pendant... I mean, what happens when..." Yunlan struggled to find the right words. "The woman seemed unstoppable, her knuckles were all bloody but she kept thrashing about, hitting anything and anyone she could reach, then I u... used your g... gift and she sagged down unconscious, just like that. What... how?"

Wei smiled at his stuttering words, he could understand how difficult it was for him to come to terms with what was happening. After all, he couldn't see any of it.

"The woman was most probably controlled by a Shadow made of rage. I discovered that day at my apartment, when I cut my finger, that Takeo and the others can take some energy from my blood, that's why I gave you that."
Wei pointed to the vial hanging around Yunlan's neck.