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The wings were black and shiny. Beautiful, Changcheng thought. He couldn’t tear his eyes away as they shook and shimmered behind Chu Shuzhi’s back. He felt like he should listen to the discussion between Professor Shen, Chief Zhao and Ya Qing, but it was really hard to do that with a distraction like that in front of him. But he noticed that Ya Qing kept throwing disgruntled looks at Chu Shuzhi, as if it was Chu Shuzhi’s fault that the wave of power from that Dixingren they tried to catch hit her and Chu Shuzhi at the same time. The result of that hit was apparently Chu Shuzhi growing a pair of wings – beautiful, lustrous, inky wings that looked so soft to the touch... Ok, yeah, Changcheng definitely wasn’t listening again, his eyes drawn to the imposing and so, so pretty picture in front of him. He caught only a few phrases like “the aspect of Yashou” and “non-life-threatening”, and “should revert in time”, distracted as he was by the sparkling blackness, and how it framed Chu Shuzhi’s face like a halo – maybe a bit sinister, but at the same time alluring. Changcheng hadn’t thought that anything could make Chu Shuzhi even more attractive to him, but then his thoughts on the subject had never included wings.
“Can I touch them?” Changcheng asked. “They don’t hurt, do they?” he added, suddenly worried.
Chu Shuzhi shrugged. But that small movement caused the wings to spread suddenly like a dark wide curtain that almost knocked off Lin Jing’s laptop and other equipment perched precariously on the hood of Chief Zhao’s car.
Lin Jing yelped as he desperately tried to keep his gadgets from falling. “Please, don’t do that again,” he said. Then suddenly his eyes grew wide and he gave Chu Shuzhi a curious look. “Can you like... fly?” he asked.
“No,” Chu Shuzhi said tersely.
But Lin Jing wasn’t deterred easily. “Can you try?” he asked, and ignored the incredulous look Chu Shuzhi threw him. “No, seriously, try, it would be so cool. Flap your wings, come on.”
He made a flapping motion with his arms. Changcheng hid a smile as Chu Shuzhi’s expression turned from incredulous to mildly annoyed. And when that didn’t help and Lin Jing just kept flapping his arms and repeating “Do it, come on, do it,” to threatening, and then to murderous.
The discussion behind their backs was getting more and more heated, Lin Jing was making encouraging gestures at Chu Shuzhi and chanting “Do it, do it, do it.” Chu Shuzhi’s lips tightened for a few seconds, a pained expression on his face, but then he said “Screw it.” And then, well, and then he flapped his new wings.
And it worked. Sort of. He went upwards and hovered in the air for a few seconds, and then he fell down heavily.
“Yes! Now do it again!” Lin Jing shouted. And he started riffling through his gadgets. “I really, really want to measure...”
Changcheng never found out what exactly Lin Jing wanted to measure, because he was suddenly grabbed by two strong arms and lifted, and there was a whoosh of air and... Yep, there was only one word for what he was doing now, and that word was ‘flying’. And really high at that. Changcheng squeaked in panic, his arms automatically going around Chu Shuzhi’s neck in a tight grip. He felt Chu Shuzhi’s embrace tighten, too, one of his arms holding Changcheng by the waist, the other gripping Changcheng across his back and higher. Chu Shuzhi’s palm was cradling Changcheng’s head gently, but firmly. It made Changcheng feel safe, despite the unusual situation he found himself in. But then he always felt safe with Chu Shuzhi.
The flying didn’t last long, maybe a few minutes at most, and Changcheng had to admit he started to enjoy it a little bit in the last thirty seconds or so. It felt so freeing, being so high in the air, wind whooshing by, whistling in his ears and ruffling his hair. And when they finally landed he even felt a fleeting regret that it was already over.
“Are you all right?” Chu Shuzhi asked.
He looked anxious, his new wings shivering behind him for a while until they slowly dropped and pressed tightly against his sides.
“I’m fine, Chu-ge,” Changcheng said.
“I’m sorry, it must have scared you,” Chu Shuzhi said in a gruff voice. “I just needed a bit of space. But not from you,” he added with an uncharacteristic uncertainty in his voice.
Changcheng’s heart gave a startled, happy flip, and a pleasant warm feeling spread through his body. He didn’t want to be parted from Chu Shuzhi either. And maybe being high in the air, and feeling so free and careless and daring made him a bit bolder, too. Because he didn’t feel any doubt or anxiety when he took a few steps closer until he was standing right in front of Chu Shuzhi.
“I really want to kiss you, Chu-ge. Can I?” he asked.
The look Chu Shuzhi gave him was long, hot and intense. That look meant ‘yes’, that look meant ‘please, do’. And before Chu Shuzhi had even finished nodding, Changcheng was already rising on his tiptoes and tangling his arms over Chu Shuzhi’s neck, just so he could press his lips against Chu Shuzhi’s lips. There were warm and a little dry, and they parted against Changcheng’s lips so easily. It was the best feeling in the world. Made even better when Changcheng’s tongue pushed inside and it made Chu Shuzhi moan. Suddenly there were strong arms around Changcheng’s waist again. And he was pulled even closer and enveloped in a tight embrace while their tongues were still dancing together.
One of Changcheng’s palms moved higher, his fingers sneaking into Chu Shuzhi’s short hair. Their kisses were getting bolder and deeper. And that warmth Changcheng was feeling earlier started changing into heat and passion and hunger for more. For so much more. Chu Shuzhi must have felt something like that, too. Because his shoulder shook a little and suddenly something soft and feathery brushed against Changcheng’s forearms as Chu Shuzhi’s newly acquired wings spread wide behind his back, black and lustrous. Changcheng thought vaguely that it felt as if he was in a fantasy novel, caught in a passionate love affair with a mythical, winged creature that stole his heart.
When they stopped kissing they were both panting. And the lust and love shining in Chu Shuzhi’s eyes made Changcheng’s stomach tighten painfully and pleasantly. And wow, who knew kissing even caused a ringing sensation in one’s ears. A few seconds later he forcibly stopped himself from hiding his face in his hands from embarrassment when he realized that the ringing he was hearing was coming from a phone. And it had to be Chu Shuzhi’s phone, since Changcheng’s was still in his bag left in the backseat of Chief Zhao’s car.
Chu Shuzhi grimaced and gently untangled Changcheng’s arms from over his neck. He fished his phone out of the pocket of his pants. Changcheng threw a quick glance at the screen and yep, as expected, that was Chief Zhao’s name there.
“I’m not talking to him right now,” Chu Shuzhi muttered. And then he added in a normal voice, “But I guess we’ll better go back. Before they send a search party.”
“Yeah,” Changcheng sighed.
Somehow he didn’t want to go back. He wanted to stay here enveloped in Chu Shuzhi’s embrace and hidden from the world under the veil of those powerful, black wings. And kissing and being kissed. His gaze dropped as he sighed. And suddenly there were fingers under his chin pushing his head up.
“Changcheng,” Chu Shuzhi said. His eyes were soft, but there was a cheeky half-smile on his lips. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I will kiss you again when we’re back.”
“Oh, I wasn’t worrying about that,” Changcheng said.
But he was. Maybe. A little. And there was a wave of relief going through his body now, and his heart was doing a happy dance in his chest.
“Changcheng,” Chu Shuzhi said again in a soft voice. “You must have noticed how I feel about you.”
Well, Changcheng hadn’t. Ok, again, maybe. He wondered sometimes. But it was so nice to know for sure.
“But I wouldn’t mind you telling me properly,” Changcheng said.
“Changcheng, I love you.”
Oh, so that’s how it felt to hear it. Like the earth shaking under his feet.
“Good,” Changcheng said. “That’s good.”
Chu Shuzhi snorted, his shoulders shaking, and the wings shook, too and jumped a bit comically behind his back.
“I think I will kinda miss them when they are gone,” Changcheng said, stroking one black wing.
“So let’s make the most of it then,” Chu Shuzhi said.
He grabbed Changcheng by the waist tightly. Changcheng instantly threw his hands over Chu Shuzhi’s neck, his heart already beating wildly from excitement.
“Ready?”
“Yes.”
The wings spread. And Changcheng really was ready this time so all he felt was exhilaration and ridiculous joy.
“Woohoo!” he shouted when they were high in the air again.
Chu Shuzhi’s happy laughter in his ear was one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard in his entire life.