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Jiang Yuelou’s fingers worked gently but surely, undoing the buttons from their holes to expose the smooth skin of Chen Yuzhi’s body. Due to Jin Dacheng’s misplaced jealousy towards his colleague, Chen Yuzhi had been unjustly arrested and subsequently tortured for hours, leaving him bloodied and bruised. When Jiang Yuelou had gone to the dank prison to save the good doctor, his blood had boiled in his veins at the sight of his friend’s broken body, and he had very nearly lost all form of control in front of Jin Dacheng’s smug face. However, due to Chen Yuzhi’s psychiatric therapy, Jiang Yuelou had found it in him to keep his cool, swallow down his rage, and smoothly rescue his partner without killing Jin Dacheng right then and there.
Now, back in Chen Yuzhi’s overly cold apartment, Jiang Yuelou felt the same anger rise up in his stomach and cause him to taste bile. Chen Yuzhi’s pale torso was covered with cruel red lashes, still lazily oozing as his blood thickened to form dark burgundy clots.
Chen Yuzhi brought his hands up to Jiang Yuelou’s, stilling his fingers from continuing on their undressing journey.
“Jiang Yuelou… what are you—”
“I’m taking care of your wounds, doctor,” quipped the policeman with a smirk.
It was his habit to smile or joke around when he felt especially worried. It was a poor attempt at downplaying and hiding his true feelings, but anyone who knew him well understood these reactions were nothing short of outward signs of anxiety and concern.
“I’m alright,” soothed Chen Yuzhi, sensing that his friend’s volatile emotions were on the cusp of spilling over and disrupting his deceptively calm façade.
“I beg to differ.”
Chen Yuzhi swallowed with difficulty as Jiang Yuelou dug his gaze into his, his fingers resuming their work. The doctor was not used to being the patient in a medical situation, and the sudden gentle attentions from Jiang Yuelou were enough to quicken his pulse despite himself. Chen Yuzhi was sure that if Jiang Yuelou’s fingers were to graze his skin, he would feel the panicked pounding across his ribs and the radiating warmth from his heated blood. However, the policeman was, if anything else, a respectful and proper gentleman, and so his fingers gently wrapped around the thin fabric of Chen Yuzhi’s shirt and pulled it off his shoulders without ever touching the skin beneath.
“Come, let me take care of you,” whispered Jiang Yuelou, his hands already occupied with a medical swab and a bottle of iodine to disinfect.
Chen Yuzhi inhaled sharply, the cold air flitting across his skin and cooling him where Jiang Yuelou’s eyes burned lines around his shape.
“Do you even know how to use that?” jested the doctor to dispel the tension in the air.
“I’ve seen you do it a number of times before,” countered Jiang Yuelou with a crooked smile. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid, doctor?”
Chen Yuzhi scoffed at the idea. “Come on, let’s get it over with.”
Jiang Yuelou smiled coyly and, without further warning, pressed the yellow-soaked swab to the open wound on Chen Yuzhi’s chest, causing it to hiss angrily from the aggression.
“Ow,” winced Chen Yuzhi, genuinely hurting from the sudden sting. “Jiang Yuelou, you make a terrible doctor.”
“I never claimed to be one,” replied the policeman jokingly. Then, adding softly, “sorry, did I hurt you?”
Chen Yuzhi’s heart jumped painfully in his chest and rattled once more. Jiang Yuelou’s lingering, tender gaze locked on his, his hands hovering over Chen Yuzhi’s rising and falling chest—close, but never touching—threw the doctor for a loop.
“Why did you come?” asked Chen Yuzhi, suddenly blindsiding the policeman into a stunned expression.
“Why do you think?” he retorted, his eyes never leaving Chen Yuzhi’s.
“It was too dangerous… it was a trap. Jin Dacheng wanted you to fall right into his net. You shouldn’t have risked it all just for—”
The word ‘me’ died on Chen Yuzhi’s lips but hung clearly in the air between the two men. Jiang Yuelou frowned and, placing the bottle and swab down, returned his attention to the doctor sitting across from him.
“Chen Yuzhi, do you honestly think I’d abandon you to save myself? After everything we’ve been through together, do you not understand me by now?”
The doctor swallowed down his answer. Of course he knew Jiang Yuelou. As his doctor and psychiatrist, now privy to his inner most thoughts, Chen Yuzhi understood how Jiang Yuelou thought. The policeman was a highly emotional man, and it was obvious to Chen Yuzhi that the other would easily throw his life away for the good of another without thinking about the consequences. However, knowing Jiang Yuelou didn’t mean that Chen Yuzhi understood the true motivation behind his actions.
“Jiang Yuelou…”
Jiang Yuelou cut off the doctor’s feeble attempt at arguing by reaching out and laying his hand behind Chen Yuzhi’s neck, stroking his nape soothingly and finally breaking the physical taboo he had carefully avoided since rescuing him.
“… Yuzhi, never doubt my intentions towards you. I owe you so much that I’m afraid I’ll never be able to repay you in this lifetime. If I must sacrifice myself to keep you safe, I don’t mind it in the slightest. That way, I can stand before Keying in the afterlife with pride.”
Chen Yuzhi held back a sob as Jiang Yuelou’s gentle actions and words threatened to ply bitter tears out of him.
“Keying wouldn’t blame you… I don’t blame you, Yuelou.”
For a short moment, Jiang Yuelou’s expression froze in a benign and satisfied look. Then, collecting himself, he gently tugged on Chen Yuzhi’s neck to bring their faces together in a chaste and loving kiss.
It felt natural for Jiang Yuelou to be so close to Chen Yuzhi. The intimacy that had grown between them over the last few months was bound to come to its apex and culminate in a realization that they were more than just xiongdi. After the death of Chen Yuzhi’s beloved sister, Jiang Yuelou had felt guilty for his part in it and had sworn to himself to protect Chen Yuzhi for as long as the latter would allow it. Now, however, the relationship had shifted from being guilt-driven to truly affectionate and caring. Jiang Yuelou couldn’t deny his strong feelings for the young, handsome doctor, and he was sure by now that he wasn’t alone in what he felt.
“Yuelou…” breathed Chen Yuzhi when the two pulled apart. “What does this mean?” he asked, afraid of the answer.
“Does it matter? We’re both alive; that’s all that counts.”
Chen Yuzhi squeaked out a small shy smile while Jiang Yuelou’s thumb ran affectionately in concentric circles in the short hair at the base of his neck. In the comfortable silence that grew, Chen Yuzhi forgot about his stinging wounds and bloodied clothes. He forgot about the cold air leaking into the room and the emptiness without his sister’s presence to enliven it.
“Come, let me take care of you,” repeated Jiang Yuelou, but this time his words held a different meaning.
Chen Yuzhi smiled and nodded and, reclining in his chair to allow the policeman access, he closed his eyes and let Jiang Yuelou resume his gentle ministrations.
The End