Work Text:
Shang Qinghua stared at his phone, chewing on the remains of his burger as the video played out. When the figure on the phone tripped over their own feet with a dramatic cry, Shang Qinghua snorted in mild amusement. “Oh come on, that was so staged.” He leaned forward to bite his burger, pulling off a chunk. Tragically a stray pickle slipped from the bun, Shang Qinghua letting out his own distressed cry. He looked up, watching as it fell further and further till it was completely out of sight. Damn it! Pickles were the best part!
“Hope that doesn’t hit anyone…” He mumbled. Just then his phone beeped, a stylized symbol scuttling across the screen and obscuring his video. Quickly Shang Qinghua stuffed the remaining burger bits into his mouth, chewing quickly as he pressed a hidden button against his suit’s neck. There was a click before the bottom half of his mask was slipping from the hidden compartment behind his head to cover the entirety of his lower face. It seamlessly slotted into place with no sign of a segment between both parts of his mask.
Balling up the trash in hand, Shang Qinghua placed his phone against a port on his arm. It latched into place, the screen darkening while inside Shang Qinghua’s mask, the optics on his visor illuminated a marker for him in the distance. Shang Qinghua stood, stretching out his limbs to shake out the numbing tingles from sitting for so long. With the tensing of his muscles, Shang Qinghua leapt up from his perch. The tower crane he’d been sitting upside down on fell away from him as Shang Qinghua shot down like a bullet. The ground rushed up to meet him, pedestrians growing more pronounced the closer he got. Then at the last minute, Shang Qinghua’s hand shot out. With a flick of his wrist a stringing web shot out and struck the side of a building. Shang Qinghua grabbed a hold of the end and tugged, using his momentum to swing. With expert precision, Shang Qinghua tossed the wrapper into a trash can just beneath him. He was then swinging back up higher, climbing ground as his suit caught the remaining light of day. Each flip in the air caused the black and yellow motif to ripple like the beating wings of a butterfly.
Shang Qinghua’s hero suit was flashy on account of the bright yellow it sported. The suit was black from the shoulders down to the tip of his clawed gloves with bold yellow stripes around where his elbow and wrists were. The same pattern started from his upper thighs to the ends of his pointe-shaped shoes, the yellow stripes located around his knees and ankles. The majority of the remaining suit was yellow with black spiderweb markings. Though relatively simple, on his back was where a distinct pattern lay. If one was knowledgeable about spiders, they could identify that the markings on the back of Shang Qinghua’s suit resembled that of a yellow garden spider. And on the largest patch of black on Shang Qinghua’s back placed right between his shoulder blades was the image of said spider painted in that same yellowish colour.
Shang Qinghua’s mask matched the rest of his outfit, the only difference being that the eyes were a bright white. Around where his lips were located, there was a jagged, fanged mouth design. Thanks to the augmentation of his suit, it could open at Shang Qinghua’s mental command. It was very important it maintained this function, otherwise Shang Qinghua’s abilities might be limited.
As he threw himself up into the air, tucking his arms into his chest in a mimic of a lutz jump, the sunlight caught the yellow of his suit and made faint patches gleam. There was a subtle pattern on the yellow of Shang Qinghua’s suit. So faint one wouldn’t even notice it without the glare of the sun. There were hidden flower designs scattered all throughout the yellow of his suit.
“ Shang Qinghua,” With a crackle a sharp voice spoke within his mask, “You’d better not–!”
“I’m gonna cut you off right there, Shen-shixiong. I’m already half-way there! Cang Qiong seems occupied over on the North Side, anyways. What? The Northern Desert finally made a move or something?”
“Stop tapping into the police lines, you little leech. ” Over the line came the annoyed voice of the assistant chief for the Cang Qiong Police Division, Shen Qingqiu. Shang Qinghua could already imagine the poisonous glare his “partner-in-crime” was giving the innocent flip phone Shang Qinghua had slipped him years ago. “And stay away from there! It’s the Southern Demons! The last time you got involved, I was up to my neck in paperwork!”
“It would’ve been covered up otherwise! If I don’t step in, then who will?! Cang Qiong certainly can’t. Not with Lao Gongzhu in charge of the city.”
“It is because of that old bastard that I’m telling you to stop! He’s putting pressure on Cang Qiong to catch and unmask you, dolt. And there’s only so much I can do behind the scenes. At least use that grain of rice you call a brain to think through your actions! If you get caught, all our planning goes to waste.” Shen Qingqiu hissed down the receiver. Granted, his warning was warranted.
Shang Qinghua used to belong to Cang Qiong. However after an accident, he was let go from his position. While digging for answers, one thing led to another and thus an unlikely duoship formed between former officer Shang Qinghua and current officer Shen Qingqiu. However it wasn’t a friendship that kept the two working together. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. They were using each other. Shang Qinghua needed insider information to keep himself ahead of the police, while Shen Qingqiu needed the former officer to do the things he couldn’t.
Cang Qiong used to be a reputable police force. They were for the people. However when Lao Gongzhu became the city’s mayor, everything changed. Now Cang Qiong was little more than a lapdog for the rich. Their ranks were filled by bastards only interested in wealth and power. Very few remained of the original Cang Qiong Police Division. Shen Qingqiu and Yue Qingyuan, the current chief, were able to maintain some level of power in the force by going along with the majority of Lao Gongzhu’s demands. Which is why when Shen Qingqiu, the clever bastard, figured out Shang Qinghua’s powers, he struck a deal. Unlike him, Shang Qinghua could work outside of the law. He could move as he liked without being under Lao Gongzhu’s thumb. And thus he was perfect to root out the rot plaguing their city.
To begin with, Lao Gongzhu was powerful. Unbeknownst to the masses, he was the former leader of Huan Hua Palace. It’d been a criminal organization located near the Southern end of the city. However after some alleged infighting, the gang was wiped out practically overnight. Later on the Southern Demons took over and made their claim to the land. Somewhere along the line, Lao Gongzhu struck a deal with the Southern Demons. Neither Shang Qinghua nor Shen Qingqiu could figure out why. All they could dig up between the two was that the old bastard wanted something and he’d given the Southern Demons free reign in exchange.
“Oh please, when have I ever been caught?”
There was a pause. Most likely from Shen Qingqiu’s bafflement at the stupidity of the question. “Are you truly asking me that?”
Shang Qinghua winced beneath his mask, “Ok fine! Whatever! I don’t care if you have to do paperwork or get yelled at. I’m doing my job and that’s that. If you have a problem with it, go ahead and expose my identity!”
Mid-fall, Shang Qinghua slapped a hand to the screen on his wrist. It showed a few symbols, Shang Qinghua pressing the red spider. The call hung up just as Shen Qingqiu’s lecturing spew of poison began. Though he’d goaded the other, Shang Qinghua knew Shen Qingqiu would never reveal his identity. He stood to lose a lot more should Shang Qinghua fall. It was only thanks to Shang Qinghua that the everyday man could be protected from crime.
As Shang Qinghua zoomed through the air towards the location of the incident, he silently pondered what his scanner had picked up. According to the communications he’d “borrowed”, it’d been an accident caused by the Southern Demons. They’d slammed an armored truck into the side of some fancy pants’ car before swarming the scene with guns and bombs. Complete pandemonium. It would be a while before any of Cang Qiong’s forces could arrive on time. Why? Because Lao Gongzhu had ordered them to keep an eye on the Northern Desert today.
“It’s almost like he knew this was going to happen…” Though Shang Qinghua didn’t say it, he was a hundred percent confident that he was correct. Whoever it was the Southern Demons were targeting, they were either doing it on Lao Gongzhu’s behalf or he was covering for them. Either way, Shang Qinghua needed to intervene. Before someone could get hurt.
He could see the fire and people running from the site of the gang fight. Shang Qinghua rounded the building, attaching to the side so he could get a better look at the situation. There were three cars where most of the conflict was located. Two sleek black ones and the armored truck. It looked as if the armored truck had rammed into the side of the front leading car. The second black car was at an angle halfway on the curb, most likely having swerved to avoid joining the accident.
Most of the civilians had cleared out, however he could spot a few people who were ducking behind a parked car to avoid the gunfire. The Southern Demons were firing their weapons towards the black car on the other side of the street, that being the only one with people still able to fight back. From what Shang Qinghua could tell from his perch, there were two armed men in suits firing while a third man was leaning against the car clutching his side.
Shang Qinghua’s visor zoomed in, defining the man’s features. Instantly a small image appeared on the screen beside the man’s face, a police photo record appearing.
“Shit,” He mumbled. It was Mobei-Jun, the leader of the Northern Desert. Just as he expected. This had been a setup.
While the Northern Desert were a gang just like the Southern Demons, they were actually a gang Shang Qinghua secretly respected. They kept civilians out of their business. Unless someone was going to them for illicit substances and the like, the Northern Desert kept to the underbelly of society. They did things their own way and refused to bend to Lao Gongzhu’s will. They were a proud, old clan that resided even before Huan Hua fell. A forever thorn in Lao Gongzhu’s side. And subsequently the Southern Demons. The mountain was not big enough for two tigers, after all.
“Well this’ll be fun,” Shang Qinghua grinned. One stone, two birds. Shang Qinghua wasn’t going to miss this opportunity to fuck with Lao Gongzhu and the Southern Demons. But first, the civilians.
Shang Qinghua jumped from the building and rocketted towards the people crouched behind the car. One was a woman clutching a sobbing toddler close to her chest, the other two a young couple. They jumped when Shang Qinghua landed behind the car with them, someone letting out a startled cry.
“Hey!” Shang Qinghua greeted, his mask’s visors making his eyes shift into a squint. Almost like it was trying to convey a smile. “You guys seem to be in a pickle here, huh?”
“O-orb Weaver!” The mother gasped. The child in her arms instantly forgot his tears and instead stared at the masked hero in wide-eyed shock.
Shang Qinghua gave a small nod before he shuffled over to the car. “Here’s what we’re going to do. See that alley over there? I’m going to move this car and we’re going to use it as cover. Take that alley to safety, got it? It leads out onto the main street on the other side, just take a left. Paramedics should be on the way.”
Shang Qinghua kept his voice friendly and calm as he talked to the group. It wouldn’t do if he was panicking in this situation, after all. When he received a jumble of nods, Shang Qinghua tried the car’s door handle. Though it didn’t budge, that wasn’t a problem for Shang Qinghua. He could just punch through the glass, but he didn’t want to risk making noise and drawing attention.
He could feel the glands in his throat activate at his command. He opened his mouth, the fanged maw of his mask copying him. With a somewhat inhuman hiss, webbing was spit from Shang Qinghua’s mouth and slammed into the window. There was a sizzling, popping fiz as the glass melted away from his acidic webbing.
“Holy shit!” One of the civilians mumbled under their breath while the child made an awed sound of intrigue.
As Orb Weaver, Shang Qinghua had plenty of nifty abilities. One was that he could produce his own webbing. This is what he used to dance through the city with reckless abandon. He harvested the treated web and stored it in containers built into the wrists of his suit. What did he mean by treated? Well his saliva acted as a coating agent for his webs. Without that agent, his body-produced webs were highly corrosive. He learned this the hard way when first getting used to his powers.
Thankfully he now had enough control he knew how much or how little saliva was useful in treating the webs for their intended purposes. The interesting thing was that his saliva didn’t make the webs wet in the slightest. They were sticky, sure. But only the same as any other spider’s web. Granted, the sticky factor had no effect on Shang Qinghua. Nor did the acidic version. Another useful trait was that his treated webs would naturally degrade after an hour or so. His untreated webs lasted much shorter.
True to form, once his web had eaten through the window it began to fizzle away. Like water on a hot sidewalk, it bubbled and left only a sizzling sound and steam. Shang Qinghua reached his hand into the now open window and unlocked the door. He swung the door open, put the car in drive, and hooked his hand into the open door for a better hold.
“Alright, on the count of three, everyone start shuffling.”
It was a slow process. A few stray gunshots hit a little too close to them. One even striking a window on the other side and shattering it. That’d caused a few of the civilians to scream and freeze up. But with patience and gentle coaxing, Shang Qinghua managed to get them to move. Only once they were safely down the alleyway did Shang Qinghua finally leap into action. First was immobilizing the Southern Demons. Easy enough.
In the time it’d taken him to get the citizens out of there, one of the men guarding Mobei-Jun had been shot. He lay dead on the floor, his gun taken by Mobei-Jun who was firing when he could. His hand was still clutching his side, blood seeping through his suit and staining it a darker shade. He needed help fast or he was at risk of bleeding out.
Shang Qinghua used the roof of the bullet-ridden car as a jumping point. Flipping in the air, he shot off webbing in quick succession. With their backs to him, the members of the Southern Demons had no way of dodging. There were two standing on the roof of their armored truck that were struck in the back by his webs. With yelps they were slammed onto the roof, their bodies immobilized by the mass webbing. Two down, three to go.
The sound had drawn the attention of the remaining gunmen. Someone shouted Shang Qinghua’s hero moniker, training his gun on the wryly hero. Shang Qinghua leapt and twirled through the air, gracefully moving like an aerial dancer. The bullets fired at him were easily dodged, Shang Qinghua’s senses honing in on the approaching projectiles. For him every dodge felt as if time was slowing down. No matter how the years had passed, he still couldn’t get used to the tingling sensation in the back of his mind.
“Woah now!” He leapt onto the armored truck, springing off it. As he front flipped through the air, Shang Qinghua once more fired a litany of webs at the gunmen.
It was almost comical how quickly the fight ended after that. Granted it was a handful of gun-wielding normal people going up against a super powered freak spider. The odds were never in their favour. Especially in such an open playground like this. Fighting in enclosed spaces was the one thing Shang Qinghua did his best to avoid. While his enhanced senses and strength may be great, he was particularly bad at close combat. Even back when he was a police officer.
Shang Qinghua dropped from the air onto the back of Mobei-Jun’s car. Instantly a gun was trained inches from his face, a cold-eyed beauty glaring at him from the other end. Shang Qinghua was quick to raise his hands, “Don’t shoot, don’t shoot!”
Mobei-Jun was sweating from the effort it took to stand while bleeding from a gut wound. Strands of his short hair were sticking to his forehead and his fine lips were parted as he openly panted. Despite all that, his arm never wavered and his eyes remained as sharp as a deadly blade. Shang Qinghua mentally shuddered at having such a pretty gaze on him.
Now he wasn’t a fool. He knew Mobei-Jun was dangerous. Hells he probably killed some people. So what? Shang Qinghua wasn’t a saint. And he was a simple, honest man. To himself, at least. He liked what he liked! And he liked Mobei-Jun’s face. It’s not like anyone else was going to find out he wouldn’t mind being stepped on by such a hot guy!
“You need an ambulance. There’s one a block away and another on route.” Shang Qinghua said, shoving his thoughts aside and focusing on the gun inches from his masked nose.
Mobei-Jun scoffed, his fine brows drawing together in a deep furrow. “Leave, spider. This does not concern you.”
Shang Qinghua hummed, tilting his head at Mobei-Jun. He raised a hand, tapping his mask’s fanged mouth. “You sure? As far as I’m concerned, all I see is a civilian who is the unfortunate victim of a car crash. A civilian who also happened to coincidentally get stuck in the middle of a gang fight of which he had no part of.”
Mobei-Jun and his last remaining bodyguard both stared at Shang Qinghua as if he’d grown another pair of arms. Which, as much as he’d love to have a spider’s set of limbs, he sadly wasn’t that gifted in the super freak department.
“I have a gun.” Mobei-Jun said, almost as if he was trying to convince Shang Qinghua that he was actually involved.
The eyes of Shang Qinghua’s mask squinted in a grin, “I don’t see a gun.”
A silence settled over the three after that. It was too good of an offer. Mobei-Jun had no reason to trust Shang Qinghua. As far as he was concerned, Shang Qinghua wasn’t an ally. However he was not an enemy either. The hero Orb Weaver was someone Mobei-Jun had never personally encountered. And yet he was very aware that the man seemed to run by a set of rules. Ones that Mobei-Jun also abided by. When it suited him, anyways. Perhaps that was why he rarely encountered the prancing spider.
“Sir,” The guard glanced at Orb Weaver, “I believe it is a good idea. The police will be here soon. They’ll try and hold you for questioning if you’re found here. It will make it all the more difficult to find him if you are kept within Cang Qiong’s interrogation rooms.”
A surly scowl darkened Mobei-Jun’s face at those words. He growled before finally flicking on the gun’s safety. He slipped the pistol into the back of his pants and leveled Shang Qinghua with a glare.
“I will not go to the paramedics. You will take me where I tell you.” Mobei-Jun ordered like Shang Qinghua was one of his goons.
Shang Qinghua rolled his eyes beneath his mask, letting out a chipper “sure”. He slipped off the car and stood in front of Mobei-Jun. The man was several heads taller than Shang Qinghua. He was practically cast in shadow with how the man towered over him. “Oh, pardon me for a moment.” Shang Qinghua said. He slid into Mobei-Jun’s space, pretending not to notice the way the other tensed as Shang Qinghua grabbed onto his shirt. Shang Qinghua tugged it up, exposing Mobei-Jun’s bleeding bullet wound.
Before he could be stopped, Shang Qinghua was raising his hand and firing some web into his palm. That was then pressed against Mobei-Jun’s injury, covering it up like a bandage. “This is just a temporary solution. Gotta keep that blood inside!” Shang Qinghua said, totally not taking this chance to ogle Mobei-Jun’s abs. “Don’t try and pry it off yourself, you’ll just get stuck. I’ll pass you some solvent to dissolve the webbing when we land.”
Shang Qinghua’s internal map beeped at him, a layout of the city appearing on his screen. It flashed his location alongside the positions of several police units speeding down the streets towards their direction. “Damn, looks like we’re out of time. Pardon me, your lordship!”
Shang Qinghua bent down, wrapping his arms around Mobei-Jun’s thighs and hoisting him up. Mobei-Jun grunted, hands slamming down onto Shang Qinghua’s shoulders. However there was no stopping the spider. He easily slung Mobei-Jun over one shoulder like a bag of rice.
“I will report to you once released from investigation, sir!” The remaining goon said, straightening to attention.
As much as Shang Qinghua would love to wait around for the two to collaborate a story, Shang Qinghua didn’t have the time. The moment a single officer saw him lugging around Mobei-Jun, he was toast. Already he was toeing the line with Cang Qiong. But if he was seen with Mobei-Jun, that could be the opportunity Lao Gongzhu needed to openly go after Shang Qinghua. As Orb Weaver, he was protected because the public loved him. If Lao Gongzhu went out of his way to oppose him, that’d ruin his chances of remaining in the public favor. But if Shang Qinghua was seen cavorting with criminals, that was another story entirely.
“Hope you don’t get airsick!” Shang Qinghua shot out a string of web and leapt, taking off into the air.
Mobei-Jun wasn’t in the best position to hold onto Shang Qinghua. The only thing he could do was brace as the ground grew further away. The drop of each swing before soaring high was strange. He could not see where they were going, just that they were sailing high over the streets below. For a moment Mobei-Jun lost the words to speak. All his senses were trained on the exhilarating feeling. The wind tugging his hair, the dropping of his stomach with every fall down, and the familiar, fragrant smell of flowers that tickled his nose. That caused Mobei-Jun to blink. The smell was coming from the hero carrying him. It was faint, but nostalgic. Mobei-Jun felt his brows furrow as he tried to figure out where to place that smell.
“So where are we going?” Shang Qinghua called over his shoulder. Mobei-Jun was being suspiciously quiet. Hopefully he hadn’t passed out on Shang Qinghua. “Your territory, I’m assuming?”
“Yes. Drop me off behind the Silver Stallion Museum.”
Strange request, but that didn’t matter to Shang Qinghua. He changed direction, adjusting his grip on Mobei-Jun’s firm thighs as he swung around with one hand. The two didn’t speak after that. Not that there was much of anything to say. This was the longest Shang Qinghua has ever been around someone while in his persona of Orb Weaver. The longer this silence stretched, the more it prickled at Shang Qinghua’s nerves. He could feel his mental mask slipping.
It was a huge relief when the building came into view. Shang Qinghua dropped behind the large two-story museum with only a minor flourish. He set Mobei-Jun down and then passed him a vial filled with an orangish liquid. “Pour that on the webs, they’ll come right off.”
“Mm,” The man grunted, glaring down at Shang Qinghua.
By now Shang Qinghua was sweating in his suit. His eyes darted from side to side, his teeth chewing a dent in his bottom lip. “Welp! Haha! Stay out of trouble, I guess.” He flashed Mobei-Jun a pair of finger guns. Shang Qinghua was already wincing as soon as the words and actions caught up with his brain. He didn’t even bother to stick around to see Mobei-Jun’s reaction. “Um–! Bye!” He pivoted on his heel, springing up into the air and quickly sailing away. The only thing he left behind was a baffled, slightly amused mob king and the faint scent of sweet flowers.
—--/╲/\( •̀ ω •́ )/\╱\----
“‘Stay out of trouble’?! Did I actually say that?!” Shang Qinghua yelled, grabbing his head. He was walking home in civilian clothes, his suit safely tucked away back at the warehouse. Shang Qinghua scrubbed at his face, groaning as he replayed what’d been eating at his mind since it happened. Could he have been any more embarrassing?
“God, I hope we don’t run into each other again. Is it too late to retire? Maybe he lost enough blood he’ll forget all that!” He pleaded with no one in particular.
This was who Shang Qinghua truly was. A skittish mess of a man. But when he donned the suit and hid behind a mask, he could be someone different. Someone more confident, more suave. Shang Qinghua could be cheeky with no fear of repercussions. Who was going to file a complaint about Orb Weaver making fun of them? He had no online presence! No known identity! He was a fucking super hero with powers!! When Shang Qinghua was Orb Weaver, he was more than… Himself.
Shang Qinghua sighed, wrapping his arms tight around his body. He was near drowning in the oversized hoodie he was wearing. But because he’d forgotten to do laundry, he didn’t have much normal clothes to change into back at the warehouse. He buried his nose in the collar and tried to give a few experimental sniffs. That floral scent was heavy, making Shang Qinghua’s nose scrunch. It wasn’t that he hated the smell. But after years of it, he grew tired.
A byproduct of another ability Shang Qinghua carried. His body naturally secreted a fragrance that, when activated, would entice and attract people. Normally he would coat his webs in it to lure an opponent for stealth takedowns. But the offset to such a cool ability was that Shang Qinghua just naturally smelt like flowers. When he’d been trying to get control of his powers, this one in particular had been a pain. He’d gained one too many stalkers till he got the hang of deactivating the attraction pheromones.
Abruptly a familiar, sizzling tingle shot straight up Shang Qinghua’s spine. He stiffened for only a moment before he was relaxing his posture and continuing his walk. Shang Qinghua could feel it. He was being followed. The presence had been subtle, but not subtle enough for him. It sounded like it was walking on all fours. His first thought would have been an animal, but there was something off. Shang Qinghua had been followed by animals before. They never set off his spider senses like this. It was like he was being stalked by a predator. And for Shang Qinghua, that was a rare feeling.
He continued to bemoan his predicament out loud, pretending he was none the wiser to his tag-a-long. Shang Qinghua turned, trailing into an alley. Whatever was following him continued after him with the same pace. Then once they were further into the lone, dark alley, it suddenly broke into a sprint.
Shang Qinghua was dodging before his mind even registered the object leaping at him. A black blur sailed past, the growling rumble from its throat loud in the silence of the night. Shang Qinghua, eyesight better than most, stared at the mid-sized dog crouched before him. It was a voidless black with strange red markings covering it like an array of veins. At its forehead was a prominent patch of red shaped into something that could have resembled a flame. The “dog” had large white eyes and its mouth looked too big for its face, the needle-like teeth peeking from its open maw unpleasant. Shang Qinghua felt a horrified shudder race throughout his body.
He took a slight step back, gulping, “U-uh… Nice… Doggy?” Shang Qinghua’s eyes darted from side to side. If he had been a normal person, Shang Qinghua would’ve been screwed. It was times like these he blessed his predicament. Though he may not have his web shooters, he did have another means of escape.
Shang Qinghua’s muscles coiled tight just as the dog sprung forward. It snapped its jaws, aiming to latch onto Shang Qinghua but missing. He was already leaping over the dog. Shang Qinghua hit one of the buildings, grabbing onto the wall and scuttling up it like his life depending on it. From down below Shang Qinghua heard the weird dog give loud barks. He chanced a glance down and paled when he saw black tendrils shoot up from the dog’s back. They launched at the wall, slamming in and yanking the dog up after Shang Qinghua.
“Oh my fucking God!” He squealed, climbing faster.
Just what the fuck was that?! It wasn’t any dog he’d ever seen! Did some crazy lab experiment get out? He wouldn’t put it past this damned city!
Black tentacles wrapped around Shang Qinghua’s waist, tightening before he was being yanked back sharply. Shang Qinghua gasped, flailing as he was ripped from the wall and thrown back to the ground. Shang Qinghua hit the dirt and his lungs seized as the air was forced from them. He lay there gasping, eyes wide and trained on the black dog. It snarled before dropping from its perch on the wall. As the thing plummeted towards Shang Qinghua, the only thing he could do was cover his face with his arms and brace for impact.
There was a thud. A squeal. Then a whimpering brown dog was booking it from the alley like Hell was at its heels. The quiet of the city night once more blanketed the area. When Shang Qinghua finally decided to peel his eyes open and lower his arms, he was alone.
Shang Qinghua sat up, glancing around quickly. He shuddered from the cold, though no wind blew. “What the fuck…?” Digging his fingers through his messy hair, Shang Qinghua stood on wobbly legs. He felt… Off. But a quick pat down proved no injuries whatsoever. Yet that didn’t shake the nauseating feeling inside of him. Because Shang Qinghua was already sensitive to stimuli, the heightened feeling of something squirming through his blood was maddening.
He rubbed furiously at his arms, “I’m j-just being paranoid,” Shang Qinghua hissed. It was in his best interest to get the fuck out of here. Whatever was up with that dog, he didn’t want to know. He was off the clock, it wasn’t his problem! But he’d definitely have to tell Shen Qingqiu about it tomorrow. Better to be safe than risk a normal person getting attacked next.
Shang Qinghua’s studio was nestled in a somewhat nicer part of town. It was on the North side at the edge of Northern Desert territory, but that was done on purpose. Who would think Orb Weaver lived in gang territory? After Shang Qinghua had left the police force, he’d needed a good cover to explain how he was suddenly so flexible and athletic. In his youth he’d been a figure skater, so he took that idea off the rink and instead opened up a studio. It mainly taught ballet, but on the weekends he offered aerial dancing classes and pole dancing. Above the studio was where Shang Qinghua lived. A quaint home for a quaint studio.
“Ugh,” Shang Qinghua ascended the steps, squinting as they blurred before him. He shook his head, sniffling. A hand came up to rub at his chest before Shang Qinghua fished out his keys. Once in the safety of his home, he toed off his shoes and trudged into the living room. Shang Qinghua all but collapsed on the couch.
It was strange. He felt ill, but in a way he couldn’t explain. His spider senses were going off telling him something was wrong, but he couldn’t pinpoint what. It was like a constant buzzing in the back of his head that was slowly driving him insane. His stomach felt queasy from the pain of his headache. Shang Qinghua groaned again, curling into a ball and hugging his stomach.
“What’s wrong with me?” He mumbled, clenching his eyes tight. Was he going crazy? How on Earth did Shang Qinghua get sick so fast? Did the dog do something to him?
Shang Qinghua stiffened as the room was immediately filled with a thick floral scent. “Fucking–?!” He slapped a hand to his neck, mentally reigning in his ability. It’d just gone off without his input! What the Hell?
Just then Shang Qinghua felt something welling in his throat. With an abrupt cough he spat out a globbing of web. It hit his coffee table, sizzling as it ate away at the corner it landed on. Shang Qinghua cried out, leaping off the couch towards his damaged table. “Nooo! I got that on sale!”
He felt it again. That squirming sensation of something moving through him. Shang Qinghua froze, a hand clutching at his chest. His gaze hardened despite the chilling fear that gripped his heart. “You,” He licked his lips, speaking aloud, “Whatever you are. I can feel you. S-so stop fucking turning my abilities on and off like a light switch and get out of me already! You’re not welcome! Out!”
It was quiet. Shang Qinghua, had this been any other situation, could’ve convinced himself he’d imagined it. Then, so abruptly it left Shang Qinghua feeling off-kilter, the tingling that was his spider senses cut off without warning. And then in the recesses of his mind, a deep, sultry voice growled,
‘Ah, I found it~ There, quiet once more.’
Shang Qinghua bit his tongue to avoid screaming. He grabbed his head, “What did you do?! W-what are–? No wait, reverse it! I need that to survive! Turn on my senses again. How the fuck did you turn them off?”
‘Hush, little spider. They considered me a threat. I merely fixed them to perceive me as a part of you.’
Shang Qinghua felt like he was going to faint. He was trembling, chest heaving as he tried to suck in lungfuls of air. Did his home always feel this small? Why was he sweating so much? Though his spider senses were eerily quiet, Shang Qinghua still felt as if he was in danger. As if he would be consumed if he made one wrong move. That feeling of a predator watching him. Had it been this? Had what was inside the dog now latched onto him?
That inhuman voice chuckled with mirth. It spoke as if they were standing right by Shang Qinghua. Though the man was alone in his home. ‘Not alone, little spider. And do not worry, this Lord has no reason to harm you. Not when he needs you to get back to his true Host.’
“W-what?”
Shang Qinghua watched as a black, tar-like substance began bubbling on his chest. It was chilled like puddy and undulated as if it carried a mind of its own. The strands of black and red wove together, stretching from Shang Qinghua’s chest. Gradually a head formed, rows of teeth jotting its grinning face. The pearly white of its eyes stared straight into Shang Qinghua as it leaned close, black hairlike tendrils floating in the air behind it. The thing leaned in close to Shang Qinghua’s face, more tendrils appearing and coiling around Shang Qinghua’s limbs in a possessive hold.
“Greetings, Shang Qinghua. I am Luo Binghe. And you will take me to Mobei-Jun.”