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It was a quiet night as a tall man with light skin, brown eyes, and black hair by the name of Zhan Yao, who went by the alias “Hypnotist”, was sitting in his apartment reading when there was a knock on the door; a single “bang”. Zhan Yao looked up in surprise towards the door before he frowned and stood up, walking over to the door before opening it. To his surprise stood his childhood best friend and enemy, Bai Yutong, who was known throughout the city as the White Knight.
“Bai Yutong?” he asked, confused. Bai Yutong looked at him, his eyes glazed and his face covered in cuts and bruises.
“Zhan Yao” he croaked before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed.
“Bai Yutong!” Zhan Yao exclaimed, kneeling down next to him. He quickly looked up and made sure that no one was around before he quickly placed his hands under Bai Yutong’s armpits and dragged him into his apartment, shutting the door behind him. Once they were inside, Zhan Yao looked down at Bai Yutong before he huffed.
“What trouble did you get up to?” he murmured as he knelt down and placed his hands under Bai Yutong’s armpits again, dragging him over to his couch. Zhan Yao then looked down at Bai Yutong, his eyes flicking to black as he waved his hand, using his powers to lift Bai Yutong onto the couch. Once he was on the couch, Zhan Yao shook his head, his eyes returning to normal.
“I need to call Gongsun…” he murmured.
“No…don’t” a voice croaked from the couch, making him look over to see Bai Yutong looking at him. Zhan Yao huffed and placed his hands on his hips
“Why not? He’s more apt to take care of you than I am” he snapped. Bai Yutong huffed before he winced in pain and clutched at his ribs. Zhan Yao’s eyes widened and he took a step forward before he remembered who was on his couch and took a step back.
“If I had wanted Gongsun…I would have gone to Gongsun” Bai Yutong hissed. Zhan Yao frowned.
“Then why did you come to me?” he asked. Bai Yutong looked over at him before he let out a grunt and pushed himself to a sitting position, hissing again.
“Jesus, what are you doing?” Zhan Yao hissed, walking over to him, helping him sit up.
“I just…needed a place that was safe…that no one would try and come look for me” Bai Yutong replied. Zhan Yao huffed and placed his hands on his hips as he looked at him.
“So you chose your nemesis’s home as your “safe house”?” he sneered. Bai Yutong looked up at him.
“Your place was the first place that came to mind” he replied honestly. Zhan Yao blinked before he sighed and sat down on the couch, looking at Bai Yutong.
“What the hell happened to you? You look like you’ve been struck by a meteor” he stated, reaching out to touch a particularly nasty scrape. Bai Yutong shied away, making Zhan Yao sigh.
“Mouse…” he started, making Bai Yutong look at him with wide eyes.
“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on” he murmured. Bai Yutong blinked before he huffed.
“There’s this new villain…caused absolute havoc in the city. I went to go stop them, you know, cuz that’s my fucking job, when they promptly kicked my fucking ass. That’s why I look like this” he grumbled. Zhan Yao frowned.
“New villain? Lovely…competition” he grumbled. Bai Yutong rolled his eyes.
“Come on, Cat, you know you’re my number one enemy in my heart” he teased, reaching out to place a hand over Zhan Yao’s. Zhan Yao gave him a look.
“You’re just saying that” he replied before he looked Bai Yutong up and down.
“Hang on” he instructed as he stood up, walking over into his kitchen. He then walked over to his freezer, reaching inside to pull out an icepack.
“Here, catch” he called out, not even looking as he threw the icepack over to Bai Yutong. Bai Yutong reached out and caught the icepack before he placed it over his ribs, hissing as the cold pack made contact.
“You have an icepack on hand?” he called out, looking over at Zhan Yao.
“I get hurt too, asshole” Zhan Yao called back as he continued to search his kitchen.
“What are you looking for?” Bai Yutong asked as he shifted the icepack over the part where his ribs hurt the most. Zhan Yao then turned to face him, holding up a small red box.
“My first aid kit” he replied as he walked back over to the couch, sitting down. Bai Yutong frowned.
“Why don’t you just go to Gongsun to get healed?” he asked. Zhan Yao gave him a look.
“May I remind you, Bai Yutong, that I am a villain and you are a hero? Villains do not go to doctors that treat superheroes. It’s just a known fact” he replied. Bai Yutong rolled his eyes.
“That’s some bullshit” he grumbled. Zhan Yao shook his head.
“Actually, it’s not” he murmured, making Bai Yutong frown.
“What do you mean?” he asked. Zhan Yao sighed as he opened his kit and pulled out some gauze and bandages.
“Hold on” he instructed as he stood back up and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a bowl and filling it up with warm water before heading into his bathroom to grab a small hand towel. After grabbing the two things, he walked back to the couch and sat down, dipping the towel in the warm water. He squeezed the excess water out before looking up at Bai Yutong.
“Hold still” he instructed as he reached up and gently began to clean the cuts and scrapes on Bai Yutong’s face. Bai Yutong hissed, for his wounds stung, before he looked at Zhan Yao.
“You were saying—” he started. Zhan Yao looked at him before he sighed.
“I once went to a doctor to get treated for some serious injuries and had no idea that the hero had paid all the doctors in that particular city to tell him what kind of injuries I had sustained so that he could hit those specific places again during our next fight. After that…I never went back to doctors and just learned how to treat myself. I have a Ph.D...learning how to clean some simple wounds and take care of myself isn’t that hard” he murmured. Bai Yutong looked at him with wide eyes before he growled.
“That bastard. And he calls himself a hero” he spat. Zhan Yao huffed.
“Don’t get so worked up about it, it happened a long time ago” he replied as he continued to clean Bai Yutong’s scrapes. After cleaning them, he applied some ointment to them to make sure that they healed properly.
“There…is there anything else I should look at?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at Bai Yutong. Bai Yutong sighed.
“I’m sure I’ve got bruises everywhere but you can’t exactly treat a bruise…you just kind of have to let them heal themselves” he grumbled. Zhan Yao smiled.
“Well said” he replied before he leaned forward and made a face.
“You need a shower” he declared. Bai Yutong’s eyes widened.
“But you…you just applied ointment!” he exclaimed. Zhan Yao rolled his eyes.
“I know that. But you stink. So you need a shower!” he declared. Bai Yutong groaned before he held out a hand.
“Help me” he murmured. Zhan Yao huffed before he reached out and grabbed Bai Yutong’s hand, helping him to his feet. He then helped Bai Yutong over to the bathroom, pausing at the door.
“You don’t…need me to help you bathe, do you?” he asked. Bai Yutong tsked.
“I’m hurt, but I’m not incapacitated. I’m fine” he assured. Zhan Yao nodded.
“Alright, if you’re sure” he replied as he helped Bai Yutong into the bathroom before turning and heading to his guest bedroom, where he kept a secret stash of Bai Yutong’s clothes. Bai Yutong’s older sister, Bai Qingtang, gave them to him, saying that they were for “emergencies”.
‘Well…this counts as an emergency, doesn’t it?’ he thought to himself before he turned and headed back to the bathroom, pausing when he heard the water running.
“Bai Yutong? Are you in the shower?” he called out.
“Yes. Why?” Bai Yutong called back. Zhan Yao huffed.
“I have a change of clothes. I’m going to come in and place them on the sink. Don’t come out” he ordered as he opened the door and walked over to the sink, placing the clothes on the counter. As he turned to leave, the shower curtain opened slightly and Bai Yutong poked his head out.
“You’re a saint, Cat” he thanked. Zhan Yao rolled his eyes.
“You’re lucky it’s me who saved your ass and not someone else” he replied as he walked out of the bathroom, heading back out to the living room. He then sat down on the couch and picked up his book again, beginning to read once more. He got through a few more chapters before the bathroom door opened and Bai Yutong stepped out, drying his hair with a towel.
“You had a spare set of clothes in my size here?” he asked as he walked over to him.
“Your sister gave them to me. “In case of emergencies” is what she said” Zhan Yao explained. Bai Yutong huffed.
“Emergencies my ass” he mumbled. Zhan Yao chuckled.
“That’s what I said” he replied. Bai Yutong smirked before he walked over to couch and sat down, looking at Zhan Yao.
“Could you…put the ointment on again? It kind of…washed off” he explained. Zhan Yao looked over at him and smiled.
“Sure” he replied as he placed his book down and picked up the jar of ointment, opening it. He then placed some more ointment on the wounds before looking at Bai Yutong.
“There” he declared. Bai Yutong grinned.
“You’re literally a life saver, Cat” he breathed. Zhan Yao hummed.
“Most people wouldn’t say that about me” he murmured. Bai Yutong huffed and looked at him.
“You’re not a bad person, Cat. Not at your core. It’s just…” he started when Zhan Yao held up his hand.
“Save it; I don’t want to hear it” he declared. Bai Yutong sighed before he nodded.
“Alright, fine” he agreed. Zhan Yao smirked before he pointed to Bai Yutong.
“You need to rest. If your sister finds out you got seriously hurt, she might just kill the both of us and I, for one, cannot take on your big sister, nor do I want to” he stated. Bai Yutong chuckled.
“I don’t want to deal with that either” he agreed as he slowly pushed himself to his feet and followed Zhan Yao to the guest bedroom. He then walked over to the bed and practically collapsed onto it, letting out a groan.
“I know you don’t wanna hear this, Cat, but you’re actually a lifesaver” he mumbled. Zhan Yao looked at him before he hummed and shut off the light, closing the door.
~*~*~*~*~
The next morning, Zhan Yao was up making breakfast when the guest room door opened and Bai Yutong stepped out, his hair an absolute mess.
“Sleep well?” Zhan Yao asked, looking over at him. Bai Yutong grunted as Zhan Yao chuckled and held out a mug.
“Here” he stated. Bai Yutong blinked blearily at him before he walked over to him and took the mug, looking at it. He then smiled before he took a sip, letting out a hum of content.
“This feels a bit domestic, doesn’t it?” he asked, looking at Zhan Yao. Zhan Yao looked over at him and huffed.
“If that’s what you wanna call it” he replied. Bai Yutong rolled his eyes before he frowned.
“Why did you decide to treat my wounds instead of just leaving me at your door?” he asked. Zhan Yao huffed.
“Because you practically collapsed inside my apartment. I couldn’t just leave you there” he replied. Bai Yutong hummed as Zhan Yao looked over at him.
“That new villain you were talking about last night…what’s their name?” he asked. Bai Yutong hummed, leaning against the counter.
“Tuxi…I think?” he replied. Zhan Yao frowned.
“I haven’t heard of them before…they must be relatively new” he mused. Bai Yutong huffed.
“I guess. But they’re hella strong, seeing as what they did to me” he grumbled. Zhan Yao chuckled.
“I think you’re just getting sloppy” he teased. Bai Yutong shot him a look before he huffed again and took a sip of the coffee Zhan Yao made him. Zhan Yao chuckled before he turned and placed whatever he was making on the dining room table.
“Come on, breakfast is ready” he declared, sitting down. Bai Yutong smirked.
“Now this feels very domestic” he replied. Zhan Yao looked at him.
“You want breakfast or not?” he asked. Bai Yutong chuckled.
“I’m eating, I’m eating” he assured as he sat down; he and Zhan Yao soon digging in. They ate in silence, just enjoying each other’s company, which many would find weird as they were literally the polar opposites; Zhan Yao as the villain while Bai Yutong was the hero. But they seemed to work, so they didn’t comment on it. After breakfast, Zhan Yao and Bai Yutong cleaned up before Bai Yutong went to take a shower. While he was showering, Zhan Yao headed over to his laptop and pulled up Google, trying to see if he could find anything on this new villain called “Tuxi”. As he searched, he learned that Tuxi was a pyromaniac and that they wore a very strange mask.
“What are you looking at?” a voice whispered in his ear making him jump and look over to see Bai Yutong leaning over his shoulder to see his computer screen.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Yutong. Don’t scare me like that” he hissed. Bai Yutong smiled.
“Sorry” he apologized before he pointed to the laptop.
“Find anything?” he asked. Zhan Yao shook his head.
“Other than they’re a pyromaniac and that they have a strange mask, no” he replied. Bai Yutong frowned.
“Pyromaniac? They never used fire when they fought me” he stated. Zhan Yao shrugged.
“Maybe they preferred hand to hand combat with you instead?” he suggested. Bai Yutong shrugged this time.
“I don’t know…but fighting them felt…odd? Like I’ve fought them before?” he stated. Zhan Yao frowned.
“How is that possible? You said you’ve never fought them before” he argued. Bai Yutong huffed and rolled his eyes.
“I know that. But it’s like…déjà vu. I swear I’ve seen their fighting style before” he explained. Zhan Yao hummed as Bai Yutong stretched.
“Well, I need to get back to, you know, saving the city” he declared. Zhan Yao rolled his eyes before he pointed to the guest bedroom.
“Your clothes are in there” he stated. Bai Yutong nodded and headed to the bedroom, changing into the clothes Zhan Yao had lying on the bed. After changing, Bai Yutong walked out and headed towards the front door.
“Thanks again, Cat. Really” he thanked before he opened the door and stepped out. Zhan Yao huffed as he looked over at the door.
“Just don’t do anything stupid” he murmured before he turned back to his laptop.
~*~*~*~*~
After Bai Yutong left, Zhan Yao spent some time on his laptop before he headed over to the little study nook he had made when he first made, working on a new lesson plan because his normal day job when he wasn’t being a villain was being a college psychology professor.
“ZHAN YAO!” a voice screamed in his head, making him flinch before looking up.
“Yutong?” he whispered.
“HELP!” the voice screamed again. Zhan Yao’s eyes widened before he shot up out of his seat and ran into his bedroom, quickly changing into a dark navy blue hanfu and dark navy blue half-mask before throwing open the French windows of his bedroom, shooting into the sky. He then flew through the air to see Bai Yutong, dressed in all white and wearing a silver half-mask, fighting with a strange person in an ancient mask. Zhan Yao watched as the two beings fought before the person with the strange mask clenched their hand into a fist and raised it, their fist suddenly bursting into flames.
“Tuxi!” he whispered, his eyes widening in shock. He then looked around for something to use when he saw a nearby trashcan.
‘That’ll work’ he thought to himself before he held out his hand, his eyes flicking to black as he used his telepathic powers to lift the trashcan into the air before chucking it straight at Tuxi. The trash can connected with Tuxi, causing them to fly backwards away from Bai Yutong as Zhan Yao flew over to him.
“Yutong. Are you alright?” he asked. Bai Yutong looked over at him and smiled.
“You came” he whispered. Zhan Yao huffed.
“Of course I did. You fucking screamed my name in my head. How could I not come” he replied. Bai Yutong huffed.
“Remember, you’re a villain” he reminded. Zhan Yao huffed and gave him a look.
“And you’re my best friend, who’s once again, getting his ass kicked” he stated, just as a fireball came soaring towards them.
“Look out!” Bai Yutong shouted, tackling Zhan Yao out of the way. Both of them flew through air as the fireball fell towards the ground below, heading straight for a mother and young girl.
“Yutong! The family!” Zhan Yao shouted. Bai Yutong looked down, his eyes widening as he let go of Zhan Yao and flew towards the family, grabbing them and covering them with his body as Zhan Yao’s eyes flicked to black and he held out his hands, creating a forcefield around Bai Yutong and the young family just as the fireball crashed into it.
~*~*~*~*~
Down on the ground, Bai Yutong continued to shield the family with his body when he heard the fireball explode yet he didn’t feel the heat or fire on his skin so he glanced up to see the fireball exploding on the forcefield Zhan Yao made.
“A freaking lifesaver, Cat” he murmured before he let go of the young mother and child, looking at them.
“Are you alright?” he asked. The mother nodded as the little girl looked up at him, grinning brightly.
“Thank you, Mr. Knight!” she thanked. Bai Yutong smiled and nodded before he shot into the air, since Zhan Yao had lowered it after the smoke cleared from the fireball explosion.
“Freaking lifesaver, Cat!” he called out. Zhan Yao looked over at him and narrowed his eyes.
“You’re ruining my image!” he exclaimed, a half-smile on his face. Bai Yutong rolled his eyes and smirked, just as Tuxi suddenly slammed into Zhan Yao, both of them falling to the ground below.
“Cat!” he shouted, watching as Zhan Yao crashed onto the street like a meteor, creating a large hole in the road.
“So…you’re the Hypnotist…” Tuxi mused as they floated above Zhan Yao, who let out a groan as he looked up at them.
“You and the White Knight know each other? Interesting” he continued. Zhan Yao snarled.
“Fuck you” he spat before he threw out a hand, a nearby car (thankfully empty) flying towards Tuxi. Tuxi quickly dodged the attack as Bai Yutong flew at them, giving them a swift kick in the head. Tuxi went flying, crashing into a nearby building as Bai Yutong flew down to Zhan Yao and held out a hand.
“Need a hand?” he teased. Zhan Yao narrowed his eyes at him.
“Hilarious” he grumbled as he reached out and grabbed Bai Yutong’s hand, hissing as he stood to his feet. While Bai Yutong was helping Zhan Yao stand, Tuxi pushed themselves out of the building they had crashed into and fell to their knees, hissing in pain. They then looked up at Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao, snarling at them as they pushed themselves to his feet. As they continued to look at Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao, they snarled again before they looked over and noticed a large crowd of people watching nearby.
“Try and save them from this” they hissed before they shot a blast of fire towards them.
~*~*~*~*~
While Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao were talking, Bai Yutong looked up to see the blast of fire heading straight towards the crowd of people.
“Shit!” he exclaimed. Zhan Yao looked up as well, his eyes widening before they flicked to black and he threw out a hand, creating a forcefield.
“I’ll hold off the fire, you get the people out of here. There will be too many casualties if we keep fighting here” he declared. Bai Yutong nodded and flew over to the group of people, motioning for them to get the hell out of the way. Most people didn’t need to be told twice, but there were those few who wanted to stay and watch and even video tape the fight. Bai Yutong found those few irritating but placated them by assuring them that they could still film the fight if they got to somewhere where they weren’t in immediate danger. Satisfied, the people left to go film the fight somewhere safe, making Bai Yutong huff before turning around to head back to Zhan Yao when a large boulder crashed into him, sending both of them through the glass windows of a nearby shop.
“Yutong!” Zhan Yao shouted, eyes wide in shock. As he stared at the broken shop, he didn’t see someone come up behind him, a pipe held tightly in their hand. The person then swung, the pipe connecting with the back of his skull. Zhan Yao let out a grunt before he hit the ground, just as Bai Yutong sat up, watching as another Tuxi grabbed an unconscious Zhan Yao by the wrist and shot into the air, disappearing into the night.
“ZHAN YAO!” he screamed. He quickly pushed himself to his feet and rushed out of the store, reminding himself to make sure to stop by and pay for the damages done before he shot into the air, flying after Tuxi and Zhan Yao.
~*~*~*~*~
When Zhan Yao awoke, he found himself in a kneeling position, his ankles chained to the floor while his arms were chained above his head. Before him stood Tuxi, who was just looking at him with their hands on their hips.
“You’re finally awake” they greeted. Zhan Yao narrowed his eyes at them.
“What did you do to me?” he asked. Tuxi chuckled.
“Besides knock you out? Strip you of your powers” they answered. Zhan Yao’s eyes widened and he waved his hand to throw Tuxi across the room but found that he couldn’t.
“No” he whispered.
“How does it feel?” Tuxi asked, and Zhan Yao swore he could hear a grin in the bastard’s voice.
“To be powerless?” they continued as they took a step towards Zhan Yao. Zhan Yao looked at them as he strained desperately, helplessly, against the chains that bound him, reaching inside himself for the power that should be thrumming through his veins, but he found himself empty; a hollow shell.
“Please” he begged. Tuxi chuckled and Zhan Yao wished he could see who was behind the mask so he could give them a good kick in the teeth. Once he got out of the chains, of course.
“Not so fun, is it?” Tuxi asked as they took a step forward, standing directly before Zhan Yao, trailing a finger down Zhan Yao’s shoulder. Zhan Yao flinched at the touch, at Tuxi’s closeness, thrashing wildly against bonds he had no hope of breaking—not with his power gone, stripped away. Panic hit him in full force, blurring his thoughts, burning in his chest, crushing the air from his lungs.
“Please. I’ll do anything” he pleaded. Tuxi chuckled as their fingernails dug into Zhan Yao’s shoulder, towering over their prisoner.
“Oh dear Hypnotist…it’s too late” they snarled, just as a metal pipe connected with their head, causing them to stumble and fall. Zhan Yao looked over at them in shock before he looked up to see Bai Yutong looking down at him with glowing white eyes.
“Mouse” he whispered. Bai Yutong grinned.
“It’s my turn to save you, Cat” he replied before he looked over at Tuxi, who was clutching at their masked head.
“It’s over, Feng Jie. Did you really think I wouldn’t know who you were?” he snarled. Tuxi looked at him before they reached up and removed their mask to reveal a man with light tan skin, brown eyes, and short black hair.
“Always perceptive, Yutong” Tuxi, no Feng Jie, sneered. Bai Yutong huffed.
“You might be able to hide your face, but you can’t hide your fighting skills” he replied before he pointed the metal pipe at him.
“How dare you go after Zhan Yao. How dare you strip him of his powers” he snarled, his eyes glowing white. Feng Jie snarled.
“Why are you so protective of him?” he demanded. Bai Yutong growled.
“Because he’s my best fucking friend” he spat. Feng Jie huffed.
“I thought I was your best friend” he replied.
“I thought so too, until you go and wreak havoc across the city and kidnap Zhan Yao” Bai Yutong growled. Feng Jie smirked as he looked at Zhan Yao.
“It’s unfortunate, Zhan Yao” he called out, making Zhan Yao look over at him and narrow his eyes.
“What’s unfortunate?” he asked. Feng Jie smiled darkly.
“That you don’t have your powers to stop this” he replied before he pulled a dagger out of a hidden sheath in his boot and threw it at Zhan Yao, stabbing him in the side. Zhan Yao cried out in pain as Bai Yutong’s eyes widened in horror. He then turned and glared at Feng Jie, his anger so great that the ground beneath them began to shake.
“He’s going to die, you know. That dagger is coated with my own special concoction of poisons. He has maybe…five minutes, at best” Feng Jie stated.
“Why?” Bai Yutong demanded, eyes glowing brightly. Feng Jie smiled.
“Because I want you to know what it’s like to lose someone important to you. I want to descend into darkness and madness until it completely consumes you. And then you will know what happened to me” he declared. Bai Yutong snarled.
“You’re trying to turn me into a villain?” he spat. Feng Jie grinned.
“Of course” he replied. Bai Yutong snarled and raised the pipe to strike Feng Jie with it when Zhan Yao weakly raised his head.
“Yutong…don’t” he croaked. Bai Yutong looked back at him and gritted his teeth.
“But—” he started.
“If you kill him, you’re no better than him” Zhan Yao croaked. Bai Yutong growled and dropped the pipe, making Feng Jie smirk.
“You heroes…always so weak” he sneered, just as the metal pipe levitated in the air and swung itself at him, hitting him directly in the temple. Feng Jie immediately fell over, dead, and Bai Yutong looked back to see Zhan Yao glaring at Feng Jie, his eyes black.
“But I’m no better than him, so it doesn’t really matter” he declared. Bai Yutong looked at him in shock.
“Yao…how…your powers?” he whispered. Zhan Yao looked up at him and smiled weakly as his eyes returned to normal.
“One thing about telepaths…even if our powers have been stripped, give us enough time and we can generate just enough power to finish the job, if need be” he stated before his eyes suddenly rolled into the back of his head and he slumped. Bai Yutong’s eyes widened and he quickly ran over to him, breaking the chains with his superhuman strength. Zhan Yao’s body then fell forward, but Bai Yutong quickly reached out with arm and caught him, kneeling down while holding Zhan Yao close. Once they were on the ground, Bai Yutong reached out and broke the chains around Zhan Yao’s ankles before pulling Zhan Yao into his lap.
“Yao” he whispered, but Zhan Yao barely heard the whispered word. The world around him, swimming in and out of focus, and he could feel the blood, so much blood, seeping through his hanfu as he felt a stabbing pain in his side.
“You have to live. You have to, you have to, you have to, please” Bai Yutong begged, hugging Zhan Yao tightly but carefully. Zhan Yao cracked open an eye and looked up to see Bai Yutong looking down at him, his voice filled with pain and panic and something else Zhan Yao couldn’t name. His eyes then slipped shut, feeling himself slipping away in a haze of blood and darkness, spinning away into nothingness…
“No!” Bai Yutong cried, desperation creeping into his voice as he looked at the knife in Zhan Yao’s side; he wanted to remove it but he knew that that was the only thing keeping Zhan Yao alive at the moment because the minute he removed it, Zhan Yao would bleed out even though he was bleeding rather badly now.
“You can’t die…I’ll do anything you want, be anything you want, I promise. Just live” he begged, voice hoarse and cracking, chest heaving with silent, broken sobs. Zhan Yao fought to hold on to the words, to open their eyes to see something, to open their mouth to say something but he was slipping away, falling…falling…falling.
“Cat…please” Bai Yutong croaked, but it was too late. Zhan Yao had slipped into unconsciousness, his body limp and still; his chest barely rising and falling. Bai Yutong’s eyes widened as he looked the man up and down.
“Cat? Zhan Yao?” he whispered. There was no response. Bai Yutong looked at him before he let out a growl and carefully picked him up, cradling him in his arms.
“Don’t worry, Cat. I’m going to save you. I promise” he whispered before he curled Zhan Yao closer to him as he shot into the air, breaking through the roof of Feng Jie’s secret hideout. He then let out a sharp huff before he took off, heading to try and save Zhan Yao.
~*~*~*~*~
Bai Yutong soon arrived at a nearby hospital, rushing into the emergency room with Zhan Yao in his arms.
“GONGSUN! GONGSUN!” he shouted. All the doctors turned towards him before a tall man with tan skin, brown eyes, and dark brown hair rushed towards him, his eyes widening when he saw Zhan Yao.
“Wha—” he started.
“Don’t ask questions, Gongsun, he’s dying” Bai Yutong snapped. Gongsun looked at him before he motioned for him to follow him over to a nearby gurney.
“Put him down Yutong. I can’t get him to surgery if you don’t let him go” he stated. Bai Yutong hesitated before he placed Zhan Yao down and stepped back as Gongsun and a team of doctors rushed Zhan Yao to the emergency room. He then let out a sharp breath and reached up, removing his mask from his face before letting it fall to the floor. All the doctors turned towards him before one of them walked over to him.
“Master Knight…why don’t you sit down? You look like you’re about to collapse” they suggested. Bai Yutong looked at him before he nodded and headed to the waiting room, not before kneeling to pick up his mask, which he quickly put back on.
~*~*~*~*~
Bai Yutong sat in the waiting room for hours, going back and forth between sitting in a chair and pacing a deep groove into the waiting room floor. After about the fifth hour, Gongsun came out of the emergency room, walking over to Bai Yutong.
“He’s going to be fine. You got him here just in time, thankfully” he stated before Bai Yutong could even ask. Bai Yutong let out a heavy sigh of relief as Gongsun placed his hands on his hips.
“How did he even get stabbed? With his powers, he should have deflected it or at least created a forcefield” he stated. Bai Yutong sighed.
“Feng Jie drained his powers” he replied. Gongsun’s eyes widened.
“Feng Jie…wasn’t he a hero?” he asked. Bai Yutong sighed and leaned his head against the wall.
“He was…till his girlfriend was murdered. That sent him into a deep depression that he never recovered from and he just sort of…spiraled. Apparently he came up with the alias “Tuxi” and began wreaking havoc. I ran into him the other evening and he, quite frankly, kicked my ass. I fought with him again today, with Zhan Yao’s help, and then he kidnapped Zhan Yao and…” he explained before he let out a heavy sigh. Gongsun hummed before he crossed his arms.
“Zhan Yao needs to rest but you can see him tomorrow. I suggest you go home; you look like shit” he deadpanned. Bai Yutong huffed.
“Thanks” he grumbled before he stood up, letting out another heavy sigh.
“Take good care of him, Gongsun” he instructed, looking the doctor in the eye before he turned and walked away.
~*~*~*~*~
The next day, Bai Yutong (dressed in normal clothing), walked into the hospital and over to the front desk.
“Patient Zhan Yao” he asked. The nurse looked up at him before she motioned to a nearby room.
“In there, sir” she replied. Bai Yutong nodded, thanking her before he walked over to the room and poked his head inside to see Zhan Yao sitting up in his bed, reading.
“Shouldn’t you be resting?” he asked as he stepped into the hospital room. Zhan Yao looked up at him and smiled as he put his book down.
“I am resting” he replied. Bai Yutong rolled his eyes as he walked over to Zhan Yao, sitting down in the chair next to his bed.
“How are you feeling?” he asked. Zhan Yao nodded.
“A little weak, you know, the combination of losing my powers and poison” he answered. Bai Yutong sighed.
“I’m sorry” he apologized. Zhan Yao raised an eyebrow.
“For what?” he asked. Bai Yutong looked up at him and motioned to him in the hospital bed.
“For this” he replied. Zhan Yao waved his hand.
“This? This is nothing” he assured, making Bai Yutong give him a look.
“Cat—” he started when Zhan Yao smirked.
“When I was dying in your arms, you said you would do anything or be anything I want if I just lived. Do you really mean that?” he asked. Bai Yutong blinked at him before he huffed.
“If I said it when you were dying, then obviously” he replied. Zhan Yao looked at him before he smiled.
“So you’ll do anything if I ask?” he asked. Bai Yutong rolled his eyes.
“Yes, Cat, whatever you want, I’ll do” he replied. Zhan Yao was quiet before he looked at Bai Yutong.
“I want…to go out on a date with you” he declared. Bai Yutong looked at him in shock.
“What, seriously?” he exclaimed. Zhan Yao nodded.
“Yes” he answered simply. Bai Yutong narrowed his eyes.
“What kind of date?” he asked. Zhan Yao shrugged.
“If you agree, then you can pick what kind of date we do” he answered. Bai Yutong hummed.
“That’s a lot of power that you’re giving me, Cat” he reminded. Zhan Yao smiled.
“I know you’ll make the right choice” he assured before he let out a yawn, covering his mouth. Bai Yutong smiled fondly.
“You’re tired, Cat. You should rest” he stated as he reached out, taking the book and placing it on the bedside table before looking at Zhan Yao.
“Just rest. I’ll be here” he assured. Zhan Yao smiled sleepily and nodded before he settled back against the bed, shutting his eyes. Bai Yutong then lowered the bed so he would be comfortable before he reached out and took Zhan Yao’s hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb.
“A date huh? I can do that” he murmured before he looked at Zhan Yao.
“Alright, Cat. It’s a date” he declared. Even though he was asleep, Zhan Yao’s mouth quirked up in a smile.
“I look forward to it” he purred in Bai Yutong’s mind. Bai Yutong rolled his eyes as he sighed fondly.
“Sleep Cat. Just rest” he whispered. Zhan Yao hummed and Bai Yutong watched as his body relaxed and his breathing evened out, a peaceful look on his face. Bai Yutong continued to watch him, a small smile on his face as he rubbed the back of Zhan Yao’s hand with his thumb.
It’s a date