Title: Secrets Within Your Grasp
Fandom: Guardian
Rating: Teen
Length: 470
Summary: Zhao Yunlan keeps Shen Wei's pendant safe while Lin Jing is running his scans.

Shen Wei strips matter-of-factly, methodically; he's certainly not trying to put on a show the way Zhao Yunlan might, were their roles reversed. That doesn't mean that him pulling off his sleeve garters is anything but indecent. Zhao Yunlan's mouth goes dry.

He realises, belatedly, that maybe he shouldn't stare, so he turns to look at Lin Jing setting up his monitors to give Shen Wei some privacy.

"Oh, sorry, Professor Shen, it's better to go without jewellery," Lin Jing says once he's done with his preparations.

Zhao Yunlan's eyes wander back to Shen Wei. He's sitting on the examination table already in a black undershirt that makes his skin look even paler in contrast. His arms are very nicely muscled, which makes no sense for a bioengineering professor with presumably little free time to train, and a lot of sense for the Black-Cloaked Envoy, who has even less time but also clearly regularly uses his sword.

Zhao Yunlan's mental probability estimation of Is Shen Wei the Envoy goes from 90 to 95 percent.

Shen Wei is wearing a golden pendant on a short black cord. Zhao Yunlan has never seen it before. He wonders if it's got a sentimental value, since Shen Wei isn't exactly treating it like a fashion accessory.

Judging by the way Shen Wei's hand goes to the pendant, almost protectively, it does.

Shen Wei hesitates for a moment, and Zhao Yunlan walks up to him with a smile. "I'll keep it safe for you, Professor Shen."

Shen Wei's eyes widen almost imperceptibly. He stares at Zhao Yunlan with an uncanny intensity.

Zhao Yunlan considers asking Lin Jing if it's really necessary for Shen Wei to take it off—the pendant is obviously important to him—when Shen Wei nods at last, looking like a general going to war. He takes it off and slowly passes it to Zhao Yunlan.

The pendant is warm and smooth against Zhao Yunlan's hands. He raises it to eye level to look at it. There's a pattern inside—

"Chief Zhao."

Ah. So Shen Wei wants to keep it private—but he trusts Zhao Yunlan to hold it anyway. Something warm blooms in Zhao Yunlan's chest at that.

"Sorry." He closes his hand tight around the pendant. Another of Shen Wei's secrets, and Zhao Yunlan doesn't want to force this one into light.

Shen Wei's identity is something Zhao Yunlan needs to know. He's going to get his answers on this front one way or another, much as he wishes that Shen Wei just told him. Sentimental jewellery—Shen Wei's emotions—well, this is something he's willing to wait for Shen Wei to share with him in his time. Something that, hopefully, Shen Wei will want to share with him eventually.

Zhao Yunlan doesn't only want to learn Shen Wei's secrets: he wants to have his trust, too.