Title: Height of Wonder
Fandom: Guardian
Rating: Teen
Length: 1903 words
Relationship: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Content notes: Established relationship, Alternate Universe - Magic School. No warnings.
Author notes: Many thanks to glymr for beta reading.
Summary: "Professor Shen! Professor Zhao summoned a Youchu and lost control of it!" Jiajia yells.

The Old King's book on Energy Conductive Metals, Their Properties and Uses is an interesting read. Useless to someone like Shen Wei but interesting nevertheless. He flips to the next page and sees a diagram of an early prototype of an energy conductive cane.

"The device is to be one's own, attuned to their own energy, thus it would be unresponsive if it were to ever fall into enemy hands," the main description reads. It's a well known fact now but Shen Wei finds joy in tracing the Old King's thought process. "Only those closest to one, with whom the most intimate of relationships has been attained, might be able to use their cane," it goes on, idea following idea.

Shen Wei is still studying the intricate design put forward in the diagram when the sound of hurried footsteps and labored breathing interrupts him. He looks up before Jiajia yells, "Professor Shen! Professor Zhao summoned a Youchu and lost control of it!"

Shen Wei stares, uncomprehending. Zhao Yunlan is fully capable of handling a Youchu; the only way he could possibly mishandle one would be if...

"And what did your class do to distract him so badly?" His tone is light and teasing, unworried. Zhao Yunlan can keep himself and his students safe, Shen Wei is sure.

Jiajia looks down at her feet and fidgets. "We— it wasn't on purpose! An Bai messed up a binding spell and blew up Professor Zhao's jar of yellow Yashoulian secretion."

"Ah." Yashoulian secretions, especially the yellow kind, are highly corrosive; Zhao Yunlan was right to tend to it first. "So the Youchu...?" Shen Wei asks as he stands up and grabs his cane.

"It ran out of the classroom!" Jiajia cries. "Professor Zhao told me to get you."

Nodding, Shen Wei gestures for Jjiajia to lead the way; they make it to the classroom without running into anyone. At this time of night this part of the school is always empty except for Zhao Yunlan's class and Shen Wei's office hours.

They enter a room absorbed by chaos but, even though Zhao Yunlan is turned away from the door, Shen Wei just raises a hand in greeting, "Zhao Yunlan—"

"Shen Wei! Perfect timing! Do you have a handkerchief?" Zhao Yunlan interrupts and waves a hand behind himself. Shen Wei pulls his out of his breast pocket and places it in his hand.

"Thanks," Zhao Yunlan says, unfolding and refolding the handkerchief as he imbues it with energy before beginning to wipe his desk.

Shen Wei looks around, spots Zhao Yunlan's cane abandoned on an empty desk, and turns to the students. "What happened?"

A chorus of voices rush to explain one over another and Shen Wei learns nothing. He sees An Bai sitting nervously at his desk and approaches, leaving his cane next to Zhao Yunlan's. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt by the secretion explosion?"

An Bai twitches in response and looks away. "I'm sorry," he says after a moment.

Sighing, Shen Wei smiles at An Bai. "It's okay, you haven't done anything wrong."

"...I'm not hurt."

"Good. Do you need help with learning to control your energy flow?"

Shen Wei is barely done speaking when An Bai replies, "I just misaimed! The Youchu was there and I thought it was gonna go left but it went right and I hit the jar." The words rush out of him with vigor.

"Ah. That's good then," Shen Wei continues in his reassurance. "Remember you can always seek me out for help."

An Bai stays silent but nods.

"All of you," Shen Wei looks up at the others. "I'm always happy to help."

Shen Wei's offer is met with a few nods and ‘okay's’ and he turns back to Zhao Yunlan. "Did you see where the Youchu went?"

"Ran out into the corridor. Don't worry, no one else is in this wing; it won't hurt anyone."

Taking a moment to consider his options, Shen Wei asks Zhao Yunlan, "Do you need help?"

"I need… a new desk pad. This isn't salvageable."

"I'll put a word in with the Headmaster."

Things seeming to have calmed down, Shen Wei decides the students should go to their dorms. "You can deal with this. I'll escort he students to their dorms."

"Thank you but there's no need for that, Professor," Li Qian says. "We can mana—"

She's cut off by a distorted inhuman shriek, followed by loud thuds approaching the room. A second later, the Youchu runs in. Jiajia screams.

Without thinking, Shen Wei grabs his cane and channels energy through it. He feels it flow out easily and steadily, unobstructed and guided by the blade in the cane's body. Too late, Shen Wei realizes it's not his cane and the Youchu blasts through the wall and into the sea outside.

A couple of students exclaim in fascination as Zhao Yunlan snorts. "Overkill," he says, turning to Shen Wei. He doesn't seem to be aware Shen Wei had successfully used his cane.

"Sorry about your wall." He hopes no one mentions—

"Did Professor Shen use Professor Zhao's cane just now?" someone whispers from the back of the room.

Shen Wei confesses, "I accidentally picked up your cane. I'm quite surprised it worked."

"Oh, you did?" Zhao Yunlan looks down at the weapon in Shen Wei's hands and laughs. "Of course you're allowed to use my tools, Shen Wei."

Someone gasps along with Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan's brain clearly catches up to what he'd just said, the way he'd basically admitted his attachment to Shen Wei in front of everyone. He closes his mouth and looks away, only to immediately look back at Shen Wei.

Shen Wei's eyes go wide in shock, but a faint smile tugs at the corners of his lips, too. Apparently infectious, it spreads to Zhao Yunlan until he's fully grinning.

The sight of bright happiness brings Shen Wei back to his mind and he clears his throat, pushes his glasses higher on his nose with one hand as he hands Zhao Yunlan's cane back and grabs his own. He takes another look around the room, cringes at the mess he'd created and says, "I'll notify the Headmaster that the classroom will be unusable for a couple of days while building work is—"

Zhao Yunlan puts a hand on Shen Wei's shoulder and teleports them to Shen Wei's balcony.

-

"—done," Shen Wei finishes. Momentarily disoriented, he blinks in confusion. The night is clear, the waxing gibbous moon easily visible without clouds. "Zhao Yunlan! We can't just leave! The students will—"

"They'll be fine! Li Qian will take care of them," Zhao Yunlan cuts him off in impatience. "This is more important," he continues as he looks into Shen Wei's eyes.

Shen Wei meets his gaze and allows himself to forget the worry and sink into Zhao Yunlan's warmth. "Yunlan," Shen Wei says and it's not the first time he's said Zhao Yunlan's name with that tone, nor with that soft, loving, look in his eyes but now is the first time Zhao Yunlan feels a deeper connection between them. A constantly ebbing and flowing energy without either of them doing anything.

Zhao Yunlan pulls Shen Wei closer, kisses him until they're both breathless, but now, instead of stopping, using energy to keep going comes as a natural response. Shen Wei is grabbing at Zhao Yunlan with a rare ferocity, walking them back until Zhao Yunlan's back hits the stone railing and he pushes Shen Wei back to hop up on top of it. He spreads his legs and invites Shen Wei back in.

"Perhaps we shouldn't do this here," Shen Wei tells him and the blush running up his neck is so intense it's obvious even in only the moonlight.

"Xiao Wei," Zhao Yunlan whines, "you can use my cane but I can't use yours. Won't you give me this, at least?"

Shen Wei's eyebrows draw together in thought. "Of course you can use it. Have you tried? I wouldn't have minded," he says and hands his cane to Zhao Yunlan who carefully takes and inspects it.

Zhao Yunlan knows that Shen Wei's cane is old but he's surprised to find no signs of age on it. There are no nicks or scrapes, no discoloration. The handle is a knob type shaped like a flower. It's also lighter than Zhao Yunlan would have expected.

He'd always feared what might happen if he tried to use Shen Wei's weapon but now he confidently channels energy through it, his intention to create a small fireburst in the shape of a dragon. He's hit by a wall of resistance.

"What… Shen Wei, I can't use it." Zhao Yunlan feels tears prickling at his eyes. Shen Wei readily handing his cane over to him is a great and wonderful honor but the repulsion had been almost physically painful.

"You can," Shen Wei presses in, raising his hands to Zhao Yunlan's face to pull him closer and kiss his forehead. "You have the energy, I know. But the resistance in this one is heavy," he explains.

"Why?"

"It's a limiter. You saw what happened, my energy runs too strong sometimes."

"But—"

"Energy conductive metals aren't for everyone. My energy turns volatile when I use them."

The point of the metals is to ease the channeling of energy and lessen the load the body experiences when doing so. It's rare, the books say, for someone to have so much energy as to be able to channel it without aid.

"Wait," Zhao Yunlan says, momentarily distracted, "if you're this great, why do you let the Regent be Headmaster? He sucks at everything!"

"No. He does his job. Slowly, yes, but he gets things done." Shen Wei pauses before adding, "Plus, I don't have the patience for bureaucracy."

"Aha! So that's it! A deep hatred for documentation," Zhao Yunlan jokes, but he's really just stalling.

For a moment Zhao Yunlan's heart fills with fear. He takes a deep breath before trying again, ready to fight against the weapon's rejection for as long as it takes. He focuses, gathers energy in his core and lets it flow out, down his arm, through his fingers and into Shen Wei's cane. He's met with the same resistance but he keeps going and soon feels the energy imbue the weapon. It feels… different. There really is no aid, no energy conductive metal at all. Zhao Yunlan's energy catches onto every bump and splinter inside the cane, every sign of its long life on display for him to feel. The energy he'd gathered wanes and Zhao Yulan forces more out of himself until finally, a fireburst erupts above the handle.

Overwhelmed by relief, Zhao Yunlan laughs. The fireburst fades to a tiny ember and Shen Wei grabs onto his cane and adds his own energy until the fireburst grows into a bird. Zhao Yunlan claims another kiss before he tugs Shen Wei inside and into his bed.

-

Later, just as they're trying to fall asleep, Shen Wei says, "I'll enchant some energy into my cane, so you can weave yours in and it won't resist you so much. I'm sorry it's like this."

Zhao Yunlan shushes him, "Don't apologize. I'm thrilled my partner is a rare wonder."

"Barely."

"You are. In every way."

Shen Wei ends the conversation with a kiss and pulls the covers higher over them.

完