Chapter Text
“The first rule: you get twelve hours. Second rule, follow my lead and change nothing. Third—“
“I know, I know. Past and future…”
“Must remain untouched.”
“Is this going to be a thing now? You saying your little mantra before every dive?”
“It’s not a mantra.”
“Uh huh, sure.” Cheng Xiaoshi giggles to himself and slides his gaze to the side. “You like it though,” he says under his breath.
Lu Guang makes a noise between a scoff and a sigh, he’s not quite sure which. “Just shut up and get in the photo.”
“Okay.”
<~>
“So. Lu Guang.”
“Mm.”
“Mind telling me why you accepted this job again?”*
All Cheng Xiaoshi got in response was a careful silence and an uneasy feeling that plucked at the threads of their mental link. The guilt practically radiated through his mind, and with being in another person’s body and all, Cheng Xiaoshi wasn’t sure if he could handle two extra people’s emotions. He sighed inwardly, hoping his frustration made its way over to Lu Guang’s mind, too.
“Just spit it out,” he said, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. Inside the photo, Cheng Xiaoshi was stuck in some tremendously boring staff meeting that definitely could’ve been an email. This mission was one of their more frequent ones; passing on a message. Lu Guang was quick to assure Cheng Xiaoshi that nobody receiving the messages would be dying anytime soon, but the familiarity of it all still sat like a rock in Cheng Xiaoshi’s stomach.
"We need the money,” Lu Guang said reluctantly, “And I thought you could use a break.”
Well, that was awfully… considerate of Lu Guang. Unexpected too. These diving jobs were anything but easy, but maybe this one would be light work for a change.
Cheng Xiaoshi stifled a yawn. If it wasn’t light work, it was definitely boring work. He had no interest in… what’s this meeting about? He squinted over at the projector display. Annual budgeting for the upcoming fiscal year? Yeah, whatever that is.
"That’s because I run the financials,” said Lu Guang.
“Thank you for your service.” If he could, Cheng Xiaoshi would’ve given Lu Guang a little mock salute. But no. He was stuck in this boring meeting. “How much longer?” he asked instead.
“Not too much more. Remember, after this, you’ll have to drive the company car to a nearby restaurant. Think you can handle that?”
“I know how to drive,” he muttered.
“Inside another person’s body?” Lu Guang sighed again. “Just stay vigilant. The restaurant isn’t far.”
"I’ll be fine, Lu Guang. Just trust me.”
"Nothing good ever follows those words.” Lu Guang sounded exasperated as per usual, but he left Cheng Xiaoshi alone after that. And, by the grace of whatever gods were above, the meeting conveniently wrapped up just as Cheng Xiaoshi flipped his attention back to the mission. He stood and made for the door along with the rest of their client’s colleagues, making sure to return any friendly smiles and polite nods. See? He could be good at this office stuff. Even if these people were only in a good mood because of the party on the horizon.
“Luojiao! You good to drive?” One of the other office workers tossed a pair of keys at Cheng Xiaoshi and he caught them with ease, flashing a confident smile at them.
“Yeah, man! Leave it to me!”
"Too enthusiastic.”
“Someone’s excited! If we take any longer, Luojiao might leave us behind!”
Cheng Xiaoshi barked a laugh. “Try to keep up!”
He hoped the metaphorical bird made its way to Lu Guang through their mental link. Based on the ripple of annoyance he felt, Cheng Xiaoshi assumed that it did.
Since he now held the keys, the other office workers expected Luojiao to lead the way to the company car. Which was fine, really, save for the fact that Cheng Xiaoshi had to rely on Lu Guang to lead him to the garage. Smugly. Seriously, Lu Guang had a massive attitude problem today. When was the last time he’d eaten?
Woah… when was the last time Cheng Xiaoshi had eaten?
All this talk about restaurants and celebratory dinners was making Cheng Xiaoshi insatiably hungry. He climbed into the driver's seat of the sleek black car and waited for the other office workers to pile in as well, checking over all the various buttons and switches. It seemed simple enough, but man, this car was fancy. He had no idea what half of the buttons did.
"Eyes on the road, Cheng Xiaoshi. Literally.”
"Yeah, yeah, I got it.”
A few minutes of driving later and Cheng Xiaoshi was already bored, stuck in a massive line to exit the building’s parking garage. He yawned and absently tapped his fingers against the steering wheel.
"Lu Guang, do I get to eat anything at the company dinner? I’m starving.”
Cheng Xiaoshi felt the sigh from his partner in his bones. "It shouldn’t be a problem. Just don’t overdo it.”
"No promises! Food always tastes better when it’s free.” Cheng Xiaoshi smiled internally and turned into the surface street, thinking back to the map Lu Guang showed him before the dive. It was just two left turns followed by a long straightaway, and then a right into the parking lot. Easy enough, no problem! This job really was easy.
Once Cheng Xiaoshi got to the straightaway, his thoughts ran right back to food. "Man, I’m so hungry,” he thought loudly, "Is this Luojiao guy supposed to be this hungry? I feel a little lightheaded.”
Concern rippled through the mental link. "You do?”
"Yeah. It’s not terrible but…”
The road suddenly blurred and Cheng Xiaoshi felt something jostle his body. Huh. Was that him? The lines recentered in Cheng Xiaoshi’s vision and he quickly corrected the sudden drift, jerking back into the right lane. He thinks the car behind him honked, but it sounded so far away.
"Cheng Xiaoshi?”
"I’m fine, I’m fine. I don’t know what that was about."
Cheng Xiaoshi did not feel fine.
In fact, the nausea that sent sparks up his throat was so intense that even keeping his hands on the wheel was too much strain, the road bobbing and weaving like he was looking through a warped mirror. Seriously, where did this come from? He couldn’t tell how much of this was because of Luojiao and how much of it was because of himself. Surely, Lu Guang would’ve warned him of something like this?
Another massive wave of lightheadedness crashed over Cheng Xiaoshi and he felt his body sway under the weight of it, listing sideways as everything went blurry. The car swerved again and it was all Cheng Xiaoshi could do to right himself. He still couldn’t see anything. Bile curled in the back of his throat, a warning, bubbling angrily in anticipation. Cheng Xiaoshi swallowed hard in an attempt to keep it at bay.
He’d been so focused on keeping his stomach acid where it belongs that he didn’t notice he’d veered to the side again, and this time, blinding white headlights burned the retinas of Cheng Xiaoshi’s eyes. He couldn’t even register them.
"Cheng Xiaoshi! Clap out! NOW!”
His hands moved without even thinking. Then, he collapsed on the floor of the Time Photo Studio, all the lights far too bright. Consciousness was fleeting, and Cheng Xiaoshi only had the time to catch the pure, primal fear in Lu Guang’s eyes.
<~>
“Cheng Xiaoshi! Clap out! NOW!”
Their mental link shattered as soon as Cheng Xiaoshi hit the floor, hard. Lu Guang was too slow to catch him, papers and photos and snack wrappers flying everywhere in the wake of it all. Cheng Xiaoshi was unconscious before Lu Guang could even try to keep him awake.
No.
Not like this.
Frantically, Lu Guang checked for any external injuries. When he thankfully found none, he moved on to assess any possible internal injuries. He couldn’t check for a concussion, but it seemed unlikely anyway. It was hard to catch Cheng Xiaoshi’s pulse and shallow breathing under the way Lu Guang’s own thundered in his ears, but it pushed back against Lu Guang’s clammy fingers and that was enough.
Not good, but enough.
Alive.
Lu Guang took in a shuddering breath and laid one hand over Cheng Xiaoshi’s chest, feeling the stuttering rise and fall and using it as a tether. “Qiao Ling!” he called, letting just a sliver of urgency leak into his voice. Well, maybe it was more than a sliver. Qiao Ling came running down the stairs.
“I heard a crash, what are you two…” Qiao Ling’s face fell as soon as she laid eyes on Cheng Xiaoshi. “What happened? Is he okay?”
“I don’t know,” Lu Guang answered honestly, “We were doing a job and he nearly fainted in the middle of it. I got him to clap out, and…” He swallowed thickly, unable to finish the sentence.
Qiao Ling understood what he meant. “He’s just unconscious, then? That’s good. Let’s… get him on the couch.”
Lu Guang failed to see how a suddenly unconscious Cheng Xiaoshi was good in any way, shape, or form, but he helped Qiao Ling move him into a more comfortable spot. Lu Guang didn’t break contact the entire time.
“I guess we’ll have to wait for him to wake up…” Qiao Ling said solemnly. “That idiot! He was probably overdoing it again. I swear, when he wakes up, I’m going to give him the scolding of a lifetime!”
Their landlady stomped out of the room with mock anger, but Lu Guang knew she was just as upset as he was. At least Qiao Ling could offer solutions and be rational about the whole thing. All Lu Guang could do was stand there and try not to have a panic attack. He slipped his hand into one of Cheng Xiaoshi’s, the other still resting atop his chest so as to feel each and every breath.
“Idiot…”
<~>
They theorized that he’d gone on too many dives in a row after the first day.
Halfway through the second, they took him to the hospital.
It wasn’t the first time they’d done this song and dance, but Lu Guang couldn’t bring himself to leave Cheng Xiaoshi’s side.
On the fourth day, Lu Guang cried.
None of the loops had ever ended this way. Lu Guang didn’t know how to handle this route. He’d watch his closest friend bleed out from gunshot wounds, knives, watch him be ripped apart by the forces of time itself.
Watching him waste away in a hospital bed hurt so much more.