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Mu Qing just wants a brief moment of privacy, just enough so he can transform into Xuan Zhen and help with handling the situation, but of course he has to be interrupted by fucking Nan Yang. It’s even harder when he’s in the hero’s arms, swinging around way above the ground.
“I know this isn’t best timing, but can you please—oh fuck—please find a good place to put me down?” Mu Qing tries yelling over the rushing wind around them, successfully getting a mouthful of his hair and unsuccessfully getting Nan Yang to listen to him.
The hero lets out a short, dry laugh. “Unless you want to fall to your death, just hold on for now!” He sends an arrow flying and takes down a large silver butterfly. “I can’t control where Ruoye swings us anyways, and Taizi Dianxia is…” he glances above them. “Quite distracted.”
Above them, the most highly regarded hero Taizi Dianxia is crossing blades with Crimson Rain. While their battle looks intense, Mu Qing knows that it’ll only be a matter of time until Taizi Dianxia “slips up” and allows the notorious villain to make his getaway, or something along those lines. Despite his wide array of crimes, Crimson Rain is known for targeting only those who are truly irredeemable, leading him to garnering popularity among certain crowds. Mu Qing won’t go as far as his friend Xie Lian and call the red menace a “vigilante,” but he will grudgingly admit that Crimson Rain’s infamy helps to keep the criminal activity in Xianle in check.
“Taizi Dianxia! Your bladework is always dazzling to see, but we shall have to cut today’s battle short!” Crimson Rain’s voice echoes above the dangling pair, and Mu Qing can distantly make out a smirk. “This one has an important date that he cannot miss, and so until next time!”
The dramatic son of a bitch then explodes into thousands of silver butterflies. Fucking asshole.
Once the air stills, Nan Yang calls out, “Dianxia! Can you lower me down? I have a civilian that I need to get to safety.”
With a flick of a wrist, Dianxia’s spiritual device slowly starts lowering them. “Hold on tight,” Nan Yang softly murmurs into Mu Qing’s ear, and what is he supposed to do? Not tighten his arms around the hero’s shoulders? Mu Qing doesn’t need to crack his head open on the concrete today.
They reach the ground and Ruoye unfurls from them, whisking itself up back into the sky and onto its owner’s arm. Taizi Dianzi dives downwards into the city, and the flower petals floating down disguise his transformation back into a civilian.
Mu Qing quickly removes his arms from around Nan Yang as soon as they’re back on their feet, but the hero’s hand still lingers on Mu Qing’s waist. Even more annoyingly, he’s following him.
“Look, I appreciate you helping me, but I don’t need to be escorted anywhere.” Mu Qing faces him and pointedly glances toward The Hand. “I can take care of myself.”
Nan Yang pauses, and finally seems to realize where his hand had been planted. He immediately pulls away and takes a step back. “OH GOSH, I’m, um, so sorry, yeah you’re definitely capable, I just thought. I don’t know, maybe it would be a bit reassuring, to have someone with you until you reach where you’re going.” He rubs at his neck, not quite making eye contact. “Getting caught up in a hero fight can be traumatizing, and most people can’t get right back to their usual lives.”
Mu Qing raises an eyebrow. He’s never seen this side of Nan Yang before. Though they often work together when he is Xuan Zhen, their relationship is relatively professional. Sure, they bicker and disagree at times, but they have a silent understanding to support each other, to have each other’s backs, and to not delve into one another’s private lives. So Mu Qing may be familiar with the strong, handsome Nan Yang who can quickly take down multiple enemies with a draw of his bow, but not this Nan Yang who gently helps the people he saves. The awkward air of good intent is comforting.
“It’s not my first time, I’ll be fine,” Mu Qing says. He peeks at the time on his phone— thankfully, it remained unscathed through the chaos. “I have a lunch d- meeting, so I have to hurry anyway. Thanks for helping me.” With a quick turn of his heel and a flick of his ponytail, he walks off. The stupid hero thankfully doesn’t follow him.
💥💥💥
Mu Qing is still four minutes late to his lunch rendezvous with Feng Xin, much to his own frustration, but at least he’s here earlier than the idiot. He grabs a table by the window for them and stares out at the street while he waits. There’s a figure rushing down the block who catches his eye. Mu Qing smiles at himself— Feng Xin is so easy to spot and recognize, no matter where he might be.
He kills the smile right off his face as Feng Xin walks through the door and heads his way. He absolutely cannot allow the oaf to know how happy he is to see him.
“You’re late again, bumbling fool,” Mu Qing snipes, glaring at Feng Xin over his iced jasmine green tea, very light ice and only slightly sweetened.
“Hey, I rushed here as soon as I could, you prissy bitch.”
There’s no real bite in Feng Xin’s words. It’s the familiar push and pull of their harsh teasing. They fall further into it as lunch progresses, topics flying from recent work developments to Xie Lian’s upcoming wedding to the chaos in the city caused by the new villain, Night-Touring Green Lantern. Despite his attempts to keep them from pouring out, Mu Qing can’t help letting a couple laughs slip through.
This turn in their acquaintanceship is new. After years of bitterness, they’re finally on the same page. Reuniting with Xie Lian and rekindling their friendships with him led to Mu Qing and Feng Xin calling a truce on their long-standing dislike of one another, and Mu Qing begrudgingly accepted that part of his life would just include having to deal with Feng Xin. As the pair continued getting third and fourth-wheeled by Xie Lian and his new horror of a boyfriend though, Mu Qing found himself increasingly enjoying Feng Xin’s company. He has a constant resting grumpy face, like a big, upset puppy, but also has the loudest, most charming and brilliant laugh. He looks large and imposing, with biceps that Mu Qing could barely wrap his hands around—not like he would ever do that— and an insanely broad chest, but is also surprisingly gentle and warm. Learning all this about Feng Xin has meant that Mu Qing is seeing who he is without the layers and lens of hatred for the first time. Now, their relationship has evolved into something neither of them know how to name; no longer enemies, too familiar to be acquaintances, and not close enough to be friends, a word that leaves something gnawing and turning deep within Mu Qing’s heart.
“It’s definitely going to be exciting when Nan Yang fucking takes down Green Lantern.” Feng Xin’s grin is challenging, bright like the sun, ready for Mu Qing to fight back. Mu Qing rolls his eyes and willingly takes the bait.
“You know that’s not the villain’s name,” Mu Qing firstly corrects him. “And second, Xuan Zhen will handle him before Nan Yang even lands an arrow on Night-Touring Green Lantern.” He’ll never reveal his hero identity, but that doesn’t stop him from acting like a Xuan Zhen fan in awe of the hero’s accomplishments. He has to make sure a good reputation is maintained!
“Oh please, that pretty boy with a saber won’t be able to handle a villain unless it’s a battle in close contact. Long-range attacks are a clear advantage,” scoffs Feng Xin. Mu Qing’s heart stutters. Apparently Feng Xin finds Xuan Zhen pretty, though that doesn’t matter.
“You can’t even see his face, how would you know if he’s a pretty boy or not?”
“God damn, fuck y— he has the vibes, alright?! Like how Ming Guang has frat boy vibes, or Nan Yang has cool jock vibes.”
“You have GOT to be kidding me, if anything, Nan Yang is an absolute himbo, who knows how many brain cells are working at one time.” Mu Qing laughs as Feng Xin sputters an unclear answer. It’s familiar. It’s comfortable. Mu Qing swallows down the warmth that bubbles up in him, because it doesn’t need to become more of a habit and indicator of normalcy than it already is.
💥💥💥
It doesn’t take very long for Mu Qing to become acquainted with Night-Touring Green Lantern. Barely a week after his lunch with Feng Xin, he finds himself as Xuan Zhen protecting a small group from the villain. And of course, Feng Xin has to be one of the people getting harassed by the criminal.
“Can you back up a bit? Keep the civilians away, and that includes you!” Mu Qing hollers behind him at Feng Xin, who keeps drawing nearer to the action. Dumbass, he could get hurt if he comes too close! Night-Touring Green Lantern’s ghost fire attacks are relentless, and Xuan Zhen can only defend right now, with no opportunity to shift to the offense.
Even when Feng Xin doesn’t know that he’s talking with Mu Qing, their bickering continues. “Well, where should I take them? And also, just leave you here alone? All you’ve been doing so far is barely holding him off!”
“OH SHUT UP, YOU DOGFUCKERS!!” The villain cuts their banter short. “I have POWER now, and I’ll do what I WANT with it!!” He lifts a long, sharp, green nail and points right at Feng Xin. “STARTING WITH GETTING RID OF YOU AND YOUR LITTLE SNOB OF A BOYFRIEND!!”
The last sentence draws out the scariest expression Mu Qing has ever seen on Feng Xin’s face. He tries his hardest to not spit out the question of “who?” Who is so important to Feng Xin, who gets to be called boyfriend, who can bring out so much emotion from Feng Xin? Right now, though, he’s Xuan Zhen, a hero and protector of the people, and absolutely nothing to Feng Xin. Mu Qing isn’t supposed to know about Feng Xin and his so-called boyfriend, and will probably never know.
“Why are you going after him,” Mu Qing instead asks the villain. “Trying to settle a personal score behind a mask, such a cowardly move.” As he closes in, the villain starts to recede, slowly getting backed into the side of a dumpster. “If you have a problem with him, show who you are!”
The ugliest cackle fills the alleyway. “I’M NOT GONNA PICK A FIGHT I CAN’T WIN!! AND THAT INCLUDES RIGHT NOW, YOU DAMN DOGFUCKERS! SO LONG!”
The green fire spreads and rises to dangerous levels, yet nothing around them catches on fire. Mu Qing has to avert his eyes from the stinging heat and bright light. It soon dies down, but by the time he can look around, whoever the Night-Touring Green Lantern really is has already left the area. The handful of civilians he was protecting look around in confusion, and gradually wander off and away, muttering their thanks, until Feng Xin is the only one still there.
“I won’t transform back until you leave,” says Mu Qing pointedly. He knows that Feng Xin won’t take the hint just from that comment, but it’s better than silence sitting between them. “And do you have any idea who he might be? Who did you anger so badly that they want to go after you and your b-boyfriend?”
Dammit. Mu Qing has worked so hard on making sure his Xuan Zhen persona is unshakable, a proud and powerful beacon. He can’t be heard stuttering while talking about some civilian and his partner, like some inexperienced preteen.
“I have no clue, honestly,” Feng Xin replies, eyes still searching for the villain. “Who he could be, or why he would go after me or… anyone else.”
It doesn’t slip past Mu Qing that Feng Xin doesn’t directly refer to having a boyfriend. Whoever it is must be really important to him if he wants to keep the relationship so secret. It means that whoever Night-Touring Green Lantern is, he is close enough to Feng Xin to know about this secret boyfriend. It leaves a sour taste in Mu Qing’s mouth that he can’t figure it out—both the villain’s identity and who the boyfriend might be.
“Might want to check on him then, make sure things are okay,” Mu Qing says casually. If Feng Xin pulls out his phone here, he might be able to catch a glimpse of the screen or such. Maybe he can try to figure out who the boyfriend is, which might help in finding Night-Touring Green Lantern. That’s the priority and goal, because finding the villain will allow in protecting more civilians. But Feng Xin just chews on his lip, lost in thought. Mu Qing clears his throat to catch his attention, startling him.
“I guess I should,” Feng Xin says, and just nods. He then starts walking away, with no indication of trying to contact someone. He turns. “Thanks for helping us out here, Xuan Zhen. Best of luck with Green Lantern.”
Mu Qing watches until Feng Xin is out of sight. Once he’s alone, he pulls off his mask, allowing the Xuan Zhen facade to fade away. Leaning against the side of the building, he slides down into a crouch.
“That’s not the fucking villain’s name,” he mutters, nudging at a pebble with his toe. It rolls a little before coming to a stop, stuck in place. It reminds Mu Qing too much of himself. He gets up and kicks at the pebble harder before storming off, not letting himself see where it may have bounced off to.
💥💥💥
It’s another late night for Mu Qing. He’s working on a commission, and has spent the last several hours in front of his sewing machine, losing himself in the fabric and the rhythm. It’s nearly dawn by the time he makes enough progress that satisfies him, for now. At this point, he’s not getting any sleep. He might be able to sneak a nap in later during the day, but Mu Qing is better off staying up until then.
Mu Qing quietly slips out of his apartment, making his way up to the rooftop. His building has a small rooftop garden for the tenants, and it’s one of Mu Qing’s favorite things about living here. It’s an added bonus that he can occasionally get some herbs or fruits from the garden instead of the grocery store, and it has helped him out numerous times when his budget was a little tighter.
He punches in the code allowing him roof access, and takes a deep breath of night air as the door closes behind him. Mu Qing makes his way towards the benches that look out over the city. He stops in his tracks.
There’s a faint outline of a person.
It’s a communal garden, so it makes sense that another person may be here. At the incredibly late—or incredibly early, depending on one’s perception—hour of 5AM, though, Mu Qing doesn’t expect anyone else to be up here. He grabs one of the bricks lining the flowerbed as he slowly approaches.
“Who are you?”
The shadow turns. In the dim lighting, Mu Qing can make out a mask. He squints. It’s…
“Nan Yang? What are you even doing here?”
“Oh shit, sorry for surprising you, I didn’t expect anyone to come up here.” The hero scratches his neck sheepishly as he makes room on the bench. “Had a run-in with the Green Goblin, and he mentioned possibly terrorizing this area… so just keeping an eye out while he’s still out there.”
Mu Qing softly laughs, his initial fright receding. He places the brick back down. “I don’t think that’s his name,” he comments as he takes a seat beside the hero. “And while he’s definitely a menace, your nickname is even further off than what my fr… what my acquaintance called him.” He fondly smiles at the memory. “Green Lantern might be part of the villain’s name, but I think that’s a very different entity.”
Nan Yang chuckles. “Whatever his name is, he’s causing way too many problems. Even if no one’s been hurt, he’s being disruptive and just really annoying.”
Mu Qing nods in agreement. The sky is lightening, the first few rays of morning peaking over the city’s buildings. They stay silent through the sunrise. Mu Qing lets out a yawn as the sunlight hits his face.
“You must be tired, if you’ve been out here all night,” Mu Qing mutters to Nan Yang. The sun makes the masked hero look like he’s glowing. Mu Qing has to look away because he looks so bright, it hurts a little bit.
“I’ll be fine, I rested a bit before coming here, and I can fit in a few naps during the day. You?”
“An all-nighter… but I’ll sleep later.” Mu Qing stands up and turns to face Nan Yang. “I’m Mu Qing. Will you be back again? To patrol and look out for any problem people?”
The mask hides the hero’s eyes, but his smile feels warm and genuine. “Probably. Will you come up here again?”
“Maybe. Stay safe out there.”
Mu Qing is the only one who knows that his “maybe” means “yes.”
💥💥💥
Over the course of the next few weeks, Mu Qing starts making a habit out of catching the sunrise with Nan Yang. Some days it’s because he pulls an all-nighter, but other days he chooses to wake up once to see the hero and the sun before sleeping again for a couple more hours. It’s not daily, and sometimes Nan Yang isn’t there when Mu Qing sleepily makes his way to the roof, but he doesn’t mind. The quiet hours they spend together make up for it. Nan Yang is a surprisingly good listener, and Mu Qing is also getting to know much about the hero that he never would have learned as Xuan Zhen. Their professional relationship never extended to getting to know one another better, and it’s interesting to gain this deeper look into who Nan Yang is, beyond what the public sees. It makes Mu Qing feel special.
Though he may be more familiar with the hero than the average citizen, Mu Qing tries not to let it show. For example, when Feng Xin brings up Nan Yang during their lunch meetings, Mu Qing uses so much self control to not share how much thought the hero puts into the way he comes across to civilians, with extra care to make sure women aren’t uncomfortable around him. When he goes grocery shopping with Xie Lian, he doesn’t talk about how Nan Yang is surprisingly skilled at picking the ripest fruits in the rooftop garden. When he appears as Xuan Zhen and has to work with Nan Yang, he can’t let the other hero know that he’s aware of his fondness for gardenias. In all possible situations, he keeps absolutely silent about how soft and comforting Nan Yang’s famous cloak is, something that he has had draped over himself many, many times in the early mornings. It’s impossible for all these thoughts to not bring a smile to Mu Qing’s face, though.
“What's up with you these days,” Feng Xin breaks Mu Qing’s line of thought and brings him back into their conversation. They’re out for lunch again, though it has been a while since they last hung out. Since learning about Feng Xin’s boyfriend, Mu Qing has tried to maintain some distance. They’ve been spending so much time together in the past few months, and it’s unfair to the mystery boyfriend that so many hours of Feng Xin’s life are with Mu Qing.
“Nothing you need to worry about, I’m fine,” Mu Qing responds, and pushes the conversation back on the track it was before. Their lunch passes by as it always does, with their silly jokes and playful bickering. But the boyfriend knowledge lingers in the back of Mu Qing’s mind, consistently casting a shadow.
He rambles on about it in a half-lucid state when Nan Yang visits in the early morning.
“I don’t know what to call him. We’ve known each other for too long just to be acquaintances, but saying we’re friends just doesn’t… sit right.” Mu Qing draws the hero’s cloak around his shoulders even closer, more for a sense of security than actually needing warmth. “He’s important. Too important. And I know that I’ll never mean to him what he means to me.”
The hero sits and looks at Mu Qing’s profile. It’s easier for Mu Qinng to just look off into the distance instead of maintaining eye contact when he’s being vulnerable and honest like this. He can pretend that he’s talking to himself. Nan Yang softly asks, “This is about the person you get lunch with sometimes, the one you’ve mentioned before?”
Mu Qing nods. “Even when we’re arguing and being rude to each other, he’s just too nice. And I don’t get why.” He closes his eyes and sighs. “I have to be careful, or I’ll keep wanting more of it. Of him.”
Nan Yang lets out a soft oh. Mu Qing keeps his eyes closed, weariness hitting him. He feels himself drifting off while leaning against someone, and dreams of gentle whispers and light caresses. He dreams of being loved.
Mu Qing wakes up an hour or so later alone on the rooftop, lying down on the bench, but with a text from Feng Xin asking to meet for lunch again. It’s been a while since they’ve had lunch together two days in a row, and Mu Qing has been doing his best not to take up so much of Feng Xin’s time, but Feng Xin’s the one who invited him. It would be rude to decline. Mu Qing answers back confirming that the suggested time and place works for him, and starts his day already eager for lunchtime.
As soon as his lunch break arrives, Mu Qing is rushing out the door, determined to arrive a little early. He briskly walks towards the cafe. Around half of the way there, he spots Nan Yang handing someone over to the Waning Moon Officer, a lower-profile hero who works more closely with the justice system and the police commissioner Hua Cheng, who also is Xie Lian’s fiancée. Mu Qing takes a quick look at the time. He can sneak a quick word of thanks to Nan Yang regarding this morning and make it to his lunch on time.
Nan Yang has yet to catch sight of Mu Qing, and Mu Qing follows the hero through less populous roads. They fortunately seem to be heading in the same direction for the most part. A block before the cafe Mu Qing is meeting Feng Xin at, Nan Yang takes a quick turn into a construction site. The workers seem to have today off, making it the perfect area for some privacy.
Mu Qing slides through the poorly chained gates, ready to start teasing Nan Yang. The last thing he expects to see is Feng Xin, holding Nan Yang’s fading mask.
Too many things click into place at once. Feng Xin always speaking highly of Nan Yang, the hero he finds the greatest in Xianle. Nan Yang never calling Night-Touring Green Lantern by his correct name, just like Feng Xin. Nan Yang patrolling his neighborhood from Mu Qing’s rooftop, a building that Feng Xin knows the address and roof access code of. Their bright, shining smiles and laughs. Their wide chests and strong arms. So many similarities that, once Mu Qing starts noticing, he can’t help but see them all.
Gods, he is so stupid.
Feng Xin is still staring at him with panic in his eyes. His mouth hangs slightly open. He looks like a dazed fish. The expression shouldn’t make Mu Qing’s heart squeeze and shatter as much as it does.
“Are you proud of yourself?”
“Proud— Mu Qing, what do you mean?”
Mu Qing’s mouth twists into a nasty snarl. “You know exactly what. Playing me for a fool, acting like we’ve never met before. Did you have fun pretending we were strangers?” The memories of their conversations flood Mu Qing’s mind, and he can feel dread sinking in. “Gods, you must have had a fucking festival with the things you pulled out of me. Things I said because I never, ever, thought you would hear them.” He feels dizzy. He can’t breathe. “You weren’t supposed to know.” He whispers. He needs to get out of here.
It’s like moving underwater. Maybe he hears a “Mu Qing!” echoing around him, but all words sound garbled and jumbled together. The air feels too dense, but somehow he’s able to slip through the tight gates. He rushes away, and by the time his heartbeat has settled and his breathing is more or less regular, Mu Qing is hidden in a sea of people. It’ll be difficult for Feng Xin to find him in this crowd. If Mu Qing is lucky, Feng Xin won’t find him again for quite a while.
💥💥💥
Luck is not on Mu Qing’s side.
As much as he would love to stay inside and pretend that everything is alright, he eventually runs out of fabric and thread, and also has to go buy another few yards of a fabric he doesn’t own for a new commission. He reluctantly leaves his apartment, hoping that he doesn’t run into anyone. His phone is filled with missed notifications, mostly from Feng Xin, and Mu Qing is sure the dumbass has the time during the weekend to try and seek him out.
He’s barely two blocks away from his building when misfortune first catches up to him.
“THERE YOU ARE, MU QING, YOU TOTAL PIECE OF SHIT!!”
It’s thanks to his quick reflexes that Mu Qing doesn’t get burnt to a crisp. Screams erupt around him, and as the crowd thins away, he sees Night-Touring Green Lantern. Great. Just who he wanted to see to lift his spirits.
“I HAD SO MUCH TROUBLE FINDING YOU! AND THAT PESKY NAN YANG WAS ALWAYS WITH YOU, BUT NOW?? NO ONE’S GONNA STOP ME FROM BEATING YOUR ASS!!”
It stings somehow that Night-Touring Green Lantern knows about his late-night meetings with Nan Yang, or Feng Xin, as he turned out to be. It makes them feel less private, less intimate, even if those memories cause a dull ache in Mu Qing’s chest. He doesn’t have time to reflect on any of these emotions, though, because Mu Qing needs to get out of here. If he’s able to get a moment alone, he can transform into Xuan Zhen, and then he’ll have a chance against the villain.
Mu Qing sprints into the nearest building, where people are pouring out of. His eyes go straight to the elevators—if he can get into one alone, and get to the highest level, he’ll definitely have an advantage. He pushes through the masses and successfully reaches an open elevator, pressing the button for the highest floor. Before its doors close, though, he hears an all-too familiar “MU QING!” An arm catches the doors, and Feng Xin squeezes in, panting like he’s been running all over the place searching for Mu Qing.
“Mu Qing, you wouldn’t answer my calls or texts, I was so fucking worried… and then I heard Green Lantern calling your name out there, and I was so scared that you got hurt, but I saw you rush in here.”
Mu Qing refuses to look at him. He rolls his eyes instead and snaps, “I can take care of myself without some bumbling hero helping me, thanks.”
The rest of the elevator ride is silent. They finally reach the top floor, and Mu Qing rushes out. He can still hear Feng Xin’s heavy footsteps behind him.
“Stop following me.”
“We’re heading to the same place! This floor only leads to the roof!”
Mu Qing ignores him, slamming the door to the roof closed as soon as he passes through it. He faintly hears Feng Xin curse and struggle with the door, which is shortly followed by the sound of the door closing again.
“Mu Qing, please. Just give me a moment.”
“Why should I,” Mu Qing swiftly replies as he keeps walking away towards the edge of the roof.
“I’m sorry,” hears Mu Qing, and he whips around. Feng Xin, as Nan Yang, is on his knees, head bowed. He must have transformed while dealing with the roof door. “I never meant to deceive you, or trick you, or hurt you in any way. You—you’re more important to me than you’ll ever understand, and maybe you don’t want me in your life after this. I’ll understand, but please… Please just know that every single moment I have with you is so precious, whether I’m Nan Yang or just me.” He glances up with a pleading look in his eyes. “I should have told you sooner, I was just scared. You’re the only person I would trust knowing this.”
Mu Qing doesn’t know what to say. Despite his eloquence, despite his wide vocabulary and sharp tongue, words are hard when they have to be filled with sincerity and honesty. He always did better with showing his care through actions, whether their meanings were understood by the recipients or, more often, not. This is Feng Xin, though. The man who’s now on his knees begging forgiveness. How can Mu Qing show him how much he cares, how much he trusts him, how much he means to him?
“Zhan Madao, come,” Mu Qing whispers, and his next decision is perfectly reasonable.
He leaps right off the side of the building.
“MU QING!!”
As the small charm on his keychain turns into a large saber and as he transforms into Xuan Zhen, he sees Nan Yang—no, Feng Xin—falling down too, arm extended and reaching for Mu Qing in an effort to grab him. He can’t help but laugh. Xuan Zhen can leap high and run up the sides of buildings, so a fall like this is nothing for him. The same cannot be said for Nan Yang. His skills lie in deadly accurate aim, speed, and immaculate vision rather than enhanced physical strength and ability. Still, Feng Xin didn’t hesitate to follow Mu Qing. What an idiot, he thinks. I absolutely adore this idiot.
Mu Qing quickly repositions himself so he can scale the building, and closes the gap between him and Nan Yang. With a kick off the side of the building, he sails through the air, capturing the other hero in his arms as he arcs toward a lower building’s rooftop. From his place in Mu Qing’s arms, Nan Yang—no, Feng Xin gapes. He asks almost reverently, “You’re Xuan Zhen?”
Mu Qing laughs even harder at his reaction, finally letting himself throw back his head like he has always wanted to with Feng Xin. “It’s only fair for you to know, at this point. And… I want you to know.”
The building they land on looks over the road that Night-Touring Green Lantern is terrorizing. Most of the people have left the area, but it doesn’t stop him from setting the cars and trees around him on fire, creating chaos and destruction.
Feng Xin hadn’t been wrong when he said that long-range attacks would be advantageous in a fight against Night-Touring Green Lantern. The villain himself uses techniques that make it difficult for anyone to come close and directly attack him. The long chains of fireballs creates a barrier between him and his opponents and keeps them far away as he wreaks havoc. When one hero keeps the Green Lantern occupied with an endless torrent of arrows, though, that allows another to swiftly close the distance. By the time Night-Touring Green Lantern realizes that Xuan Zhen is right beside him, the winner is clear. All it takes is one quick hit to the back of the head, and the villain is slumped over and knocked out.
Mu Qing swiftly swipes the mask off Night Touring Green Lantern’s face. The intricate outfit gradually fades away, finally revealing the villain’s true face and form. He seems vaguely familiar, and both Mu Qing and Feng Xin, who rushed to join him as soon as the villain had fallen, pause as they try to put a name to the face.
“… God fucking damn it, it’s Qi Rong.”
“Xie Lian’s deadbeat cousin,” Mu Qing connects the dots. “I’m guessing he was able to find a spiritual device, and decided to go after us before he bothered Xie Lian.” He starts searching for where Qi Rong could be keeping it, and finds the device, a charm of a golden carriage with green gemstones embedded in it, on a chain around the loser’s neck. The device ceases its humming once it’s in Mu Qing’s palm. It seems like it chose Qi Rong to be its master. What a shame that he used the power for no good.
They tie Qi Rong up while he’s unconscious, and Mu Qing pockets the spiritual device. Maybe he could incorporate it into his wedding gift for Xie Lian. The trinket itself looks like something right up his alley.
After leaving Qi Rong and a note in front of the nearby police station, Mu Qing carries Feng Xin with him to his apartment’s rooftop. Fortunately, no one else is there, and they both quickly take their masks off, returning to their usual appearance. Feng Xin has his usual bright eyes and beautiful smile, and Mu Qing feels assured that they’re more or less on the same page. One thing tugs at Mu Qing’s brain, though.
“Who is your boyfriend?” Mu Qing blurts out. “Qi Rong mentioned it, so somehow he knows who it is, but you’ve never mentioned them to me, and I know you said I’m important to you, but I need to better know how. I can’t… it’s unfair to them if I’m misunderstanding what you mean by me being important.”
Feng Xin rubs at his neck. It really is so obvious that he’s Nan Yang, once Mu Qing takes note of these small habits. “I don’t actually have a boyfriend,” he admits. “At least, not yet. Qi Rong caught on long ago that I have a crush on you, and he definitely joked about you being my boyfriend more than once.” He looks at Mu Qing with gentle puppy-dog eyes. “And I was planning to ask before… well, you know, before all that happened.” His arm drops down to his side as he avoids eye contact. “I get it if you would rather not.”
Mu Qing flushes. Gods, he can’t believe that he was basically jealous of himself. He grabs Feng Xin’s wrist and drags him towards the exit. “Well, thanks to an idiot villain, my shopping plans were interrupted, but I still have a whole list of things I need,” he explains. “And it would help a lot if m-my boyf-friend helped with all that.”
He doesn’t need to look at Feng Xin to feel his big, beaming smile. Mu Qing basks in Feng Xin’s laugh as he picks up his pace to walk alongside him, and it’s comfortable. Familiar. It may take a bit to let himself become used to the warmth beside him, but he knows it’ll be worth it.
It’s fine if they take their time figuring things out. They don’t know yet about how the first time Feng Xin holds Mu Qing’s hand during one of their lunches, the latter remains flushed red the rest of their meal. For all his snarking and complaining, his grip on Feng Xin’s hand never lessens. They don’t know that during one of their hero missions together, Feng Xin gets caught in a trap, dangling him upside down and making Mu Qing laugh harder than he has in years. Once he calms down a little, he presses a gentle kiss to the other hero’s lips—one of many, many more to come, in their hero lives and their private lives. They don’t know just how inseparable they’ll become. They become Feng Xin and Mu Qing, Xuan Zhen and Nan Yang. They’ll live their years catching each other, no matter how many times they might fall.