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Feng Xin was supposed to be in the mortal realm. That he wasn't was a continuous source of mingled confusion and frustration for him. Feng Xin spent most of his time in the mortal realm hunting demons and monsters and murderous ghosts …And someone else as well. That was why he went after all, even if he’d never admit it out loud, to search for someone who hadn't been seen in 800 years, someone who might not even still be in the world, but still he needed an excuse to go and an excuse for a martial god meant something to fight and there had been strangely less to fight in the last couple of hundred years and he was really unhappy about it. For a while he'd thought that some other martial god must be poaching from his territory, maybe the battle obsessed Qi Ying or the overexcited Tai Hua but they’d both denied it. He even confronted Mu Qing about it, assuming this must be the bastard’s latest attempt to fuck with him. The resulting fight had torn apart the grand martial avenue, seen both of them confined to their palaces for weeks, and still not gotten him any closer to answers. Feng Xin was frustrated and he was confused and he was supposed to be in the mortal realm but there was nothing for him to fight and so instead he was in the heavens on the day that answers arrived.
***
Feng Xin stands on the edge of the crater and stares. That's all he can do really, just stare. Only a few moments before he’d thought that watching a giant bell crash down on Mu Qing’s head was the most momentous thing that would happen all day. Oh but he was wrong. He was so wrong… There's a man standing in the crater, a man with long dark hair and golden eyes and a face that was once as familiar to Feng Xin as his own.
Xie Lian.
Xie Lian who Feng Xin hasn’t seen in 800 years. Xie Lian who is suddenly here. Xie Lian who … Who looks as though he was caught off-guard in the middle of getting ready for bed?
The prince is dressed in finely made white sleeping robes, his long hair hanging loose down his back. He's also wearing a warm looking unbelted outer robe in crimson and gold so he clearly wasn't actually in bed when he ascended but it looks like he was close. It also looks like his life has changed a lot since they last parted. His skin is clean, his hair untangled, and there are no shadows around his eyes or thinness in his face to suggest a lack of either sleep or meals. As for his clothes… They aren't overstated or flashy or anything, but even without a whit of Mu Qing’s knowledge about such things, Feng Xin can tell at a glance that they are well made, /very/ well made.
“Your highness.” It’s Ling Wen who pushes herself to the front of the gaping crowd and takes charge of the situation by addressing the very confused looking prince. Feng Xin’s glad. He’s reeling and confused and he still can't seem to manage a word.
At the sound of his title Xie Lian raises his head and glances up in the direction of Ling Wen. “I'm sorry, have we met?”
Ling Wen shakes her head. “Only in passing. I am Ling Wen. I am currently the head of the civil gods. Congratulations on your return to heaven.”
Xie Lian’s eyes widen momentarily but then they narrow again and he shakes his head. “Thank you, but I'm not actually…” Whatever he's going to say is cut off as Xie Lian starts, eyes widening for a second time, then quickly puts two fingers to his temple as though addressing someone telepathically.
… Who the fuck could Xie Lian be talking to telepathically? He's only been back for about five seconds and it's hardly like the prince has many friends among the gods. Feng Xin would know, as things stand he's probably the only one, and he sure as hell isn't the one that Xie Lian is communicating with so who the fuck…?
“Well, well, he’s back five minutes and he’s already too important to talk to us?” The scathing comment comes from nearby and fuck it really was too much to hope that the bell crushed Mu Qing wasn’t it? Feng Xin is about to turn and tell him to fuck off when Ling Wen speaks again.
“Your highness? Is something the matter.”
The words cause Feng Xin to stop fantasizing about making Mu Qing into a crater of his own and return his full attention to Xie Lian who still has two fingers pressed to his forehead, his expression a strange mix of fondness and concern which Feng Xin doesn't understand anymore than he understands anything else about this.
At Ling Wen’s words the prince’s eyes refocus on her and he looks as though he's about to say something but before he can a crash comes from behind the crowd causing all of the assembled spectating god to jump and spin away from the newly re-ascended enigma to face the sound of this new disruption.
The disruption turns out to be the door of a nearby palace, a door which has broken its bolts seemingly of its own accord and is now swinging slowly open to reveal a black void beyond. Feng XIn stiffens, his hand going to his sword, and that's all he has time for before the butterflies appear. They swarm out of the door, an unstoppable tide of silver wings which rush out into the heavens to be met by the screams of the dozens of terrified gods most of whom rush for cover, shouting and bumping into each other in their haste to get away from the nightmare descending upon them.
Supreme.
Calamity.
Devastation.
As a martial god Feng Xin is one of the few who stands his ground, instead throwing up his arms and shouting “shield!” Beside him Mu Qing does the same, their centuries old enmity falling away in the face of a much greater foe.
“What is he doing here!?” Mu Qing hisses out the words as the reign of silver butterflies slams into their shields so hard that the two martial gods are actually driven back a step.
Feng Xin digs his feet in as best he can and is about the snap that he doesn’t have a fucking clue when his foot hits a piece of rubble spat out by the crater behind him and a horrible thought crosses the god’s mind. Instantly Feng Xin glances back over his shoulder. Ling Wen is no longer standing before the crater. she's been pulled off to the side now, General Pei standing before her with his sword drawn, and alone on the crater’s rim stands Xie Lian, Xie Lian who doesn't show any signs of running or hiding or even being alarmed, Xie Lian who is unarmed, Xie Lian who has spent eight centuries in the mortal world and probably has no idea what those butterflies mean.
“Your highness! Get behind us!” The words, the first ones he spoken to his former prince in 800 years, are out of Feng Xin’s mouth before he can give them a second thought, all his earlier awkwardness burning away in the face of the current danger.
“That's not a very good idea.” The voice is mild, mocking, and far too fucking confident and Feng Xin knows even before his eyes return to the doorway that it will no longer be filled with void alone.
Crimson Rain Sought Flower has come to the heavens.
“What the fuck do you think you're doing here!?” Feng Xin snaps the words, fury, and yes, fear, lending power to his shielding spell. Through the rain of silver wings still beating against it he can see a figure peeling himself from the darkness of the doorway, a figure tall and lean and unmistakable crimson.
“I've come to reclaim what's mine.” There is a languid edge to the voice and yet just below it danger lurks.
“You’re after Xie Lian aren’t you!?” Mu Qing snaps out the accusation and Feng Xin’s eyes widen as he too realizes that this timing is clearly no coincidence.
“You can’t have him!” It's been 800 years but at the combination of his first sight of his prince in centuries and the sudden threat all Feng Xin’s instincts as Xie Lian’s bodyguard come rushing back.
“Really? And there I thought the two of you were too scared to challenge me.” Again that mocking tone, again the danger just beneath it so palpable that it sets every hair on the back of Feng Xin’s neck standing on end. There's a sword in the ghost king’s hand now and Feng Xin’s alarm only increases as he recognizes the dreaded scimitar E’ming.
“Crimson Rain. Cease this!” The call comes from Ling Wen from where she still stands shielded behind Pei Ming and Feng Xin has to give her credit. She's the only civil god who hasn't run. “You cannot simply barge into the heavens and demand we hand over a heavenly official. I don't know what history you have with His Highness but we will not be giving him to you.”
“I didn't ask for permission.” Crimson Rain stalks toward Feng Xin and Mu Qing, cursed scimitar firmly in hand.
“Bastard! I won’t let you near him!”
Crimson Rain’s single eye glints with something that might be amusement and might be fury and the butterflies part around them as he raises his blade. “Are you going to stop me?”
With the butterflies no longer the most immediate threat Feng Xin’s hand snaps to his hilt but before he can draw his own sword a completely incongruous noise comes from behind him, a sigh, half fondness half exasperation. An instant later a gentle hand lands on his shoulder and from the way Mu Qing stiffens at the same instant Feng Xin guesses that he's received a touch as well.
“You two should probably move aside now.” The voice is Xie Lian’s still exasperated, still fond, and not the least bit afraid.
“What!?” Feng Xin twitches in the prince’s direction before catching himself. He can't risk taking his eyes off of Crimson Rain.
“You sound like you want to go with him!” Mu Qing’s tone is accusatory and Feng Xin instinctively bristles.
“Of course he doesn't!”
“Actually he does.” Xie Lian’s tone is still mild but there's a slight edge of firmness to it now and this time Feng Xin really can't resist just turning and staring at him.
“Do you have any idea who that is!? That’s Crimson Rain Sought Flower! He’s a ghost king, one of the four Calamities, and he’s killed 33 gods!”
“We can still make it 35.” Crimson Rain chimes in helpfully.
Instead of looking even slightly alarmed by all this Xie Lian just rubs at the side of his forehead.
“San Lang…”
Who???
“Yes?”
It's only when Crimson Rain replies, a fake innocent tone to his voice, that Feng Xin realizes to his horror that the familiar nickname was meant for the ghost king.
“I already asked you not to kill them. You agreed not to kill them.”
Said in a different tone the words could've sounded furious or desperate or pleading, the words of a doomed man bravely trying to at least save the lives of those around him but the way Xie Lian says it carries none of that, instead the prince makes it sound like he's a parent delivering the mildest of scoldings.
“But they’re keeping me away from you.” When Crimson Rain speaks to Xie Lian all the menace goes out of his voice to be replaced by consternation and … Is he pouting? There is no way. There's absolutely no way that /the/ Crimson Rain Sought Flower is pouting.
“San Lang, I already told you. It's just ascension. They didn't abduct me.”
“Not yet.” Crimson Rain’s eye narrows, his tone turning deadly serious for the first time. “I don’t trust Jun Wu.”
“I know.” Xie Lian’s tone turns serious as well and then, before Feng Xin or Mu Qing can recover enough from this truly bizarre exchange to do anything to stop him, Xie Lian pushes them gently apart and slips between them heading straight for Hua Cheng.
“Your highness get back here!” Feng Xin makes a belated grab for Xie Lian just moments too late to actually stop him.
“Leave him.” It’s Pei Ming who speaks for the first time. He’s still standing in front of Ling Wen, his hand still on his sword, but the narrow eyed look he’s giving Crimson Rain is speculative rather than angry. “This could be interesting.”
Feng Xin opens his mouth to curse at him but all that comes out is a strangled spluttering sound for in the time the exchange has taken Xie Lian has reached Hua Cheng and the ghost king has sheathed his sword so that he can pull the prince into his arms.
For a very long moment all Feng Xin can do is stare and blink and stare some more because there's no way he's seeing this, there's absolutely no way he's seeing this, there's no way that his highness and Crimson Rain Sought Flower are … Embracing!?!?
“What the fuck!? What the fuck!? WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!?”
Beside him Mu Qing’s eyes are bugging out of his head and he's opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. Normally Feng Xin would make fun of him for that but there is NOTHING normal about ANY of this.
WHAT. THE. FUCK.
“Ho Ho~ so that explains it.” The comment comes, of course, from Pei Fucking Ming!
“Explains what!?” Feng Xin rounds on him. “What the fuck does it explain!?”
“The love bites on your prince’s neck.” Pei Ming actually has the gall to arch a smug eyebrow at him. “Come on Nan Yang, don't tell me you didn't notice.”
LOVE BITES!?!?
Once again rendered absolutely speechless Feng Xin spins back around to stare at the side of Xie Lian’s pale neck, where to his horror he sees that yes there /are/a few pink bruises. Bruises … And nothing else. The cursed shackle is gone!
“Xie Lian explain yourself!” Mu Qing snaps the words causing Crimson Rain to turn his head in the god's direction. The look the ghost king gives him is murderous enough to make Feng Xin, who fantasizes about murdering Mu Qing at least once a day, step a little closer to him in solidarity.
“He doesn't owe you an explanation, or anything else.” Crimson Rain’s gaze might be fire but his voice is pure ice.
“It's alright.” Xie Lian reaches up to lightly squeeze the ghost king's shoulder, then turns, still in the circle of Hua Cheng’s arms, to face them. “I don't mind.”
“I'm glad to hear it.” Ling Wen’s tone is deceptively mild but it’s the sort of mild that usually comes with an extra month’s worth of paperwork. “In that case, your highness, would you mind explaining things?”
“Certainly.” Xie Lian gives her a polite smile as though they're just having a normal conversation and he isn't currently standing in a ghost king’s arms. “I didn't intend to ascend again and I don't think it's right for me anymore so I'm going to head home now.”
“With him!?” Mu Qing’s voice is a choked mixture of scathing disbelief.
“With him.” Something hardens in Xie Lian’s tone as he turns to survey Mu Qing, then, softening. “We’re supposed to be watching fireworks right now.”
“FIREWORKS!?” Feng Xin stares at him in disbelief. “Didn't you fucking hear me!? That’s Crimson Rain! Hua Cheng! A Ghost King! A Calamity! A…”
“I know who he is.” Xie Lian’s words cut through Feng Xin’s like a blade through flesh, his tone every bit as hard as drawn steel. “I know you are just trying to look out for me but please refrain from speaking that way about my husband. I promise I knew exactly who he was before I married him.”
“MARRIED!?” Feng Xin chokes on the word.
“Husband!?” Mu Qing blurts the word, his voice actually cracking in disbelief.
“Ho Ho.” Says Pei Ming. Again. And Feng Xin would probably consider strangling him if he wasn't too busy staring at his former prince, his former god, in abject horror.
“Your highness … Is this some kind of a joke?” Ling Wen stairs at Xie Lian as those she really /really/ wants this to be a joke. Feng Xin can relate.
Xie Lian shakes his head, a smile flickering at the corners of his lips. “No, not for five hundred years.”
“Five Hundred…” Feng Xin’s mouth shapes the number but his mind can hardly comprehend it. “How-“
“Ah…” Xie Lian’s cheeks turn a bit pink at that. “I made a bet with him in his gamblers den. My chastity vow for his ashes.”
Suddenly Feng Xin wishes with all of his heart that the bell which fell on Mu Qing had fallen on him instead, and knocked him out. Being knocked out would definitely be preferable to hearing… “WHAT THE FUCK!?”
To his right the infuriating Pei Ming is laughing softly. “Your highness, the stories seem to have underestimated you, and Crimson Rain, I never thought you would be open to such a bet.”
“Only with his highness.” The Ghost King’s arms tighten possessively around Xie Lian and oh the sight makes Feng Xin want to vomit.
“Why only him?” Mu Qing’s tone is an accusation, his narrowed eyes fixing on the gem hanging from the ghost king's ear. “What is it about him that makes him worth betting your ashes for?”
Hua Cheng’s expression hardens instantly. “Everything.” Then turning more mocking, “though it seems like you have some theories. Better air them out before they /sweep/ you away.”
Mu Qing tenses, his voice rising and octave with anger. “It is you! You were that brat!”
“I was.”
Feng Xin isn't quite sure what Mu Qing is accusing him of but whatever it is, Hua Cheng sounds mockingly unruffled.
“Xie Lian, are you hearing this!?” Mu Qing spins to face the prince. “He admits it! He was that creepy brat from the heavenly processional!”
“Wait WHAT!?” Feng Xin’s eyes widen.
…But Xie Lian’s don’t. “I know. I told you both already I knew exactly who he was before I married him and I already asked you not to speak to him like that.” Xie Lian’s tone turns hard enough that even Mu Qing hesitates for a moment.
Pei Ming, in contrast, is completely undeterred. “Who won the bet?”
“Er…” The pink in Xie Lian’s cheeks becomes a bit more noticeable. “We didn't actually get around to making a bet…”
Pei Ming cackles and Feng Xin wants to punch him …Or punch himself? Yeah punching himself would be good that way he wouldn’t have to listen to ANY of this!
At Pei Ming’s side, Ling Wen shoves an elbow into his ribs then clears her throat rather pointedly. “Interesting as all of this is I would like to return to what your highness said about declining your ascension. Were you serious about that?”
The blush fades from Xie Lian’s cheeks as he turns to her. “I am.”
Ling Wen frowns. “The Emperor won't like that.”
Xie Lian’s eyes narrow. “I know.”
Ling Wen looks as though she's about to object again but Crimson Rain speaks before she can.
“Gege, you don't have to justify yourself to this trash.”
Xie Lian seems to consider that and something unspoken passes between god and demon. After a moment Xie Lian slowly nods. “alright, take me home, San Lang?”
“Of course, beloved.” Hua Cheng’s tone softens and he shifts his grip on Xie Lian so that one arm is around the prince’s waste, the other hand reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pair of crimson dice.
“Wait!” The cry bursts from Feng Xin’s lips as the reality of what's about to happen finally breaks through his shock enough to catch up with him. “Are you seriously going to give up being a god just to be with him!?”
Xie Lian’s eyes meet Feng Xin’s and there's no hesitation them, no uncertainty, no regrets.
“Yes, I am.”
And with that the two shatter into a thousand silver butterflies, leaving the heavens far behind.