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axxa-the-allikatt · 3 days ago

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My first FengQing fic! Collab with @screeching-painter-witch. Loved working with you! Glad I had someone to help me through with my first fic about them TwT I’ve been wanting to write them forever but I was too nervous 🥲. Can’t wait for us to start working on part two <3

Here ya go guys.

***

HEAVEN JUST GOT SWEETER FOR YOU

Summary:

“Ling Wen. Hey Ling Wennn. I won the bet. Pay up.” Pei Ming's voice came in. “Which bet?” Ling Wen replied.

“You know, the one where I said the generals of the south would sleep with each other within a decade?”

There was a pause. “General Ming Guang, this is the general communication array.”

“…Shit.”

As they deal with the stress of an unexplained plague in the South, Mu Qing and Feng Xin’s bickering takes a turn for the worse as Feng Xin unintentionally brings up Mu Qing’s mother.

Mu Qing storms off and ends up in his mother’s tomb, and unwittingly gives himself up to a monster in the disguise of his beloved mother.

As Mu Qing is on the verge of dying at the hands of the monster, he subconsciously sends a prayer to Feng Xin in his last moments.

Feelings ensue. Feng Xin probably ascends for a second time.

Pei Ming is going to lose his job.

***

Text

“Don’t get into too much trouble!” Xie Lian called out from the door to the two generals walking away. Mu Qing rolled his eyes as Feng Xin waved at the man, before their expressions turned sour as Hua Cheng draped himself over Xie Lian’s shoulder, giving them a smirk.

Feng Xin and Mu Qing were on their way back to the Heavenly Capital after going to Xie Lian's Puqi Shrine for tea.

After everything with Jun Wu had happened, and Pei Ming had taken over as interim Heavenly Emperor while the Heavens were being rebuilt, Feng Xin, Mu Qing and Xie Lian had been working on rebuilding their friendship.

Their new dynamic, where they were all more or less on equal footing socially, meant they'd had to form new ways to redefine their friendship from the ground up, and tea at Puqi Shrine had become both a way for them to reconnect and catch up, and a way for Feng Xin and Mu Qing, who still lived in the heavens, to escape the stresses of rebuilding the Heavenly Capital for a bit.

It had become a near weekly occurrence, during which the three had become closer and more comfortable spending time with each other (even in spite of Hua Cheng's catty remarks that Xie Lian had to visibly stifle a laugh at. Apparently Xie Lian and Mu Qing were more similar than Feng Xin had previously thought).

Today, though, things were a little more fraught than usual.

Feng Xin and Mu Qing had been notified of a plague that was beginning to ravage the South.

It was a strange condition. No one new how it was transmitted or what caused it, only that those who caught it would fall victim to terrible nightmares, crying out to people they cared about or loved ones they'd lost, until the strain of the dream drained them and they grew calm, stopped moving entirely and never woke up again.

This time, they had visited Xie Lian for advice. In his 800 years of banishment, Xie Lian had apparently run into every terrifying creature and circumstance possible, and no god had spent as much time in the mortal realm as he had.

Mu Qing had suspected it might be a ghost draining mortals' qi, and they had silently agreed that if Xie Lian did not know anything, Hua Cheng certainly would. Not that they would ask him outright. If Hua Cheng knew something, he would certainly not pass up a chance to impress "gege" (Feng Xin still grew a little red at the way Hua Cheng said that word to Xie Lian).

Apparently, Xie Lian had run into such monsters before, and even been assaulted by some of them. The casual way he'd described the encounters, plural, made Feng Xin shiver.

Hua Cheng had also run into such creatures. He confirmed Mu Qing's suspicions that the condition described by the mortals was most likely caused by a creature, although it was more demon than ghost. One of them had attempted to feed on the strong Yin energy of Ghost City, and after the disappearances of numerous ghosts, Hua Cheng had become aware of it and dealt with the problem.

He'd said no more but only stated that it "should be easy to kill for a martial god."

Feng Xin and Mu Qing had exchanged a glance at his slight mocking tone.

As the two began walking away, Feng Xin could tell Mu Qing was on edge. He hated being seen as incompetent, and Hua Cheng's remark had managed to make him feel just that.

“Fucker” Feng Xin muttered under his breath, referring to Hua Cheng. Mu Qing rolled his eyes again before adding “Can he not speak in riddles for once? Lives are on the line here!” “What was it that he said again? Something about memories haunting and losses. What the fuck is that even supposed to mean?!” Feng Xin hissed.

“Why don’t you try to actually use that brain of yours? Oh wait, you might lose your remaining common sense.” Mu Qing taunted.

“Shut up! It’s not as if you know the answer!”. Mu Qing huffed in annoyance but kept quiet.

“I thought so! Stop acting like you’re so smart. You aren’t all that.” Feng Xin muttered under his breath. “What was that!?” Mu Qing demanded.

Feng Xin was about to repeat what he said, before he had, what he thought, a brilliant idea to rail Mu Qing up. “I said maybe, commoners should train better so that they can protect themselves from the plague!”

Mu Qing grit his teeth. “Yeah?! Well, maybe if the not so commoners of Xianle had trained better, we wouldn’t have lost the war!”

“What the fuck?! Where did that come from?! Fuck off!”

“Do us a favour and kill yourself!” Mu Qing hissed back as they both ascended to the heavenly capital

“Well, maybe you should kill yourself. Go join your mother and she might teach you some actual manners this time!”

Mu Qing, who was in the middle of a retort, froze. His angry expression carefully settled into a blank stare as he stood shocked for a few moments. Feng Xin stilled at this reaction, his heart dropping into his stomach as Mu Qing swallowed hard before slowly backing away. Before he could call out to him, he had disappeared into an array, closing it before Feng Xin had a chance to run after him.

“Fuck.” Feng Xin muttered.

***

The array fell closed behind Mu Qing.

Feng Xin ran in the direction Mu Qing had disappeared in, ready to open and array himself until he realised he had no idea where Mu Qing had gone and no way of finding out.

With how badly he'd fucked up, Mu Qing would probably want to be alone right now anyway.

Fuck, fuck, FUCK!

Why did he say that? Why did he ever think it was a good idea to bring up Mu Qing's mother when he had failed to be there for Mu Qing when she'd died?

It had been going so well with Mu Qing.

After the Mt. Tonglu incident, Feng Xin had realised how wrong he was about what kind of person Mu Qing was and he had been more than happy (reluctant but not against it) to help when Xie Lian had reached out to him to help get Mu Qing to be more comfortable with them.

It had taken him all his strength not to mention Mu Qing’s little f-f-friends speech at Mt. Tonglu but really, almost all the times they used to fight in the past few centuries, he’d never thought that Mu Qing would really take it to heart.

Tripping over his own feet, Feng Xin had a vague thought about going down to the mortal realm to find Mu Qing, but realised that what he’d said was fucked up and Mu Qing would probably need space. The communication array. Right! Trying to call out to him in the array, he was met with silence. Fuck.

What the fuck was he going to do now? Leaving Mu Qing alone for a bit seemed like a good idea, but for how long? Should he wait at his palace? Should he ask someone for help? Who would he ask?

He did not want to worry Xie Lian about this. Besides, who knew if Mu Qing would be angry at him for sharing that fight and his reaction with Xie Lian?

No, he needed to seek advice from an impartial party. Someone with better social skills than himself, who had seen his and Mu Qing's fights over the centuries. That left…

The only person in the heavenly capital who had any idea about situations like these. Pei Ming (who was the interim heavenly emperor now). As much as Feng Xin didn’t want to go to him for help, he knew he’d messed up horribly this time and needed some clarification on what to do.

"Nan Yang! What brings you to my palace?"

Feng Xin had not realised how quickly he'd already reached Pei Ming's palace before the idea had fully formed in his mind.

"General." Feng Xin nodded at him. "I need advice on a certain… issue."

Curiosity piqued, Pei Ming gestured at Feng Xin to sit next to him. "And what is this 'certain problem?' Another fight with Xuan Zhen? I'm sure you can cover the damages," he said, playfully. Feng Xin winced. He clearly didn't expect that to be the actual reason.

"Yes," he said.

Pei Ming raised an eyebrow.

"Well, there are no damages, but..." Feng Xin trailed off lamely. He wasn't sure how to describe what had just happened.

After a moment’s pause, Feng Xin began murmuring to himself what sounded like a string of curses, and Pei Ming couldn’t make heads nor tails of it.

“General Nan Yang, if you’re here to curse my ancestors out of the dead, I’d be highly offended, you know.”

Feng Xin took a deep breath. “I need help. It’s…urgent.”

"Yes. You’ve said that. I'm afraid you will need to be a bit clearer, general."

Feng Xin shot him a look that probably would have made Mu Qing proud in other circumstances.

Pei Ming waited surprisingly patiently as he tried to find the words.

"We had a fight."

"That part is to be expected," Pei Ming replied. "But that's par for the course for you guys. What happened that you came here?"

Feng Xin tried to find a way to phrase it.

"..."

"It wasn't a normal fight." Great. Perfectly said. Mu Qing would have had a field day with that one.

Pei Ming, for his part, looked confused but curious. Feng Xin had a feeling he was fishing for gossip. Although, as Heavenly Emperor, he would have to keep it under wraps, at least until the whole issue was resolved.

“What's this issue that is so concerning that the general has come to ask for my help?”

"Well…There is a plague in the South, and we were looking for ways to combat it."

Pei Ming's face turned serious. "And have you made any headway?"

"We have some information, but not enough to have a clear picture of what to do. We were discussing our next course of action and we couldn't come to an agreement. The conversation got more hostile and..."

"And?"

Feng Xin sighed. “Mu- General Xuan Zhen and I started arguing again. And I sort of unintentionally brought up something that made him stalk off who knows where.”

“Oh. And what’s this that you brought up?”

Feng Xin grit his teeth, knowing full well that Pei Ming was asking for future purposes. “I.. said something about his mother.”

Pei Ming faked a gasp. “Oh that is a low blow, general!”

“I know, you bastard! That’s why I’m here for help. It’s the first time he’s ignored me in the array. He always replies,even if we’ve fought! Fuck, what if something’s happened to him?! What if he-“

Pei Ming put up a hand to stop Feng Xin from going off in a tangent. “I’m sure he’s fine, general. I don’t think he’d appreciate you thinking of him as weak. He’s probably in a fight with some demon that blocks the communication array. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.

The two of you know each other well, and you practically share a domain. A bond like that should make you as good as brothers! Back when I had just ascended-"

Feng Xin suddenly felt awkward. He rubbed at his neck, tuning out the next thing Pei Ming was about to say.

He'd really fucked up.

***

Mu Qing had no idea where his feet were leading him. He really hadn’t expected Feng Xin’s words to sting so much.

He had been so relieved when Feng Xin and His Highness had invited him to Puqi shrine, a few weeks after the Jun Wu incident. He had been sceptical at first, thinking this was a joke to remind him of what had happened at Mt. Tonglu. But neither of them had brought up the incident, and they had spent almost an entire day conversing about the Xianle days.

It had been a surprise for all of them, when both Feng Xin and Xie Lian had cautiously asked Mu Qing if he would mind cooking, and Mu Qing, for once, did not feel like they were treating him as a mere servant, and had began preparing without any argument. Over the months they had spent several days in each other’s company.

Once Hua Cheng had returned, Xie Lian had more often than not excused himself from these hangouts early, and Mu Qing found himself spending the rest of the day in the company of only Feng Xin.

He had gotten too comfortable with Feng Xin’s snarky remarks because he had believed, for once, that they held no poison behind them. Stupid stupid stupid.

Now he had to face the painful numbness that he was so used to, back when everyone pulled at his threads about his status and… and his mom. Mother. It was then that he realised where he was going. His mother’s tomb. The place that buried all the painful memories and safe guarded all the happy ones.

Even before he'd ascended, Mu Qing had wanted to find a good spot to build a final resting place for his mother. A place deserving of the honour of holding her. He didn't know when exactly the idea had first come into his mind. Muddled thoughts about what to do next and honouring her legacy were all his mind could manage after she'd died, and no one else knew how much of his determination to ascend after that was for her. She would not be remembered otherwise. No matter how wise, patient, beautiful, elegant she had been, no one would spare her name a glance.

She deserved better. She deserved the honours of a queen. Mu Qing had not been able to give her that in life, but he'd be damned if anything kept him from at least doing so in death.

He'd built her a tomb himself, filled with engravings and gold and jewels, deep in a forest in the Southwest. He'd disguised it so that, to the eyes of mortals and less powerful gods, it looked like a small decrepit hut.

He visited it whenever he needed comfort. Sitting with his mother in silence gave him a sense of peace he couldn't manage as easily in his palace in the Heavens.

But now, as he neared the clearing, the place felt more stifling than relaxing, more dangerous than safe. Stepping into the area, his breath caught in his throat. There, sitting on the stone steps of the little hut, his mother was beckoning him.

The first thing he felt was guilt.

How could he have forgotten the gold specks in the pitch black colour of her eyes? Her dimples when she smiled?

Mu Qing wasn't an idiot. The second he saw her he'd immediately put together Hua Cheng's stupid riddles. Of course the thing before him was not his mother. Of course it was whatever had been causing the deaths across the South, plaguing villagers with memories of those they'd lost until the strain was too much, feeding its victims' qi as their pain rendered them unable to move.

Of course it had found this spot, brimming with Mu Qing's spiritual energy after centuries, and decided to lure him here.

Mu Qing realised all this.

But maybe, just maybe…. “Hello mother” he called out, walking towards the hut. “Perhaps, Feng Xin was right. It’s about time I joined you” He leaned into the outstretched arms of his mother. Relaxing into the touch he missed so terribly, “Take me home mother.”

As his ‘mother’ wrapped her arms around him, he felt the soothing touch calm the torrent of spiritual energy flowing through him.

Seconds passed into minutes. Slowly, he felt his consciousness slip from his grasp, a lovely numbness spreading across his body.

Melting into the embrace, Mu Qing tried to grasp his thoughts, which tauntingly slipped from his fingers every time he held onto one for too long.

Pleasant memories flashed through his head; of the Xianle days, where he would pick berries for his mother, or would secretly slip a smile at a stupid joke that Xie Lian would make; of the times when Xie Lian had ascended and he would help him with his infinite amount of prayers; of the days back in the mortal realm, performing in the streets for whatever they could earn; of the day where Mu Qing finally ascended, years and years of training finally paying off; of the all the little things that helped him stay strong for hundreds of years; of Feng Xin whom he couldn’t tolerate, yes, but also the one person in all the world who had been with him through all these ups and downs. Feng Xin.

Feng Xin. Shit.

With a startle, Mu Qing opened his eyes, trying to jump away from this demon that had the audacity to lure him in using his beloved mother’s form.

He realised with a shocked grunt he couldn’t feel his limbs, nor could he sense any spiritual energy flowing through his body. With a wretched gasp, he felt bile rise up his throat, and blood oozing out of his nose, onto the cold wooden floor which he was now lying on.

He cried out in agony as the demon, which had returned to its real form, an ugly eight legged, one eyed monster, sunk its claws into this skull, piercing it with a painful crack. He was losing consciousness again.

He thought again of his mother. Of the woman who had dedicated her life's efforts to raising him, to making sure he could survive and follow what he wanted to do. She had believed he was strong enough to ascend, and he had. He was not going to throw that away. But what could he do now?

How stupid was he?! Falling into the arms of a demon that he could’ve ended within moments? Now he was stuck in the clutches of a monster, falling into the same fate as those innocent mortals.

At first the dreams were still nice. Sweet, calm moments of his mother teaching him how to cook, how to make the best of each plant and animal so they would have as much to eat as possible. Mu Qing and his mother, washing laundry together. Her steady hands and soft voice, patiently teaching him how to sew, each stitch demonstrated again and again, her kindness at his messy imitations until he improved.

Slowly, though, the dreams kept becoming darker, more distressing.

His mother's illness. Her shaking hands, no longer able to earn them food by mending clothes. Her voice, getting quieter and quieter. Her flushed face distorted in the agony of fever and pain. Mu Qing, sitting by her bedside, unable to do anything but watch. Hating to leave her alone, but he had to, to work, sweeping, washing, changing the prince's sheets, mending clothes--

The fall of Xianle, and then the fall of his mother, weak, delirious with pain, nearly unrecognisable by the end of it. He'd just wanted to join her, stay with her forever in the Ghost Realm, or the next life.

He could hear her voice, twisted into unusual cruelty, saying that he'd abandoned her, hadn't done enough, hadn't worked hard enough to get her the medicine on time, hadn't recognised what was wrong early enough, that he'd run off to cultivate with the Crown Prince without a care for her.

It was this cruel voice that roused a small part of Mu Qing. His mother would never say that. She never would have blamed her son for anything they went through. Even ravaged by fever and pain, she had been the one to encourage Mu Qing to find new friends, to take any opportunity he wanted, to make her proud by becoming proud of himself. As weak as she had been, she had celebrated with him when Xie Lian had argued for him to become a disciple at Mount Taicang.

Who was this creature to distort her memory like this? And how could Mu Qing possible let that stand?

Unfortunately, these thoughts had come too late.

Struggling but failing miserably, millions of thoughts flit through his head, trying to make the last impression on him before he cracked under the pain. But there was one thought, only one, that made its impact. Feng Xin.

Feng Xin. Feng Xin. Feng Xin. Feng Xin. Feng Xin. Feng Xin. Feng Xin.

Stupid Feng Xin. He wanted to think Feng Xin was an asshole for landing him in this situation. But really, Mu Qing knew he had only himself to blame. It was just a stupid remark.

Why did things have to end so badly between them? Mu Qing used to think that Feng Xin would be his death, but in death the only thoughts passing through him were of Feng Xin. How miserable.

But although Mu Qing tried to convince himself that he was annoyed at this, he still held onto the thought of Feng Xin, like it was his life line.

Feng Xin. General Nan Yang.

He passed out.

***

“And you should’ve seen her face! It was as if she had never knew gods existed! Then there was that woman who-“

It had been 10 minutes since Pei Ming began droning on about his female conquests of the decade (where had he found the time?!) and it had been 10 minutes since Feng Xin zoned out.

Honestly, for once, he wished that he could focus on Pei Ming’s gossip, because, right now, he wanted to think about anything but what Mu Qing might be doing.

His heart was racing marathons and he really wished Mu Qing would just come back to him and impale him with that saber of his (fuck, that sounded wrong…well-) instead of ignoring him. It was making him feel things he didn’t know were possible.

On one hand, in the current situation, Feng Xin felt so fucking bad for saying the things he did, and (although he would never admit it) he would fall to his knees if that was what it took for Mu Qing to talk to him again.

On the other hand, for the past few weeks, that feeling in his heart that brimmed every time he was with Mu Qing for the past 800 years was hitting him harder than ever.

He had the desperate urge to just dash to the nearest Xuan Zhen temple and pray to Mu Qing until he came back, even if it was to make fun of Feng Xin about it for the next few centuries.

Mu Qing. Mu Qing. Mu Qing. Mu Qing. Mu Qing. Mu Qing. Mu Qing.

Feng Xin was so lost in his thoughts he’d managed to completely tune Pei Ming out when he received it.

He felt a prayer tugging at the back of his mind. This one had a particular urgency to it, despite the fact that no words came to him.

He thought it must be from someone powerful, maybe a rich lord who had offerings to spare, until he caught the faint signature of Mu Qing's spiritual energy.

It built up and up, became a surge until Feng Xin wasn't sure how he could have missed it for even a second.

He unconsciously gasped, startling Pei Ming mid-speech. Mu Qing. He was-

Dashing from his seat, Feng Xin rushed past a surprised junior official. Ignoring the call from Pei Ming, he hurriedly began drawing an array for somewhere in the south.

That’s where he’d got the prayer. From Mu Qing.

Pei Ming seemed to notice his anxiousness. He looked at Feng Xin for a moment, then at the array he was drawing.

"Shut up," Feng Xin heard himself say.

Pei Ming looked startled at his words. "General, what happened? Did Xuan Zhen respond in the array? Is he in danger?"

Feng Xin still felt the intrusion in his mind, growing louder and louder.

The prayer held no words, but the feeling in it was clear.

Fear, tinged with exhaustion and the determination of someone who refused to let it get the best of him.

Fuck. Something must have gone terribly wrong for Mu Qing to call out to him like that. All the images that he had been trying to ignore, of Mu Qing hurt or worse, flashed through his mind again.

Mu Qing seemed to try to hold it back, but the wordless call for help was interspersed by spikes of sorrow, pain and the cruel words of a woman's voice Feng Xin did not recognise.

Ignoring the call from Pei Ming, he worked on the array using his own cup of tea to paint the sigils on the wall, latching on to the prayer with all his mind's strength, words beginning to make it through.

Mu Qing's voice was low, laboured, like it was hard to speak, but his words were desperate, fraught with emotion. Feng Xin didn't know what he'd expected to hear from Mu Qing right now. He would never ask for help, so the situation had to be dire. Probably cursing Feng Xin out? Telling him it was his fault Mu Qing had gotten into this? Was he-

Feng Xin.

Feng Xin. Feng Xin. Feng Xin. Feng Xin. Feng Xin.

General Nan Yang.

Feng Xin froze for a second before his worry increased tenfold.

His own name, repeated again and again. It sounded strange that way, in Mu Qing's voice but said without an ounce of mocking or derision. Feng Xin knew Mu Qing cared about him, perhaps not in the same way as Feng Xin cared for him, but he never expected Mu Qing to say his name with such desperation, almost like he was holding on to it to keep from succumbing to whatever was being done to him.

Habitually, Feng Xin drew his bow.

Without pausing for the array to completely open, he dashed through it, almost tripping over some rocks on the other side. He froze for a second, then ran.

His mind was not always as quick as Mu Qing's, but Feng Xin was sure whatever had managed to subdue Mu Qing like this must have been the demon killing mortals in the South.

The array had led him to a small clearing in one of the forests of the Southwest. There was a hut, its entrance darkened like that of a tomb. Its design reminded him of the small houses behind the palace in Xianle.

In front of it lay Mu Qing, still and bleeding. His limbs twitched. Attached to his head were the legs of a giant, spiderlike creature, its one eye trained intently on Mu Qing's unmoving body as its limbs dug into his skull with sickening strength.

“MU QING!”

At a speed that surprised even himself, Feng Xin knocked an arrow and let it fly, aiming at the thickest part of its head which was mere inches above Mu Qing's.

The arrow was infused with enough spiritual energy to break buildings.

With a cry of agony, the creature burst into a mess of filthy blood and flesh.

Ignoring the disgusting mess, Feng Xin got on his knees beside Mu Qing, almost breaking down when he saw the serious injuries on his head.

He could wallow later. Right now he had to get someone to help him.

Mu Qing was barely breathing, his eyes closed. His limbs still twitched as blood flowed from his nose and mouth. On the left side of his head, his temple had succumbed to the pressure, partly caved in in an unnatural shape.

But he wasn't dead. Feng Xin breathed a sigh as he moved to gently pick Mu Qing up. This must be painful, but it wasn't nearly enough damage to kill a martial god of his calibre.

Feng Xin was already in shock, but what he felt as his hand grazed Mu Qing's side made his blood run cold.

There was next to no spiritual energy left in him. Mu Qing's meridians were frayed to a level Feng Xin had never seen.

How did that thing get close enough for long enough to do this kind of damage?

As gently as he could without jostling Mu Qing, Feng Xin sped across the clearing and ran into the array.

This was his fault. He would fix this, and he was not letting Mu Qing out of his sight until he did.

Feng Xin was seeing red everywhere. He didn’t know how much longer he had before he himself started to feel dizzy.

Thankfully, several hands came to help him, the medical officials assuring him that they would try their best. Best? Oh, he must have been screaming for help.

As he yelled orders and ran to the Nan Yang palace infirmary as fast as he could, he couldn't keep his eyes away from Mu Qing.

He's still breathing, that's good, Feng Xin thought, even as Mu Qing's breathing got more faint and shallow by the second. Feng Xin was not going to think about that. Even if he stopped breathing, it was still fixable.

Keep breathing Mu Qing, come on. That's it. Please keep breathing.

The entire Heavenly Capital had heard what had happened by the time Feng Xin had laid Mu Qing in a cot and the healers began to administer treatment.

After what felt like hours but in reality must have been just a few minutes, he felt his body and mind calm down.

Alright. They would save him. Mu Qing would be fine. He had to be.

***

Mu Qing remained unconscious for the next four days.

Feng Xin desperately hoped Mu Qing would wake up soon because he was having waking nightmares about him lying in his own pool of blood almost every minute.

The rest of the gods and officials also desperately wanted General Xuan Zhen to wake up soon. Not only because he was a crucial part of their system, but also because Feng Xin was terrorising everyone in the capital with his constant anxiety, temper and that perpetual frown on his face.

It had been two days since Feng Xin had brought Mu Qing half dead into his palace. It had taken almost an hour until the medics were able to assure Feng Xin and everyone else that Mu Qing would make it out well, and that he had gone through a spiritual energy deviation, which had caused more damage than the actual monster.

Feng Xin spent the first two days in a chair by his cot, standing guard. He was still in his armour. The specks of Mu Qing's blood on it had turned a dull brown. Next to him, Mu Qing's breathing remained steady.

Mu Qing could wake up any minute, and he'd surely panic without a familiar face there to explain what had happened. And Heavenly Officials did not need sleep like humans did, anyway.

Countless officials came to offer their respects, although many of them were clearly just here for the gossip.

Anyone who asked what had happened for General Xuan Zhen to be struck down like this, with a too-curious glint in their eyes was promptly told to go fuck themselves.

Pei Ming visited, and Feng Xin just barely remembered to inform him that the plague in the South had been dealt with.

Xie Lian came by too. After Feng Xin told him what had happened, he insisted on keeping him company, making some not so subtle references to how he'd felt when Crimson Rain had dispersed in Mount Tonglu. He said Crimson Rain sent his well wishes, that he hadn't joined Xie Lian because he doubted Mu Qing seeing him when he woke up would aid in his healing.

Xie Lian ended up staying for longer than a day, but as Mu Qing's meridians steadily patched themselves back up, they'd agreed he'd leave them alone and return later. Two people seeing Mu Qing in such a weak state would probably be too much for him.

After Xie Lian left, and the healers assured Feng Xin again and again that Mu Qing was on his way to speedy recovery, Feng Xin got antsy. The healers seemed to notice this and sent him out to find some herbs and other ingredients that could balance qi and help speed along Mu Qing’s recovery. Feng Xin hesitated, but in the end his desire to see Mu Qing wake up and recover as soon as possible outweighed the instinct to be at Mu Qing’s side. He left the healers with instruction that he be the first one alerted when Mu Qing woke up.

Feng Xin had spent the next two days either rushing around the capital and the mortal realm, looking for whatever the medics asked him to get, or spent it glaring holes in his palace wall and anyone who came into his line of vision.

Feng Xin heard noises of his middle officials worriedly lingering from outside the curtain that sectioned off the cot from the rest of the infirmary. Feng Xin knew he meant well, so he stopped himself from yelling at them to leave and instead sent out a sharp spike of killing intent, careful to keep it away from Mu Qing.

He scowled at the curtain until the officials outside scurried away. The last thing Mu Qing would need when he woke up was curious, worried stranger staring at him.

He was focused so intently on getting them to leave that he didn't notice the slight shuffle of fabric coming from the cot.

"You look like shit."

It was barely a croak. The voice was laboured and raspy from lack of use.

Feng Xin whirled around.

"Mu Qing."

The man in question, although dazed, began to look guarded at the intensity in Feng Xin's voice.

"Yes, good job, you have eyes," Mu Qing rolled his own eyes.

There was a beat of silence as Feng Xin held himself back from lunging at Mu Qing to embrace him.

But in spite of the fondness and relief to see Mu Qing awake, there was also anger.

"What the fuck?"

Mu Qing bristled. "I should be asking you that."

Feng Xin was not deterred.

"Why the fuck did you do that? Why did you let that thing jump you?"

Mu Qing looked tired, but the anger still flashed in his eyes.

"That's none of your fucking business. You have no right to be pissed off after what you said! Why are you even here? I didn't fucking ask for your help anyway!"

"You did!" Feng Xin burst out.

Mu Qing crossed his arms, clearly trying to hide how difficult the movement was for him to manage. He still looked angry, but that didn't bother Feng Xin. Mu Qing had every right to be angry at him for what he'd said, for as long as he wanted.

What hit Feng Xin like an arrow to the gut was the fear in Mu Qing's eyes. He was hiding it with a shroud of anger, but Feng Xin knew him well enough to know that it was nothing more than a mask. And for even a bit of fear to show itself alongside the anger, Mu Qing had to he really disconcerted.

"I... what?"

Sighing, Feng Xin softened his voice like he was talking to a cornered animal.

"You called for help. Do you not remember?"

Mu Qing took a shuddering breath. Then he let the anger flash in his eyes again. He scowled at Feng Xin.

"That's not fucking funny."

"I know it's not. I'm not joking."

Mu Qing paled. He held his crossed arms in front of him like a shield, like he was afraid Feng Xin would give a devastating revelation.

"What... What did I say?"

"..." Feng Xin suddenly found himself at a loss to explain. Mu Qing had just thought of him, had only said his name. Why did that sound so strange when Feng Xin thought about saying it out loud.

Mu Qing only grew paler at Feng Xin's silence. Feng Xin hated the apprehension he saw on his face. His eyes were so wide, he looked so scared, like he was preparing himself for a lethal blow.

"Feng Xin, what did I say?"

Feng Xin forced it out, but found his voice grew smaller as he said "Nothing. You only thought of me. Only my name."

The relief on Mu Qing's face faded the second he saw Feng Xin's conflicted expression.

Whatever Mu Qing had been about to say was interrupted as Feng Xin spoke at the same time.

"You-"

"I'm sorry."

Mu Qing seemed even more surprised at that. When he didn't talk, Feng Xin continued.

"I'm sorry. I was stupid. I shouldn't have said that about... your mother."

At the mention of his mother, Mu Qing suddenly looked tired. To Feng Xin's surprise, though, he didn't antagonise him further.

"I did tell you to kill yourself right before."

Feng Xin was stunned. What was happening? "Yes, but--" he sputtered a little. "You should not have to apologise right now, for anything. It's my fault you ended up like this--" Mu Qing winced at the reminder-- "and even if you hadn't--"

Mu Qing interrupted him. "It was my decision. We would have run into it eventually. The demon was the one causing the plague, he was trying to lure me back to my mother's-- to that spot in the forest."

"Mu Qing." Feng Xin felt even guiltier at the admission Mu Qing had just let slip. He couldn't bring himself to speak loudly, his voice low. "That was your mother's tomb?"

Mu Qing pressed his lips together into a thin line. Feng Xin had the very bad feeling he was going to cry.

"That doesn't-- Where is it? The monster, where did it go? Did it get away?"

"It's dead," Feng Xin assured him. "I killed it after you called."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Mu Qing seemed relieved at that. He looked frustrated, Feng Xin knew it was with himself. "And the tomb? Is it..."

"It's intact. The space felt drained of spiritual energy, but there were no damages."

A beat of silence.

"Mu Qing--"

"Feng Xin--"

"You go first," Feng Xin ceded.

"No. You go."

Feng Xin chuckled. If Mu Qing was back to being this stubborn, surely he was on his way to being perfectly fine in no time.

Then he remembered what he'd wanted to say, and his laugh (that Mu Qing rolled his eyes at) faded in place of trepidation. But Mu Qing had almost died. And the memory of seeing Mu Qing unconscious and bleeding, his breaths shallow, still stuck to Feng Xin. So.

"Maybe this isn't the right time."

Mu Qing scowled at him. "I'm fine. Just say it."

Feng Xin sighed. "this definitely isn't the right time, but--" he steeled himself a final time.

"I love you."

It came out more blunt than Feng Xin intended. His tone almost sounded angry. Shit, he really didn't know how to do this.

Mu Qing looked like he'd frozen to the spot. His eyes widened in shock, then realisation. Then they went cold.

"You don't need to do that."

Well. Feng Xin had thought about what Mu Qing's reaction would be, more often and more intently than he'd like to admit. But he hadn't thought Mu Qing would say that.

"I don't--"

"What, do you think I'm fragile now because you saw me weak?" His face twisted into a bitter smile. It was clear he tried to go for arrogant, but he mostly looked hurt. Vulnerable. Feng Xin hated it.

"That's not what--"

"I don't know what you think you saw or what you think I said, but I don't need to be coddled, Feng Xin. You should know that by now."

What the fuck?

Okay, Feng Xin knew Mu Qing was a champion of mental gymnastics. He was prepared for this. Even if Mu Qing did not love him, he deserved to know the truth.

"I'm not coddling you! Why the fuck would I do that?"

"Then what are you doing?" Mu Qing looked up at him, his eyes full of steel like he was facing down an enemy. Even directed at Feng Xin, even in this weak state, it was beautiful. Awe-inspiring. Feng Xin hated to admit it, but in that moment, like in many before, he understood Hua Cheng's worship of his beloved as a god.

In the face of that sight and that thought, Feng Xin said it.

"I've loved you for centuries." This time his voice came out perfectly gentle. He wanted to soothe Mu Qing, convince him. It didn't matter that he didn't feel the same, if he could convince Mu Qing that he was honest, that Mu Qing was safe with him, that he could crush Feng Xin's heart with his heel if he wanted to.

Mu Qing looked even more shocked now. His eyes had widened again, and in them, as the fear faded, Feng Xin saw something else. Something so painfully beautiful Feng Xin's heart constricted in his chest.

The slightest bit of tenuous hope.

Feng Xin wanted to keep that feeling in Mu Qing's eyes. He wanted to nurture it until it bloomed into full-blown joy.

"You--"

Feng Xin smiled. It made the fluttering something in Mu Qing's face grow.

Yes, he thought about saying, but he did not want Mu Qing to find a way to misread Feng Xin's expression of his sentiments.

So Feng Xin said it again. He looked Mu Qing in the eyes, and let every bit of sheer love he had held back over 800 years show in his expression and his voice as he said, slowly this time, "I love you."

Mu Qing kept looking at him, then shook his head as if he were trying to shake himself out of a dream.

"You're not fucking with me."

Feng Xin felt endlessly fond. "I'm not."

"Wait," Mu Qing said. He'd begun to relax, but he suddenly tensed up once more. "When you say you--" He seemed to be having trouble getting out the word.

Feng Xin was pretty sure he knew the right thing to say this time. If he didn't fear Mu Qing would read his mind the second he thought it and punch him, he would think Mu Qing was an idiot.

"I’m in love with you." He enunciated each word clearly, as if he were teaching the words to Mu Qing.

Mu Qing rolled his eyes. Then he seemed to realise what Feng Xin had said. His cheeks and ears blushed a pretty pink. Feng Xin wanted to bite it.

Mu Qing just stared at him for a while. When Feng Xin began to awkwardly fidget, wondering if he was even going to get an answer, Mu Qing spoke.

"Since you're not messing with me. I am also. Hm," he cleared his throat with a breath. "I also. Um." Mu Qing stuttered.

Oh wow…Okay Feng Xin, get it together.

Feng Xin knew how Mu Qing got when feelings were brought up like this. He needed to be steady, someone Mu Qing could rely on to get more comfortable with his emotions.

Feng Xin took Mu Qing's hand.

"You don't have to say it."

He was still smiling. Mu Qing rolled his eyes again, although a smile began forming on his own face too.

Mu Qing's blush deepened. "Shut up. I'm getting to it." Then, after a beat, "I want to."

Feng Xin thought the Heavens must be misnamed, because surely only the sight of Mu Qing's face right now could be deserving of that word.

After a number of aborted attempts (Feng Xin did not keep count because Mu Qing would kill him if he did. The number was six), Mu Qing had finally gathered himself enough to say it.

"I love you too." He'd said it stiffly, like a general delivering a speech, and Feng Xin stifled a laugh at the tone. "Well fuck you too,"Mu Qing muttered, thought there was no bite in it. He was smiling.

They looked at each other so fondly. Feng Xin had never thought Mu Qing would look at him that way. (He'd dreamed it, wished for it, but he'd never thought it would actually happen.)

The moment broke when Mu Qing yawned, his eyes drooping a little. He was clearly not back to his full strength, and the fear and stress of their conversation had faded enough for the exhaustion and his injuries make themselves known again.

Feng Xin squeezed his hand. "You can rest if you want to."

Judging by the "Hm" Mu Qing gave instead of resisting, Feng Xin could tell he was well on his way to falling asleep.

Mu Qing fell back into the covers.

Turning towards his seat, Feng Xin decided to let Mu Qing rest, when he felt a gentle tug on his hand. Turning back, he saw Mu Qing’s hand wrapped around his wrist, the injured man peaking at him through one squinting eye. Fuck. He looked so cute.

“Do you want something, Mu Qing?” He asked softly. He received no verbal answer, but another tug at his hand made his heart speed up.

Feng Xin had gotten very good at reading Mu Qing over the years. He knew what Mu Qing wanted, but he still wanted to be sure he'd understood correctly.

Tenderly, tentatively, he asked "Do you want me to sleep next to you?"

Another gentle tug.

Leaning onto the hand, he slowly crawled into the bed, lying beside Mu Qing. “Ok?” He whispered. He received no reply again, but Mu Qing made no attempts to move away when he inched closer to him, wrapping his arms around that deceitfully slim waist, pulling him against his chest.

Mu Qing immediately curled into his side like a cat, like he had once or twice in his sleep when they'd been in the same tent on missions together.

He began carding his fingers through his hair. They felt just as soft and silky as he’d dreamed they would be. Minutes passed, and as Feng Xin felt himself slipping into a cozy sleep, he felt a soft ‘I love you’ whispered against his neck.

In reply, he pulled him closer, holding him a bit tighter, as he pressed his lips into his hair.

“I love you too.”

***

Mu Qing had fallen asleep almost immediately once he’d curled up against Feng Xin and, although he’d never admit it, it was the comfiest sleep he’d had in a long while.

Which led to his situation now. It had been, what he could safely assume, a few hours since they’d fallen asleep, and Mu Qing honestly would have slept for another few hours, if it weren’t for that little nightmare he had that jostled him from his sleep.

Yes, he could’ve easily gone back to sleep, if it weren’t for one tiny problem. When he had fallen asleep, Feng Xin was still awake for quite a while.

Which is why he had forgotten all about the fact that Feng Xin snored.

It wasn’t loud by any means. It was a tiny rumble. But when a tiny rumble was constantly humming by his ear, it really took all his strength to not to push that stupid face away from him.

Mu Qing sighed. It had been almost three minutes since he’d woken up. He didn’t even want to open his eyes, in hopes that by some chance that he’d accidentally slip back into sleep. He supposed it was time he woke up.

He slowly opened his eyes, and huffed when he was met with the sight of Feng Xin’s broad chest. He wanted to bite them.

Carefully turning his head, he froze for a second before yelping and pushing Feng Xin away, consequently leading to him falling off the bed.

“What the fuck?!” Came a shout from on the floor.

But Mu Qing was too busy glaring holes at Pei Ming standing by the doorway, with Xie Lian right behind him.

Beside Mu Qing, Feng Xin shot up from the floor glaring at Mu Qing, before his eyes fell on the two martial gods. His expression turned sour as he huffed at Pei Ming then apologetic as he looked at Xie Lian.

Before either Mu Qing or Feng Xin could say anything, Pei Ming let out a loud cackle, then proceeded to huff that he’d always known that the two generals of the south would end up together. Behind him Xie Lian merely smiled at them happily, giving them a thumbs up before excusing himself.

“Fuck off” Feng Xin hissed. Pei Ming, who hadn’t shown any signs of leaving, cackled again before disappearing from the doorway.

The two generals let out a sigh. Looking at each other, each awkwardly waited for the other to speak.

Feng Xin cursed under his breath. Mu Qing was on the verge of rolling his eyes when he froze.

Feng Xin. Feng Xin was kissing him. Oh.

Letting out a surprised squeak, he felt Feng Xin chuckled against his lips. It was a moment before he regained his bearings.

Oh? Two could play that game. Mu Qing grabbed at Feng Xin’s collar, pulling him back onto the bed. As Feng Xin gasped, Mu Qing bit his lower lip, snickering at the yelp from Feng Xin.

Pulling back, the two gods stared at each other…

Mu Qing rolled his eyes.

“You ruined the fucking mood!” Feng Xin groaned. Mu Qing snickered, which turned into an embarrassed chuckle as Feng Xin threw that stupid dopey smile at him.

“Are you feeling okay? Do you want to go back to sleep?” Feng Xin questioned, flopping back on the bed. Mu Qing bit the poisoned reply on his tongue. No. That wouldn’t work. Not now.

“I’m alright. I was having a great sleep until your stupid snores ruined it,” he huffed out instead.

“…..” Feng Xin was only grinning at him like an idiot. Mu Qing face flushed as he realised what he’d just admitted. “You-“ “I’m glad you’re comfortable with me,” Feng Xin interrupted.

Mu Qing was about to retort, but caught himself. Feng Xin was being genuine. He wasn’t saying it as a joke.

“…Mn,” Mu Qing replied. He really wanted to hide under the bed right now. Instead, he fell back onto the bed, rolling onto his side facing away from Feng Xin. A few moments passed before he heard the sheets ruffle behind him.

His instincts almost made him kick Feng Xin away, but he ignored them, letting out a quiet sigh as muscular arms creeped up around his waist, a head resting against his back.

“…”

“I’ll try not to snore.”

Mu Qing kicked his foot, earning him a chuckle.

Just as he was about to fall asleep again, a voice in the general communication array caught their attention.

“Ling Wen. Hey Ling Wennn. I won the bet. Pay up.” Pei mings voice came in. “Which bet?” Ling Wen replied.

“You know, the one where I said the generals of the south would sleep with each other within a decade?”

There was a pause. “General Ming Guang, this is the general communication array.”

“…Shit.”

There was a pregnant pause, before screams of disbelief and ‘I knew it’ blasted through the array.

Without a word, Feng Xin and Mu Qing got out of the bed, grabbing their weapons before heading out to the emperor’s palace.

Sleep? Fuck that. They had some hunting to do.

***

Hope you guys enjoyed!

Reblogs are appreciated~

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