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Mo Xuanyu is Xue Yang's best friend by default; Xue Yang doesn't really have friends— he has colleagues, enemies, hookups and people who are sometimes all three. And he likes it that way, he knows where he stands with people and no one gets closer than he wants them to.
But Mo Xuanyu's position of colleague-adjacent has made him special. He's in the know enough to understand when Xue Yang needs to bitch about Jin Guangyao and Su Minshan but isn't involved enough in their work to be the subject of Xue Yang’s complaining. Plus, he's intimately aware that Xue Yang is dangerous, but also can't tell anyone about it, which means he has to put up with Xue Yang's shit.
Take tonight, for example. Xue Yang's got Mo Xuanyu out at a bar to do party tricks for him. The kid's shit at most forms of cultivation, but he has a knack for fortune telling. All he has to do is touch someone and boom, time of death or number of children or how they're going to be famous. Or infamous.
"Do that guy," Xue Yang says, pointing Mo Xuanyu at someone walking out of the bathroom. Mo Xuanyu gets up obediently and heads towards the bathroom himself, bumping the stranger and then profusely apologizing. Xue Yang snorts to himself and takes a drink. It's a wonder no one has tried to accuse them of pickpocketing. Maybe Mo Xuanyu looks too pathetic to be a thief.
"Well?" Xue Yang asks, when Mo Xuanyu comes back to the table.
"Boring," Mo Xuanyu says. "Successful job interview next week, as long as they wear green that day."
"Boring," Xue Yang agrees.
"Maybe I should tell them," Mo Xuanyu muses.
"How about her?" Xue Yang says. There's a woman on her phone at a table close by, alone, clearly waiting for someone.
Mo Xuanyu looks around, planning his advance. Xue Yang watches as his eye catches on someone else moving closer, with rainbow hair and sparkling, colorful makeup.
"What about him?" he asks, sounding awed.
Xue Yang rolls his eyes. "He's already looking at you, you'll get caught."
"No, it's ok, I can—" He gets up. Xue Yang sighs. He puts a leg out to trip Mo Xuanyu so he lands awkwardly but suspiciously into the arms of the incoming stranger.
Xue Yang looks away to avoid seeming involved in the incident, but he hears the apologies and some laughter and eventually sneaks a peek when Mo Xuanyu takes too long to come back. He sees Mo Xuanyu waving him off, then walking back to the table in a bit of a daze.
"Anything?" Xue Yang asks.
"Yeah I think... I think that was me."
"What?"
"I mean, I think I saw... I think I need to go after him."
Oh for fuck's sake, did Xue Yang really just shove him into a meet cute? Fuck that, Mo Xuanyu can't date anyone. Who's going to entertain Xue Yang if he's busy fucking someone?
"I'll be back, I'll just—" Mo Xuanyu is saying.
"No, come on, don't—" Without thinking, Xue Yang reaches out to grab his wrist.
From what he's learned, Mo Xuanyu gets one prediction per person. He knows Jin Guangyao's gotten one, and that he scowls at Mo Xuanyu if it's ever brought up. Xue Yang has never wanted to know. Seems pointless. Seems dangerous.
Mo Xuanyu's eyes roll back into his head, and time stops for a moment. The bar seems to go quiet. Then he's back, the roar of the crowd with him, blinking at Xue Yang.
"Don't fucking tell me, I don't—"
"Love," Mo Xuanyu sputters.
"What?"
"You'll die in three months. And only love can save you."
Xue Yang stares at him. After a second, Mo Xuanyu registers what he just said, his eyes going wide.
"Yang-ge, I'm so sorry—"
Xue Yang throws his glass at the floor and shouts, "Love?!"
#
Xue Yang spends the next ten minutes getting kicked out of the bar, loses sight of Mo Xuanyu in the mess and pulls himself up from the hard pavement outside alone. He's so fucking pissed. This is bullshit. Might as well pack it in. Never expected to make it to thirty anyway.
His missing finger aches. His eyes naturally drift towards the north east, where the Chang family mansion peeks out from the skyline. He's not done yet.
Fuck, alright. Xue Yang starts making his way home. The thing is, what does 'love' even mean? Naturally you'd assume it means romantic love but it's probably something else because prophecies are always fucking with you. Could be familial, friendship, could be something even more stupid like loving your country or work or fucking candy or something.
Even worse, maybe it just means Xue Yang's going to be in a fight and find a sign or a brick with "love" written on it and need to hit someone with it to survive. Fuck, that would be stupid. And what's he supposed to do until then? Just be ready?
Xue Yang kicks a can into a dark part of the alley as hard as he can. A cat lets out a pitiful wail, and he starts to grin with visceral glee at the surprise of a victim. Then he stops.
Another thing he knows about prophecies is that they want you to complete them. They shift reality around and point you in the right direction, if you're paying attention.
Maybe it is a fucking brick at the right moment, maybe it's not. But Xue Yang has three months to hedge his bets and collect as much love as he can get. He's not rolling over just like that.
Instead of going further down the alley to his apartment's back entrance, he takes a detour to the corner store and buys some cat food and treats. He sets out a little tin of cat food near where he heard the noise and another one on the fire escape near his apartment door, with an old blanket from inside. Bright little eyes watch him from behind some garbage, but love is patient so he pretends not to care and goes inside for the night.
Tomorrow he'll find his next mark.
#
Xue Yang stabs his knife into the thigh of the corpse on his workbench, adding another bloody line to the row. He's not going to get anything useful out of this one, so now he's just thinking about his next move.
He knows he's going to have to do something about romantic love, it's too obvious to leave out. If he gets too into his head about outwitting a prophecy it'll end up fucking him over in the end. But that one seems like it's worth leaving to serendipity, at least for now. So what other category of people should he be trying to get to love him?
Family's out. He could guilt Mo Xuanyu into loving him, but he's probably compromised by being the fortuneteller anyway.
Xue Yang sneers and starts carving into the corpse's kneecap.
If only he had a kid. A baby specifically. That would make this easy as shit. Kids love you even when they shouldn't, and it takes them forever to figure that out. But he doesn't have time to make one, can't imagine he could adopt one legally. And then he'd have to take care of it, anyway. Maybe that's a last ditch effort plan when his time is almost up: steal a baby.
No, what he needs now is like a… tween. Some kid who's getting old enough to realize their parents are shit and needs some cool senior to idolize. Adoration is love, right? Maybe there's some sort of night hunting for troubled youth thing he could do. Some shit he would have gotten kicked out of on day one, at that age. He could be cool and supportive and some kid will open up to him about how his dad beats him or something, and Xue Yang would kick his dad's ass, and the kid will love him forever. Easy.
"Xue Yang." Jin Guangyao is right next to him, and Xue Yang nearly guts him. "I assume what looks like doodling to a lowly cultivator such as myself is actually very important to your work, yes?"
Xue Yang looks over the body at the mess he's made of it, then at Jin Guangyao. He's giving Xue Yang the customer service smile, and Xue Yang really should know better than to fuck with him now, but it's just too hard to resist.
"A-Yao, do you love me?"
"Not at all," Jin Guangyao says without missing a beat. He gestures to the corpse. "Is there a problem?"
"Yeah," Xue Yang says, pushing away from the table. "Corpse is too old. I need something fresher."
"Didn't used to be a problem."
"Because all you wanted were meat shields before." Xue Yang goes to the shop sink to clean up. "If you want something that can take more complex instructions, I'm going to need something more recently alive."
Jin Guangyao sighs. "That's going to be more difficult."
Xue Yang rolls his eyes. He could get some, easy. Knows just where to go for volunteers. He flexes his left hand as he dries it off. But he wouldn't be able to finish the job if he did it now.
"I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out," Xue Yang says, returning the smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."
The cat food was gone in the morning, so Xue Yang put out some more before he left for work, wondering if it was even the cat that ate it. But to his surprise, not only is the new can empty, but the cat itself is curled up in the blanket, snoozing away.
Sucker.
He makes another quick detour to get some supplies, then carefully walks around the cat to the door, casually leaving it open. He's barely even put down his bags when in comes the cat, sniffing at his shoes by the door.
Probably previously owned. Kind of ruins the story of Xue Yang teaching a poor, scared stray that humans can be kind so it eventually wakes him up in the middle of a fire. But he can still teach a poor, abandoned house cat to love again or something. Like he doesn't have trigger arrays all over his walls to warn him if there's anything amiss in his apartment.
Speaking of… Xue Yang puts a spell on the ground to get rid of any bugs or dirt the cat may have dragged in with it and baits it with cat treats. The cat sizzles a little as its paws cross the lines, but doesn't seem to mind.
Then Xue Yang spends an hour setting up a construct to make the litter box self-cleaning because fuck that.
When he's done, he lies on the floor on his back and goes back to thinking. It doesn't take long for the cat to come investigate, sniffing his hands and eventually lying down next to Xue Yang's armpit to groom itself. When Xue Yang goes to pet it, it doesn't even flinch.
"You are really stupid," Xue Yang says. Soft, too. Pretty, shiny black fur. Maybe there's some sort of catch here, where the cat's going to be really hard to live with, and Xue Yang has to resist throwing it out. Maybe the cat's actually a human that's been transformed. Two for one deal on types of love.
The cat lifts it's…her leg to lick her crotch. Well, that'd be new for Xue Yang but sure. Not necessarily a permanent condition.
Eventually the cat goes to sleep under Xue Yang's hand, and he laughs at her again for being stupid and trusting, and then pulls out his phone.
No luck on night hunting for troubled teens but there is an organization that pairs up young cultivators with seasoned professionals to train for the exam they're supposed to take to get licensed. Xue Yang just forged his. Just like he's going to forge Jin Guangyao's signature for his credentials to join up with this thing. Everyone knows that rich kids are just as fucked up as poor kids, just in weirder ways they can't talk about. Until Cool Senior Xue Yang steps in, that is.
#
Xue Yang passes the verification with flying colors: he's great in interviews, and his background check is flawless (because Jin Guangyao had his record scrubbed years ago). He even read most of the information they gave him about the program, but that was only because the cat was sitting on his lap when he started to skim it, and what was he going to do, move?
"It's great to have you this year," says the woman walking him to his assigned teenager. It's a week later at the first night hunt of the season. They're outside the woods north of the city, weaving through groups of adults and teens. "We don't get a lot of Jin cultivators and your experience in R&D should provide the boys with a unique perspective."
"Boys?" Xue Yang asks. Plural?
"Yes, four, mixture of sect backgrounds. Very capable team, been here three years I think. A good group for you to get accustomed to how the program works."
Sure, Xue Yang thinks. More chances.
"Boys, this Xue Yang," the woman says when they reach a group of mostly lanky teenage boys. Xue Yang guesses around 15 or 16. "He's a contract cultivator with the Jin clan. Sizhui, please help him with any questions he has about how tonight's event works."
"Of course," says a baby-faced kid in a Lan blue jersey, with a polite bow.
"Hey," Xue Yang says, when the woman leaves.
The good kid bows to him now. "Hello, I'm Lan Sizhui. This is Lan Jingyi," he says, elbowing another kid in blue until he bows. "That's Ouyang Zizhen"—wearing red—"and Jin Ling," in gold.
"Great," Xue Yang says. He's not going to remember any of that. At least they're mostly color coded. And he's pretty sure the Jin kid is Jin Guangyao's nephew. A-Yao's gonna love that.
"You're with the Jin sect?" Jin Ling asks, sneering at him. Yeah, definitely closely related.
"Yep."
"Well, I've never seen you before."
"Like you'd even recognize any of your servants in a line up," says the other Lan kid.
"Jingyi, fuck off!"
"Jin Ling!" says the good kid, scandalized. "I'm so sorry, Qianbei, we—"
"It's cool," Xue Yang says. He's a chill adult, trustworthy. Understands teenagers, etc. "The ghosts aren't going to care if you say 'fuck', why should I?"
The other Lan kid says, "Hell yeah! Sizhui, lighten up!" There's some general shoving, it seems to go over well.
Everyone is so easy.
The good kid gives him a rundown on what's happening tonight. It's a competition. There's a tree monster out in the woods that's been causing trouble that they need to catch. First team to bring it down wins. Not sure they actually win anything but it's probably good for their resumes or something.
"So what do you think we should do?" Xue Yang asks. He's not really supposed to tell them what to do, just let them figure it out themselves. Which means he really doesn't have to do anything. Perfect arrangement.
"I think we should set up some arrays to track its energy," Jin Ling says.
"Sure," Xue Yang says.
"This sort of monster usually has spawn, we should try to scout for other monsters to find it," says the good boy Lan.
"Sounds great," Xue Yang says.
There's a pause while they look at him.
"So do it. You don't need my permission."
The boys start talking amongst themselves, sorting out tasks and spells to use. Jin Ling tries to be in charge and make decisions, but they all end up following the lead of the good Lan kid. Xue Yang walks behind them as they move deeper into the wood, setting up tracking spells on trees and rocks.
"This is interesting," he says, remarking on an array the good Lan kid is working on.
"It's something I've been working on," the kid says, looking pleased. "Adding this clause boosts the radius by 1.5x."
"Needs more power though." Xue Yang makes some edits. "If you put this in here, you can recycle some of the energy you're tracking back into keeping the array active."
"But that's…" The kid frowns. "That would consume it, right? That would consume the resentful energy which means—"
Oh, fuck. "Aha, good catch," Xue Yang says, rubbing out the bit he added. "Just testing you!"
He walks off before the kid can ask him anything about it. The last one, the one in red, has wandered away a bit from the others. Xue Yang hasn't heard him talk much. Prime candidate for dad problems.
As Xue Yang gets closer, he can see what the kid's been distracted by. Across a small clearing there's two figures fighting with some tree monster spawn. One is some girl he doesn't recognize, but her mentor is very obviously world-renowned cultivator Xiao Xingchen.
Xue Yang sneers. They’ve met once, when Xiao Xingchen and his asshole partner Song Lan were visiting the Jin sect a few years ago. Xiao Xingchen is stupid pretty, but despite all his talk of abandoning sects and bringing cultivation education to the masses, he's just as stuck up and fancy as the rest of them. Lip service to an idea they can't actually put into practice.
And Song Lan especially, fuck that guy. Xue Yang had barely nudged him, and he'd looked at Xue Yang like he'd given him fleas. Probably doesn't even believe any of the shit Xiao Xingchen preaches and just sticks around hoping Xiao Xingchen will fuck him.
"Oh, it's so sad, isn't it?" the kid says.
"What?"
"Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan broke up."
"Is that so?" Xue Yang asks, looking back across the clearing with renewed interest.
"Yeah," the kid sighs. "Well, it's what the gossip accounts are saying. Apparently Song Lan resigned his post at Baixue Temple and has been traveling. And someone got a video of Xiao Xingchen on a date with someone else a couple weeks ago."
He starts going on about what 'couple goals' they were, mutual competence, whatever, Xue Yang stops listening. He's watching the way Xiao Xingchen moves as he fights, how he makes a pair of jeans and an oversized white sweater look like ethereal robes.
Prophecies want you to complete them.
"Hey, you know, maybe we should go see if they want to join us," Xue Yang says.
"What?"
"Only two of them, maybe they could use some help."
"I'm sure with Xiao Xingchen, A-Qing will be…" he trails off. "Wait a second. Do you want to date Xiao Xingchen? You're trying to swoop in and take Song Lan's place!"
Xue Yang has no idea how he could have made that conclusion unless his brain is fried by romance dramas. "Of course not, I would never want to be Song Lan. I'm just—" What would work on this kid? "I've just gone through a break up myself and I know how lonely and painful it can be. I thought maybe I could offer some companionship in his time of need and, you know, if things go from there—"
The kid grabs his arm and looks him in the eyes. "Yes, yes! You're right, Xue-qianbei. Time to move on. I'll help you."
This kid is nothing like what Xue Yang expected, but he'll take it. "Hey, we're going to scout ahead, there's a tree spawn that way," Xue Yang says, calling out to the others. "Uh…" Fuck what's the good kid's name? "Zizhen's in charge while we're gone."
"I'm Zizhen," says the kid next to him.
"Shit."
"You meant Sizhui."
"Sizhui! I meant Sizhui."
Sizhui acknowledges him with a bow, and they head off to the distant sound of Jin Ling complaining that Xue Yang clearly has no loyalty to the Jin sect since he didn't leave him in charge instead.
By the time they make it across the clearing, most of the monsters are dead and Xiao Xingchen stands ready to take down the last one, the girl cheering him on. Unfortunately, he doesn't see Xue Yang and Zizhen approach, and Xue Yang can tell by the power he's building up that he's about to blast tree guts all over them.
It's only a few seconds but enough time to do the math: shield the kid, win loyalty, impress the newly single bleeding heart. Might cost him this jacket but he's pretty good at laundry spells. Xue Yang throws himself in front of Zizhen, back to the monster.
There's a rush of energy, a sound like an axe splitting a log, and a rain of splinters over his head.
"Nice one, Ge!" cheers the girl.
"Nothing special, I can teach— oh no!"
Xue Yang opens his eyes and looks down at Zizhen, who unfolds his arms from protecting his head. Then Xue Yang collapses backwards onto the ground.
"Qianbei!"
"Oh, shoot," Xiao Xingchen says, his voice getting closer. Xue Yang hears him sheath his sword and the sounds of his steps on the forest floor until he's kneeling at his side. "Are you hurt? Where did I hit you?"
Xue Yang groans, curls up around himself to add to the effect. Xiao Xingchen's hands hover around him, like he's not sure what he should do.
"I'm not sure, just— can't get up—" Xue Yang says, hoarsely.
Zizhen drops to his knees behind him. "Save him, please!" he wails. Xue Yang isn't sure if he's trying to wingman or if he's just dramatic. Or both.
"Ok, ok, I—" Xiao Xingchen reaches for him, then freezes. "Can I touch you?"
"Yeah," Xue Yang squeaks out.
Xiao Xingchen pats him down, gently. Feels him up, really. Xue Yang reconsiders a 'buy me dinner first' joke. "Tell me if anything hurts. I'm not seeing any blood."
"He doesn't look injured," says the girl.
"Not all wounds are visible from the outside, A-Qing," Xiao Xingchen says calmly.
"Yeah!" says Zizhen.
"Oh, it's you," the girl says. "Where's the rest of your clown car?"
"Back the other way. I mean— hey!"
Xue Yang shoots Zizhen a glare he doesn't see. His usefulness is starting to run out.
"A-Qing, be nice. Can you two step aside for a minute? I need some space," Xiao Xingchen says and the kids go to squabble a few meters away. "Are you feeling any better? Can you tell me where the pain is?" he asks Xue Yang.
"Everywhere," Xue Yang says, wondering if that means he'll put his hand under Xue Yang's shirt again.
Xiao Xingchen clicks his teeth and picks up Xue Yang's wrist to check his spiritual energy. Xue Yang gets a good look at his face: still that same otherworldly beauty, maybe a little more tired than Xue Yang remembers. That's alright, he wears distress well; the frown sits elegantly on his lips, and his chin-length hair looks more intentionally tousled than disheveled. Xue Yang hopes this works— you don't always get a mark this fun to look at.
"I'm going to give you a little energy, stabilize things a little," Xiao Xingchen says. Xue Yang's natural rhythm is really fucked, who knows what Xiao Xingchen thinks is going on. The transfusion is hot and pure, races through Xue Yang's meridians like lightning. He feels blindingly sober and like he's just snorted a line all at once.
"Fuck," Xue Yang says, sitting upright.
"Are you alright? Did I overdo it?"
"No, no, I'm good," Xue Yang says, letting Xiao Xingchen help him up. Time for step two. "I feel so much better, thank you. You're a lifesaver."
"Oh, please," Xiao Xingchen says. "You wouldn't have been hurt at all if it wasn't for me."
Xue Yang does a little turnaround, shaking out his jacket. "All good now, it's like nothing ever happened."
He runs his fingers through his hair, pulling it out of the hair tie to clean out his ponytail, then puts it back up.
"You've got a little—" Xiao Xingchen reaches over towards his head, then stops himself. Xue Yang closes the distance, offering himself for grooming and a soft smile spreads over Xiao Xingchen's face.
He looks good like that, too.
"I'm Xue Yang," he says.
"Xiao Xingchen." He considers for a second. "Have we met before?"
"Don't think so," Xue Yang says. "I'm sure I'd remember you."
The smile grows. Xiao Xingchen starts to say something but he's cut off by a groan from A-Qing.
"Ge, we're on a night hunt, remember? Who even is this guy?"
"His name is Xue Yang," Xiao Xingchen says calmly.
"I'm mentoring Zizhen and his friends," Xue Yang says, gesturing. "First time! It's so rewarding, don't you think?" he adds, as an aside to Xiao Xingchen.
"Yes, we— I've been doing it for years."
"Ok but why are you here?" A-Qing demands.
"We thought you might want some help because there's only two of you," Zizhen says.
"Exactly," Xue Yang says. "Though perhaps it's us who needs help from you."
Xiao Xingchen laughs. "Oh, no, I'm sure you don't need us."
"I might have another episode, maybe you should stick with me," Xue Yang suggests, with a wink.
"Good point," Xiao Xingchen says, stifling a giggle. "I should keep an eye on you."
"Oh fuck me, can you stop flirting?"
"A-Qing!" Xiao Xingchen says. "Why—"
There's a crash from behind them, and the sound of teenage boys screaming.
"Shit," Xue Yang says.
"Sizhui!" Zizhen cries. "And Jin Ling! And Jingyi!"
Xue Yang turns to Xiao Xingchen, hoping to convince him tag along while he saves some idiots who are probably not even in danger but Xiao Xingchen is already on his way towards the sound. He's fast, too. Zizhen takes off after him, and Xue Yang follows. There's a whiny "Ge!" behind him but he figures A-Qing's on her way, too.
The boys have found the tree monster. They might be in a little danger.
"Anyone hurt?" he asks the other Lan kid, who's hanging a little back. Xiao Xingchen comes up beside him.
"Don't think so," he says. "I think Jin Ling shit his pants though."
"Did not!" yells Jin Ling. "Fuck!" he shouts, when he almost fails to duck from a sweeping branch.
"Pay attention, idiot!" the other Lan kid says.
"Fuck you!"
Xue Yang rolls his eyes. "Stop provoking him." The good Lan kid (Sizhui?) is weaving in and out of the many reaching limbs of the monster, looking for an opening. Zizhen's hovering nearby, not sure how to engage. "Sizhui, what's your plan?"
"Um," Sizhui says. "I think we should…" He dodges a strike. "Sorry, Qianbei, I'm not…"
"We should help them," Xiao Xingchen says. He's already got his sword out.
Xue Yang crosses his arms and taps his finger. He really doesn't want to. He could just let Xiao Xingchen take care of it but what will the boys think? He knows he'd be pissed if some fancy-ass cultivator treated him like a baby who can't handle anything. They aren't losing, they're just not getting anywhere. They can do this.
"Zizhen, Jin Ling, stay where it can see you and keep it distracted. You–" Xue Yang points at the kid next to him. "Go cover Sizhui so he has some time to think."
"Got it!"
"Why is Sizhui—"
"Jin Ling, not now," Zizhen says, dragging him back towards the monster.
Within seconds they're engaging with much more intention. Soon, Sizhui is making suggestions, and they're bringing out fire spells to actually make some headway. Finally.
"A-Qing, this would be a great opportunity to try some of the spells we worked on earlier," Xiao Xingchen says.
A-Qing pouts. "I don't remember how to do them."
"Maybe you could try something else?"
"Or you could do it again and I could watch you?" A-Qing says, puppy eyes on full power.
Xue Yang snorts quietly. Should have realized someone else would be trying to play Xiao Xingchen already.
"A-Qing—"
They're interrupted when the monster lets out a deep, woody groan and starts to splinter in huge cracks, bark falling to the ground around it. There's a cheer from the boys— cut off almost immediately by a sudden rush of bright green vines exploding out in all directions. After a moment of chaos, the vines wrap around Sizhui and pull him up into the air. His sword clatters to the ground, and the other boys rush in to free him.
Xue Yang shoots a hand out to stop Xiao Xingchen getting involved. This is perfect, actually.
"Jin Ling, its core is exposed in the back, now's your chance."
"But… Sizhui…"
Fuck, is he jealous of Sizhui because of this too? No, wait— he's worried. Ugh, come on.
"He'll be fine! Better if you kill the monster!"
The other kids have hacked away at part of the vines, leaving Sizhui dangling upside-down by one ankle. "Do it, Jin Ling!" he shouts.
Jin Ling takes a second to pump himself up, big breath, then he charges. The monster roars and shakes and spews sap and leaves, and then rumbles into stillness. The vines around Sizhui wither and disintegrate, and Xue Yang doesn't stop Xiao Xingchen from rushing out to catch him before he hits the ground.
The boys burst into celebration, crowding around Jin Ling as soon as Sizhui's back on his feet. They even drag A-Qing into their huddle, despite her complaints of tree guts. Xiao Xingchen looks back at Xue Yang and smiles.
#
Checks for injuries, some corpse selfies for Jin Ling, and about a hundred laundry spells later, they're walking back out of the woods.
"You really have a way with them," Xiao Xingchen says.
"Nah, I'm just lazy and don't want to do the work myself," Xue Yang replies. They're walking a bit behind the kids.
Xiao Xingchen laughs. He thinks it's a joke.
"Well, it's working. You saw how A-Qing is, she'd rather watch me than do anything herself."
"She just needs some encouragement. I'll stick around and flirt with you so she'll want to be somewhere else."
Xiao Xingchen laughs again and gives Xue Yang a sly look. He notably does not object to the term "flirt".
"She'll get there. I know she's paying attention, it must be sinking in somewhere."
"Well, if you want, I could give you some advice sometime. Over dinner maybe? Drinks?"
Xiao Xingchen's face breaks into a pleased smile. "I'll give you my number."
Get fucked, prophecy.
#
Xiao Xingchen is the most improbable person Xue Yang has ever met. He's an incredible swordsman, an accomplished and decorated cultivator with a remarkable education, but he forgets about traffic laws and seemed startled by the idea that they'd have to pay for dinner. He's got an otherworldly beauty, but he snorts when he laughs too much, which is always. It's like he's from the past, or some place where they haven't invented jokes yet, because Xue Yang can knock him down with the weakest material he has.
All this is to say that he's the perfect mark, and Xue Yang is having a blast. They meet for coffee one day (which was only cut short by Xiao Xingchen remembering he was late for something), then dinner the next, which leads to them sitting very close together on Xiao Xingchen's couch, inching toward the inevitable. He doesn't know Xue Yang's age, his job, or anything about his family— he’s brought a near-stranger into his home merely on his faith in the good of humanity.
Might feel too easy if it wasn't so much fun. A lot easier to fake a relationship with someone to get them to fall in love with you when you're enjoying yourself so much.
"A floating mountain, really?"
"Yes," Xiao Xingchen says, nodding emphatically. "From when I was six until I was twenty."
"You're full of shit," Xue Yang says, knowing full well the many verified accounts of encounters with Baoshan Sanren's legendary sect.
"No!" Xiao Xingchen says. He gives Xue Yang a little playful shove at the shoulder, then leaves his hand causally on Xue Yang's thigh. For all his hesitation to touch Xue Yang at the night hunt, he's not shy now. "It's true."
"You got any pictures?"
"We didn't have phones on the mountain."
"Convenient. Did you have running water? Toilets?"
"We did."
"So did you just dump your stuff all over whoever you were floating over?"
Xiao Xingchen gasps in horror, then quickly dissolves into giggles. "No, of course not. The whole thing was…" He gestures meaninglessly. "Interconnected. Or something."
Xue Yang would actually love to know more about how Baoshan Sanren's mountain plumbing works, but it doesn't sound like Xiao Xingchen is going to be able to tell him.
"So how did you get in? She swoop down and pick you up?"
"Oh, it's a fun story," Xiao Xingchen says. He puts his hands back down between them and toys with one of Xue Yang's sleeves. Xue Yang leans in a little closer. "So, my parents both died at a night hunt—"
"Fun, huh?"
"Oh, no," Xiao Xingchen says. "I shouldn't have started there. That must sound awful."
"Eh, I never knew my parents, doesn't bother me."
Xiao Xingchen's eyes go soft and sad. "I'm so sorry, Xue Yang."
Xue Yang has a second to quell a sudden blaze of fury. Sympathy is good, sympathy will get Xiao Xingchen to like him more. It doesn't matter that most kids with dead parents don't get picked up by immortals to live enchanted lives on fairy tale mountains.
Change the subject.
"Hey," Xue Yang says, looking down at Xiao Xingchen's hands. He moves his arms so he can slide his hands under Xiao Xingchen's, palms touching. Xiao Xingchen accepts the position without question. "Did you play this on the mountain? The hand slap game?"
"The what?"
"Like this." Xue Yang rearranges them so they're face to face. He flips his hands over to lightly smack the back of Xiao Xingchen's hands.
"Oh," Xiao Xingchen says.
"You get it?"
"You just slap me?"
"No, you try to pull away in time."
"Oh, right."
"And we look each other in the eyes," Xue Yang says. Xiao Xingchen lifts his gaze. They both smile.
Xue Yang starts just by wiggling his hands a little, making it seem like he's going to strike. He can see in the curve of Xiao Xingchen's smile that he notices, but he doesn't startle at all. So he waggles his eyebrows a little, making Xiao Xingchen laugh, then strikes for real. Xiao Xingchen lets out a surprised noise, still laughing.
"I didn't think you're going to hit me!"
"That's the game!"
"I know, but your face—"
"You can't trust me if you want to get away in time."
Xiao Xingchen gives him a sort of mysterious smile. "No, I need to trust that I know when you won't hit me."
"Sure," Xue Yang says. "Let's do it again."
This time, Xiao Xingchen's hands seem even heavier, like he's full of confidence. Xue Yang doesn't think the same trick will work again. He just stays still this time, emotionless. Xiao Xingchen meets his eyes, looking calm and pleased. He blinks slowly at Xue Yang, like he's indulging him.
Xue Yang flips his hands. He gave no warning, made no extraneous movements, but he hits open air.
"I did it!"
Shit, he's fast. "Nice job."
"I know what it feels like now," he says. "Do we do it again?"
"We can switch now," Xue Yang says. "You try to hit me."
Xiao Xingchen offers his palms, and Xue Yang hovers his hands over them, skin barely touching.
"You have to trust me," Xiao Xingchen says, lifting his palms up a little.
"That's the opposite of how the game works!" Xue Yang laughs. But Xiao Xingchen looks so happy when they touch more. He moves his fingers to stroke the heel of Xue Yang's palm a little.
Fuck winning or losing, there's a much bigger game here. He can just close his hand over Xiao Xingchen's fingers and—
Xiao Xingchen starts to move, too fast for Xue Yang to think— he pulls back on instinct and it's still too slow. There's a sharp sting of pain on the back of his right hand.
"Fuck!"
"Oh, shoot, are you ok?" Xiao Xingchen reaches out to him.
Xue Yang bites back the reflex to snarl and curl up around hand. It's nothing. This is what he wants. He lets Xiao Xingchen take his hand, watches him frown all the way up to his eyes, then brush his thumb over the spot. The pain dissolves in a soft wash of energy.
"I'm sorry," Xiao Xingchen says softly. "Let me make it up to you?"
He presses his lips to the back of Xue Yang's hand, looking up through his lashes. Xue Yang's pulse quickens. Here we go.
He's already moving when Xiao Xingchen lowers their hands and reaches for Xue Yang's face. They bump noses a little at first, fumbling to find an angle, but then there they are, a solid, if a little awkward, first kiss.
Next step would be to say something about how they don't have to go any further, or something about taking it slow, whatever people say in actual relationships. Or maybe say something stupid like "wow" like he's feeling something really special, like kissing isn't just another thing people do to get each other off.
Xue Yang opens his mouth, and Xiao Xingchen sticks his tongue in it. Ok, cool, that works too.
It makes sense now, Xue Yang thinks, as Xiao Xingchen pushes him back into the couch. This guy's been pent up, and Xue Yang is just what he needed. Xue Yang lets out a little gasping laugh as Xiao Xingchen mouths down his throat.
"Ok?" Xiao Xingchen asks.
"Yeah," Xue Yang breathes out as Xiao Xingchen's long cool fingers slip under his shirt—then breathes in sharply as Xiao Xingchen slides off the couch to fit between Xue Yang’s thighs, fingers slipping away. Fuck, that's a sight. Xiao Xingchen looking at him like a piece of meat, biting his lip as his hands drift towards Xue Yang's zipper. Like Xue Yang's a present he's not sure he's allowed to open yet. Xue Yang's pulse is hammering in his ears as Xiao Xingchen takes the plunge and unzips him, and his hips push up to chase the brief, warm feeling of his hands.
Xiao Xingchen puts one hand gently but firmly on Xue Yang's hip. He gives Xue Yang a meaningful look, then draws his rapidly hardening cock out of his pants. When he licks up the shaft, Xue Yang bucks again, and that hand forcefully holds him down.
Alright, ok. Be good, stay still. Xue Yang can do that. Maybe. Xiao Xingchen's mouth is incredible, and it's all he can do to stop himself from trying to get more of it. He digs his fingers into the fabric of the couch and tries to hold on.
Xiao Xingchen takes more and more of him with each dip of his head. Xue Yang is quivering, his nails scratch against the couch. This catches Xiao Xingchen's attention— he lifts off, ignoring Xue Yang's whine, and picks up Xue Yang's hand to put it on his head.
"Go ahead," he says, as Xue Yang experimentally tangles his fingers in his hair. He digs them in deeper, makes a fist. Xiao Xingchen nods, then goes back to sucking Xue Yang's dick.
Xue Yang isn't sure this is better, but soon it doesn't really matter. At least, he stops paying attention to what he's doing or not doing, and Xiao Xingchen doesn't stop, which is all he cares about. He comes so fast and hard he doesn't even consider giving Xiao Xingchen a warning, but Xiao Xingchen swallows him down without any hint of displeasure.
"Wow," Xue Yang says after he's caught his breath. "Fuck."
Xiao Xingchen hums happily. He's watching Xue Yang with wide eyes, one hand rubbing himself through his pants. Xue Yang slides down to the carpet to join him, reaching for his belt loops to pull him in closer.
"Not yet," Xiao Xingchen murmurs as they kiss. He pulls Xue Yang's hands off his zipper. "I like to take my time. I want to focus on you now."
"Might need a little before round two," Xue Yang says.
Xiao Xingchen's lip curls up. He reaches down to Xue Yang's soft, sensitive cock and gives him a little zap of spiritual energy. Xue Yang shudders; it's intense at first, and then his cock is filling again as he mindlessly ruts against Xiao Xingchen's palm.
It's going to be a long night.
#
"Oh my gosh," Xingchen says, giggling. "Look at her!"
They're in bed again a few days later, and Xue Yang is showing him a video of the cat playing with a toy mouse in his apartment. She's lying on her side, kicking at it with her back feet. Xue Yang really did not know how weird cats were until he got one.
"She's so cute," Xingchen coos. "How long have you had her?"
"Not long, I picked her up off the street."
"Does she have a name?"
"Uh." Shit. Should have thought about that. Will that be suspicious? "I hadn't thought of one yet."
Xingchen hums. "She doesn't need one. Why should we impose our human customs onto animals?"
"Huh," Xue Yang says, considering.
Xingchen lets out a sudden wistful sigh, wrapping his limbs octopus-style around Xue Yang and pressing his face into his neck. Xue Yang's gotten pretty used to this position, being Xingchen's teddy bear when they sleep. Good sign that Xingchen doesn't want to let him go already.
"Zichen and I never got a pet. The hair and the cleaning would stress him out too much."
Xingchen's never mentioned him by name before. What does a good boyfriend do in this situation? He doesn't have enough information to know how messy this break up was, if a 'fuck that guy' would be welcome or make him seem insecure. Hesitantly, Xue Yang reaches out to comb through his hair.
"You could get one now," he offers.
Xingchen takes a moment to respond. "No, I don't think so."
He falls asleep soon after that, leaving Xue Yang alone with his thoughts. He's noticed traces of Xingchen's ex around the house, things that are more clearly out of place the more he knows Xingchen's habits. Kitchen gadgets too advanced for someone who mostly buys from street vendors. Clothes that are too big mixed in with Xingchen's in the closet. Toiletries he never uses.
What does it mean? Were they just forgotten when he moved out? When you're with someone long enough, do you forget which things are yours and which are theirs? Was the break up so bad that Song Lan left in too much of a rush to get everything? And in that case, why doesn't Xingchen throw them out?
Xue Yang needs to know. He needs to find time to snoop in some drawers. Check Xingchen's text history. Make sure this isn't going to be a problem for him.
#
"Xue Yang," Jin Guangyao's voice comes drifting into Xue Yang's workshop. "Why is my nephew texting me to tell me to give you a raise?"
"Smart kid?" Xue Yang suggests. He doesn't look up from his work. "Clearly takes after you."
"And a compliment? Even more suspicious. Are you still wasting time and resources?"
"You tell me," Xue Yang says. He activates the array on his latest subject's chest, and the corpse raises one arm and smoothly twists its wrist to give Jin Guangyao the bird. "Natural, human-like motion, precise articulation, takes directions based on existing cultural muscle memory rather than exact specifications."
Jin Guangyao's eyes betray his excitement for a moment, but he reels it back. "I assume you can do the rest of the body, too?"
"Working on it. Just a proof of concept."
"Cute," Jin Guangyao says.
"Hey," Xue Yang says, as Jin Guangyao starts to leave. "You know anything about Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan? They're divorced, right?"
"Why?" Jin Guangyao asks.
"If you don't know anything, it's ok to admit it, A-Yao," Xue Yang says, with a mocking shrug.
Jin Guangyao purses his lips together. "I've heard the stories, too, didn't know you were such a gossip."
"Asking for a friend," Xue Yang says.
"Oh, well, in that case," Jin Guangyao says, entirely unconvinced. Still, he says, "I know Song Lan is out of town, but whatever's going on with them, they're still married."
"Huh," Xue Yang says. Could just be legal shit, but he doesn't really like the sound of that.
"Um, hi, is—" Mo Xuanyu pokes his head around the corner. Xue Yang grabs a knife from the table and flings it at the door frame. Mo Xuanyu yelps and hides.
"Xue Yang, please remember that you are not so useful to me that I would overlook the murder of my brother," Jin Guangyao says with a bored sigh. "And stay away from my nephew. I'll be back to check in next week."
Xue Yang snorts. "It's cool, Xuanyu, come in. I'm just fucking with you."
"Oh, um, ok…" When he starts to enter the room again, Xue Yang jolts like he's going to throw another knife, and Mo Xuanyu ducks again, nearly landing on his ass. Xue Yang cackles, until he hears a complaining meow from his chair.
"Oh, sorry, babe," Xue Yang says.
"Uh?" Mo Xuanyu says.
"Not you," Xue Yang says. "My cat."
"What?" Mo Xuanyu sounds even more confused. He's been bringing the cat to work with him lately since he's at Xingchen's most nights now. She was playing with a piece of leathered skin he sewed into a ball for her, but now she's napping. Or was, until Xue Yang had the gall to move too much.
He slides carefully out of his chair to go wash his hands so he can sit on the floor and give some apology pets. The cat comes to sit between his legs as expected.
"You have… a cat?" Mo Xuanyu says, approaching with caution.
"Yep," Xue Yang says.
"I didn't know… you liked cats?" Mo Xuanyu says. He sits down hesitantly nearby. The cat lifts her head to look at him suspiciously.
"I don't. But you said love would save me."
"So you got a cat? Not like… a boyfriend?"
"I got one of those, too." The cat steps out of Xue Yang's legs to sniff at Mo Xuanyu's feet, then hands when he offers them. She even lets him pet her. Slut.
"Oh! Really?"
"Yeah. It's not that hard." Assuming there's no secret competition.
Mo Xuanyu breathes a sigh of relief. "So you're not mad? It's working out?"
"I mean, I'm definitely going to kill you if I die," Xue Yang says. Mo Xuanyu winces. "But you're safe for now."
"Ok, that's good, Yang-ge. Sorry for disappearing. I thought you wanted to kill me. And I was… busy."
Xue Yang rolls his eyes. "Yeah, I could have guessed. Good for us both, eh? Getting railed consistently."
Mo Xuanyu goes red and stammers, trying to deny it. Xue Yang just laughs at him.
#
"So impatient," Xingchen chides when Xue Yang starts feeling up his shirt.
"I just can't get enough of you, Gege," Xue Yang purrs.
Xingchen laughs. He pulls Xue Yang's hands off of him and pins them to the bed on either side of his head. "You'll be good for me though, won't you?" he murmurs into his ear.
Xue Yang loves this shit, it's so funny. Of course he'll be good, it's getting him exactly what he wants. He's going to wear Xingchen out tonight, get him nice and tired, so Xue Yang can have a good look around while he's asleep.
"For you, Gege," he says before Xingchen kisses him again and laces their fingers together.
Xue Yang dimly registers a sound in the distance. A second later, he recognizes the sound of the front door unlocking and freezes. It takes Xingchen a little longer to notice, then he sits up, listening like a deer scanning for predators.
There's clearly someone coming inside the house.
"Shit," Xingchen says. He leans over to grab his phone, and Xue Yang sits up. "That was today?"
"What?" He doesn't have parents, does Baoshan Sanren come for visits?
Xingchen heaves a sigh and runs his fingers through his hair. "I'm so sorry, I was going to tell you about this later. Zichen is home."
"He— what?" Home?! Fuck, he was not fast enough on this one.
"He's back," Xingchen gets out of bed and straightens his clothes. "Just stay here, ok? Please? I'll be back."
Xue Yang's brain is racing to put the pieces together. "Should I go? Hide?"
"What, why?" Xingchen looks baffled. "Just stay here." And then he walks out and down the hallway.
Xue Yang stays frozen until he hears the distant sound of two voices at the other end of the house, too far away for him to make out.
What the fuck? Are they still together? Shit, he should have looked into this earlier. Too late now. He should leave. Get out of whatever this mess is now and cut his losses. It's not that he gives a shit about Xingchen using him to cheat, but he's not going to get Xiao Xingchen to fall in love with him if he's still hung up on his ex. This was clearly too good to be true. Fuck!
Except… Xue Yang pauses in his pacing. Maybe he can use this. If they are in some sort of nebulous not-together-but-also-not-not-together thing, then maybe Xue Yang can make Song Lan jealous to make him look bad, secure Xingchen more. Xingchen loves it when Xue Yang gets hurt, maybe he can get Song Lan to hit him.
Ok. Alright. He'll ride this out and get more information. He can bail at any time. Still two months left, and he's got his back-ups. Plus, the dick is good.
He hears Xingchen coming down the hallway again and sits down on the edge of the bed to look more casual.
"Hi," Xingchen says, looking guilty. He goes down to his knees in front of Xue Yang and wraps his arms around Xue Yang's waist. Good boyfriend time. Xue Yang rubs his arms encouragingly.
"Thank you for not leaving."
"You told me to stay," Xue Yang says.
That gets him a smile. "I did."
Xingchen gets back up, climbing onto the bed and holding Xue Yang's hands.
"So. I owe you an explanation. I thought I had another day for us to talk about this, I didn't mean to spring this on you."
"It's ok," Xue Yang says.
"You're sweet, but no, it's not. I'm sorry." Xingchen takes a breath. "So Zichen and I… we've been together for… I don't know. Forever. But we were having some… problems and decided to take a break for a while. Open our relationship and see if that helped."
Oh, boy.
"Zichen went traveling, and I've been here, but we kept talking. We wanted it to work. He knows about you, and he knows how much I like you. I didn't know what was going to happen with us so I didn't know what to tell you. But now I can say that we're going to try to see what our relationship looks like now, with you still with me, too. And I want you to stay, but I understand if this is not something you want to be a part of."
Fuck. This is so stupid. But Xingchen did say "how much I like you", so maybe not all is lost. He needs to gather more information. Find out what Song Lan's deal is and if he can use it.
He can make Xingchen work for it a little though.
"This is a lot," Xue Yang says.
"I know, I know," Xingchen says, squeezing his hands.
"I've never been in a situation like this before," he continues. He's also never been in a relationship at all before, but Xingchen doesn't need to know that. "But I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about you." That's probably true, actually, but Xue Yang has never needed to date someone to stay alive before, either. "So I want to try."
Xingchen looks so grateful. Like Xue Yang is the most generous guy in the world.
"Thank you," he says. He puts his hands on Xue Yang's face and kisses him. "I'm so glad. We can do this however you want, whatever makes you comfortable. You don't even have to meet him if you don't want to. We could spend time at your place instead."
And have to tell Xingchen where he lives? Absolutely not. "I want to meet him," Xue Yang says, trying to sound earnest. "I want to get to know him if he means that much to you."
Xingchen beams at that. Bingo. Being a good boyfriend is so easy.
"Ok, you will. Maybe we can set something up…"
Oh no, Xue Yang wants to size up the competition immediately. "Why not now?"
"Now?" Xingchen says.
"He's here, right? Is that ok?"
Xingchen seems to be puzzled by that for a moment and then decides it's good. "Yes, ok. Let me go ask him."
He leaves. Xue Yang pulls out his phone and makes sure his hair looks good.
"Xue Yang, in here," Xingchen calls from the hallway. Xue Yang follows the sound to the guest bedroom. Good sign! He's not going to be sleeping with Xingchen.
He walks through the door and is immediately assaulted by the sight of the brick wall that is Song Lan, as tall and dark as he remembered. The contrast of him next to Xingchen, in white, almost as tall but so much more fluid, is striking. No wonder people remember them.
"I remember you," Song Lan says.
"What?" Xingchen says.
"We met him when we visited the Jin compound a few years ago, don't you remember?"
Xingchen cocks his head. "You work for the Jins?"
"Yeah," Xue Yang says.
"You don't know where he works?" Song Lan asks. Xue Yang can't decide if this is good or bad for him but it's hilarious regardless.
"Does it matter?" Xingchen asks.
Song Lan takes a long breath. He's going to be so much fun.
"Well, let me reintroduce myself," Xue Yang says, as innocent as he can muster. "I'm Xue Yang."
"Song Lan."
"Oh, Gege calls you Zichen, right?"
"He does. You may call me Song Lan."
"Song Lan-gege?"
Song Lan doesn't answer that. Instead he says, "What do you do for the Jins, Xue Yang?"
"Research."
"What kind of research?"
This'll be good. "Recently, I've gotten a rare chance to study some of the Yiling Laozu's unedited journals to archive some of his creations."
Song Lan narrows his eyes. "So, demonic cultivation?"
"Well, I think that's a bit reductionist. He had a brilliant mind and not everything he did was demonic cultivation. I'm interested in the man behind all that, you know?"
Song Lan starts to respond, but then Xingchen cuts in excitedly with "You two are going to have so much to talk about!"
Song Lan gives him an exasperated look, then does that long breath again. He's trying. Gotta be respectful to Xingchen's new rascal boyfriend who may or may not be a demonic cultivator for the sake of the relationship. This is going to be a breeze to knock over. Xue Yang's not going anywhere.
"Well, I think we should let him rest, Gege," Xue Yang says, smiling victoriously at Song Lan. "Probably tired from his journey, right?"
Song Lan looks at him for a long time. Not disapproving really, more searching. Trying to figure out what Xingchen sees in him, probably. But it does make the hair on the back of Xue Yang's neck stand up a little.
"Yes, I should probably sleep, thank you."
Xue Yang reaches for Xingchen's hand so they can walk out together. Xingchen accepts it without protest, but he takes a moment to say good night to Song Lan. They brush their knuckles together, briefly. Weird.
He thinks about it all more in bed that night, Xingchen sleeping happily around him. Yeah, this is nothing to worry about. The plan continues.
#
Xue Yang wakes alone. Usually they wake up together, or Xingchen comes back to bed after being a morning person for a while to get his attention. Today, the bed is cold, and he hears voices outside the room. And he smells food.
"But why is that the reaction? It feels so manufactured," Song Lan is saying as Xue Yang walks into the kitchen.
"They're scared, Zichen. They need more reassurance. The Jins just need to communicate clearly what the plan is and— oh, good morning."
"Good morning," Xue Yang says.
Song Lan gets up from the table and heads towards the stovetop. Xingchen makes grabby hands at Xue Yang, so he comes around to his side of the table to give him a kiss and takes a seat next to him.
"We were talking about the Jin Watchtower program," Xingchen says. He gets a little conspiratorial look. "You don't know anything more than what they're saying, do you?"
"Nope," Xue Yang says. "Above my paygrade." Whatever it is is probably cover for what is at his paygrade.
Song Lan returns, with a bowl of fancy looking congee for Xue Yang. It has garnish on it.
"Oh," Xue Yang says. He thought Song Lan had left to get away from him. "Thanks."
They go back to their conversation. No one asks what Xue Yang thinks, they're both absorbed in their pointless little debate. Xingchen thinks if everyone is nice to each other and tells the truth, it'll work out fine. Song Lan doesn't think anyone tells the truth, so it won't work out. Black and white. Xue Yang agrees with Song Lan, but he sees that as an opportunity, not a detriment.
Mostly he doesn't care.
"Fuck, this is really good," he says when he's a few bites in. It's an accident; playing nice to Song Lan doesn't mean genuine compliments. But it comes out without him realizing it.
When he looks up, he sees the barest hint of pride on Song Lan's face.
"I know!" Xingchen says. He sighs. "I've missed Zichen's cooking so much."
Song Lan shies away from the radiant smile Xingchen is giving him. "You could make this."
"Absolutely not. Don't you remember what happened when you tried to teach me how to stir fry?"
"It wasn't that bad."
"Only because you kicked me out of the kitchen to fix it," Xingchen says. "If we were married a thousand years ago, I think I could do a great job hunting or hauling bags of rice back to our cottage for you to cook. Now I don't really have a role in food production."
"You're great at grocery shopping," Song Lan says.
"Well, there we go," Xingchen laughs. He makes an abortive gesture towards Song Lan with one hand, and then grabs Xue Yang's thigh for a squeeze with the other.
Huh.
"That reminds me of a market I saw in Yunmeng," Song Lan says, pulling out his phone. "I don't think I sent you these."
The angle is wrong for Xue Yang to see, so he just goes back to eating and lets them ignore him. He doesn't care anyway, but he's starting to feel distinctly like a third wheel. Gonna need to work on that.
When he finishes his bowl, he starts to get out of his chair to be a good boyfriend and clean up after himself but Song Lan beats him to it. Xue Yang's gracious smile twitches a little as he watches him go. Probably hates the thought of Xue Yang in his kitchen. Must have gotten up early to deep clean it and promise it no one bad would ever touch it again.
"I need to go feed the cat," Xue Yang says, standing up. Xingchen turns in his seat to face him and takes his hands, swinging them playfully. "See you tonight?" They've got another night hunt with the kids.
"Yep," Xingchen says. "Zichen's coming too, he always used to go with me before."
Of course he did. "Sounds great," Xue Yang says.
Xingchen squeezes his hands. "Thank you," he says, quietly.
Xue Yang decides that emotionally he can only answer that with a kiss, and he makes sure to do it when Song Lan is turning back to the table. The look he catches when he lifts his head is undecipherable.
#
Tonight's hunt is at an old estate south of downtown in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood. The complex is probably a couple of thousand years old, abandoned for at least 200 of them. Finally slated for destruction, but readings of resentful energy means they need to send in the cultivators first. He's got the other boys investigating a building that seems to be the main source of the problem, and decides to turn his attention to a much more pressing one. "So," Xue Yang says, putting an arm on Zizhen's shoulders to turn him around. They're standing on a pavilion in an old, algae-ridden pond, a few bridges away from the others. "Tell me what you think of that."
Two figures are working with A-Qing across a different bridge, attempting to get her exorcize a hungry ghost that had been in one of the other buildings. Zizhen gasps. "Song Lan! He's back!"
"Yep."
"And so that means… oh no."
"Yep," Xue Yang says again.
"Qianbei," Zizhen says very seriously, putting his hands on Xue Yang's arms. "I'm here for you if you need me. Did he let you down gently?"
Man, fuck this kid, what a conclusion.
"No, we're still together. We're, uh… they're open. Do you know what that means?"
"Oh, sure. Jin Ling told us how his Xiaoshu is dating both Zewu-jun and Nie-zongzhu when we were trying to figure out how to split up boyfriends between us, so we realized we could just share and stuff."
"Yeah, great. I'm just not sure that's who I am, you know?" Xue Yang prompts, wondering if he can convince Zizhen he needs to help him break up Xingchen and Song Lan. "It's hard to share when you like someone that much."
"I don't think so," Zizhen says, unhelpfully. "I think it makes it better."
"Sure, but, well, Xingchen was really struggling after Song Lan left, I saw how much that hurt him. What if Song Lan hurts him again?"
"That's what happens when you're in love," Zizhen says solemnly. He puts a hand on Xue Yang's chest, over his heart. "Maybe that's how you're feeling now. Do you love him, Qianbei?"
Xue Yang gives him a skeptical look. Where did this kid come from?
The thing is, he sure loves how easy it's been. Xingchen is hot and handsy and the sex is great. He's even considered sticking around after the three months are up, just until he gets bored. Across the bridge he can see Xingchen laughing himself silly, clearly struggling to tell a story by the way A-Qing is rolling her eyes. Xue Yang finds himself smirking.
"You do!" Zizhen says. "You do love him. Don't give up, Qianbei, you can make this work!"
"I don't—"
There's an explosion behind him, followed by screaming. He turns around to see the other boys running towards them over a bridge, being chased by an absolute horde of ghosts emerging from the collapsing building.
"Shit!" They must have all gotten trapped in one place over the years, drawn to each other and building up over time.
There's a bigger pavilion back towards the entrance. "Back there," he says to Zizhen.
"I won't leave them!" Zizhen says.
Here we go again. The other boys are still making their way across the bridge, but the ghosts are moving faster than usual, the sheer volume of them creating a wave that pushes them forward. Half of them are falling into the water but enough are making progress on the bridge.
There's a flash of white in the corner of Xue Yang's eye, and Xingchen goes skating by, freezing the water under his feet. He strikes at the bridge section in between the boys and the ghosts, causing a wall of ice to rise, blocking the ghosts' path. Once the boys make it onto the pavilion with Xue Yang and Zizhen, Xingchen destroys the bridge behind them.
"Everyone ok?" Xingchen asks, floating down onto the pavilion. Song Lan and A-Qing arrive from a bridge to the east.
There's murmurs of agreement, but Xue Yang notices Jingyi is clinging to Sizhui for dear life, hiding his face in his shoulder. Sizhui is trying to soothe him.
"What's his deal?" Xue Yang asks.
"Afraid of ghosts," Sizhui says.
"You're kidding me," Xue Yang says. He blows hair out of his face. "Ok, we need to get out of here." The ghosts are still spreading out across the pond; by land or by sea, they're going to reach them eventually. "Can everyone fly?"
"We can't just leave," Song Lan says. "They're going to breach the doors and get out into the city."
Xue Yang groans. Not his problem! "So we set the place on fire."
Song Lan looks disgusted. "They deserve a proper exorcism."
"Are you expecting them to queue up nicely so we can take care of them one by one?"
"No, we need to keep them at bay until an exorcism team can arrive to lock everything down."
Xingchen put his hand on Xue Yang's arm, stopping him from saying something he'd regret to Song Lan. "It's ok, Xue Yang. We can stay. You get the kids out of here to safety."
Does he think he's scared? That he can't handle this, that only proper temple or magical mountain educated cultivators can deal with this? Never mind that, does he think he's going to abandon his most promising mark to noble sacrifice so Xue Yang has to start all over?
Fuck that.
"Get him out of here," he says to the boys about Jingyi. Sizhui nods and pulls out his sword to fly off.
"We'll go get help."
"Already on it," A-Qing says, typing on her phone. Surprisingly helpful for once.
"You should get out of here, too," Xingchen says to her.
A-Qing looks up at him stubbornly. "I'm not leaving you, Ge."
Xingchen looks conflicted. Xue Yang does not want her in the way. "A-Qing, this is going to be really dangerous," he says, sweetly. "I think you should get to safety. So your ge doesn't worry about you, right?"
A-Qing glares at him. "What about them?" she asks, gesturing to Jin Ling and Zizhen still behind.
Xue Yang looks back. "Are you going to help? Can you move fast?"
The boys nod enthusiastically.
"I can–" A-Qing starts, but Xingchen puts a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe next time?"
A-Qing scoffs at him, betrayed. But she storms off, getting on her sword and leaving.
"Ok," Jin Ling says, sliding in front of Xue Yang. "What's the plan?"
Xue Yang starts cracking his knuckles. "We'll need to make sure all the exits are blocked, then try to distract them. Keep them chasing us in different directions until help arrives."
"They're slower in the water," Song Lan says suddenly. He'd been quietly surveying the scene, Xue Yang almost forgot about him. "We should lead them into the water."
They're doing a fine job of that themselves, Xue Yang observes. The walkways are narrow and they often push each other over. But he has a point. Can they be even slower?
"Xingchen," he says, getting an idea. "How much of the pond could you freeze?"
"How much do we need?" Xingchen asks.
"You want to freeze them into the water?" Song Lan asks. "That's a lot of energy."
"I can do it," Xingchen says. He drops into a cross-legged sit near the water's edge and begins to center himself.
Song Lan's eyebrows furrow as he looks at him.
"Stay with him," Xue Yang says. "You can feed him energy if he needs it." Xue Yang hates to give them a moment like this, but he needs Xingchen not to die. Besides, he figures the prophecy will keep Xue Yang alive for now, so better for it to be him getting closer to the ghosts.
Song Lan gives him that long look again. Then he nods.
"Alright," Xue Yang says to the boys. He pulls Jiangzai out of his coat sleeve. "Let's go."
Zizhen and Jin Ling take to the air, and Xue Yang runs from bridge to bridge, knocking ghosts into the pond and baiting them into doing it themselves. He keeps an eye on the boys, who are mostly running interference and keeping the ghosts from targeting Xingchen. Song Lan starts by pushing back any ghosts that start to get close, and then once Xingchen starts to freeze the water, he sits behind him to transfer energy.
The frost spreads slowly but steadily across the pond, trapping more and more ghosts as it goes. Xue Yang and the boys work on the outskirts of the ice, dropping the remaining ghosts into the water. Then, with a snap and a sparkle of frost, the pond freezes to the corners of the courtyard, and everything goes quiet.
"We did it!" Zizhen cheers.
"That was so cool!" Jin Ling shouts.
Xue Yang makes his way back to the landing with Xingchen, watching him wobble to his feet. Song Lan shoots out an arm to steady him, which Xingchen seems startled by. He even tries to refuse, but Song Lan is persistent, holding his elbow until he's standing stably. Xue Yang gets there in time to see a weird, wordless negotiation between them, then Xingchen pushing up to press his forehead against Song Lan's.
The moment Xue Yang knew they'd have. Too bad. Xingchen looks happy though.
And when Xingchen notices Xue Yang, he turns and throws himself into his arms, hands around his neck, and kisses him. Zizhen whoops.
When Xingchen pulls back, Xue Yang's eyes drift to Song Lan, who nods at him, and gives him the barest hint of a smile.
#
"So, I wanted to try something, if you were up for it," Xingchen says, breaking off a kiss.
"Yeah?" Xue Yang is always down with Xingchen's ideas. He's also eager to get this show on the road, because they've only fucked once since Song Lan came back, and he's getting antsy about it. He's thinking if he can keep Xingchen distracted, he might forget to put a silencing charm on the door, and Song Lan will have to listen to him going down on his husband.
"How would you feel about Zichen watching us?"
That stops Xue Yang in his tracks. He pulls back. "Really? He wants that?"
"We've been talking about it, yeah," Xingchen says in a way that suggests they've done more than talk about it. Xue Yang can't really figure out what they… do together, since Xingchen seems so afraid to touch him. "We don't have to, it's ok. Totally up to you."
Yeah, but Xingchen wants it. He's skeptical that Song Lan wants it, probably just going along with it to make Xingchen happy. But it'll be Xue Yang making Xingchen happy, and Xue Yang can make it so good. He figures this is an easy win.
"Sounds hot," Xue Yang says. "Bring him in."
Xingchen calls in Song Lan from the other room. He brings a chair over from the window and puts it in front of the bed. He doesn't really look at Xue Yang, giving Xue Yang lots of opportunities to look at him, to try to gauge the mood. He seems nervous. Good.
Xingchen climbs back onto the bed and draws Xue Yang back into a kiss. This is about showing off what he knows about Xingchen. Xue Yang focuses on that, where Xingchen likes to be touched, where he likes to be kissed. He likes it when Xue Yang is eager and a little aggressive; not in a dominating way, but like he's trying to get more than he's been given, so that Xingchen can pull his hands away from wherever they're not supposed to be and correct him.
They've been undressing each other at a mostly equal pace; Xingchen's in his boxer briefs as he pulls Xue Yang's pants off. Suddenly, Xue Yang senses Song Lan's eyes on him from the corner of his vision; it's foreign and raw like something under his skin, but he wants to grind against the attention, feel the sting. It makes him shudder. Xingchen palms his clothed dick, and Xue Yang bucks up from the sharp, sudden pleasure.
"Oh," Xingchen sighs, a soft sound of delight. "Come here, Yangyang," he says, drawing Xue Yang up to his knees so he's facing the end of the bed. Facing Song Lan. "Let's make sure Zichen can see you properly."
That's not… is this what he wants? Xue Yang's not sure what the goal is anymore, is this punishment for Song Lan? But Xingchen's hand is wrapping around his cock now; he's barely touching him, but Song Lan is staring at Xue Yang— only Xue Yang, his gaze like a physical weight on Xue Yang's body. Xingchen is murmuring praise in his ear, and Xue Yang can't look away.
"He likes it so much, Zichen," Xingchen says. To Xue Yang, he says, "look what you're doing to Zichen."
Xue Yang blinks like he's breaking out of a trance, eyes dropping to Song Lan's crotch. He's unmistakably hard in his soft pants and fucking huge. Xue Yang lets out a small, hungry whine.
"I know," Xingchen laughs quietly. He pulls Xue Yang's underwear down to his thighs and uses his other hand to tease at Xue Yang's hole. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
Xue Yang has just the presence of mind not to agree out loud, but it's a close call. Song Lan closes his legs a little, but his gaze remains just as intense. Steadying now, as Xingchen starts to push lubed fingers inside him.
"Ah, no, stay up," Xingchen says, when Xue Yang starts to buckle. Xingchen is starting to fuck him, hands on his hips. He puts a forearm across Xue Yang's chest, as sturdy as a steel bar. "I've got you."
It's just pleasure after that; Xingchen rocks into him and pants in his ear, Xue Yang feels warm where Xingchen’s chest presses against his back, where his hands hold him. Warm where Song Lan is watching him, eyes moving noticeably down to where Xingchen is working Xue Yang's cock. Xue Yang comes with a shout, strings cut as his body gives out on him. Xingchen doesn't let him fall until he's finished with him.
"What the fuck," Xue Yang says, when he can talk again.
"I, uh—" That's Song Lan. Xue Yang watches him stand up awkwardly. "Thank you," he says hastily and makes for the door.
"Have fun, Zichen!" Xingchen calls after him, sleepily. He worms his way across the bed to tangle himself with Xue Yang. He breathes in deeply, breathes out a satisfied sigh.
"Can't get enough of my sweat, huh?" Xue Yang teases him. He's in a great fucking mood. He has no idea what that was but he doesn't care.
"Yeah," Xingchen says, honestly. "I love bodies, and everything that comes with them." He takes one of Xue Yang's hands and plays with his fingers. "Zichen… he has a lot of trouble with touch. It's too much for him."
"You don't have sex?" Xue Yang asks.
"No, we do. That's ok for him, very clear intent, short duration. It's ok for it to be intense. Then he can't wait to get into the shower and get away. I…couldn’t do it. I thought I could. We both did; he didn't even tell me how much he hated it at first, trying to do what he thought would make me happy. I felt awful when I realized how much I'd been hurting him. For years!"
Well, that explains some things. Xue Yang is too tired to figure out a use for this and just defaults to Good Boyfriend instead, putting his arms around Xingchen. "You didn't know."
"No, but… I wanted to be ok with it, to respect it. I shouldn't need anything but what he can give me. But I couldn't. Makes me feel selfish."
"If you weren't, I wouldn't be here," Xue Yang says before he can stop himself. "I mean, you—"
"Oh, Xue Yang, I'm sorry," Xingchen says. "You're right. What am I saying?" He takes Xue Yang's face in his hands and kisses him. "You make me so happy. You both do. Why would I have wanted it to work out another way?"
He kisses him again, and again, and then they're pressing in closer, grinding against each other, wet from sweat and slick and cum. Xue Yang giving Xingchen what Song Lan can't, what he needs.
#
"So now what?" Xue Yang asks the cat. She's sleeping on his chest while he lies on his floor to think.
Xingchen seems close, that's for sure. He just needs to figure out what to do about Song Lan to seal the deal.
Getting rid of him is the obvious choice, but now they're so… entangled that it would probably just throw off everything. Xue Yang and Xingchen barely have sex without him now. Xue Yang jerks off to the memory of his stare, of Song Lan looking like he’s just seconds away from losing control and tearing him to shreds. What's stopping him? Xue Yang hasn't even gotten to see his dick yet, he just runs off to deal with it in his room alone.
He must be as disgusted with Xue Yang as he is attracted to him. Prick. Yeah, Xue Yang knows he's got his whole touch averse thing, but he does fuck, and he does touch Xingchen, sort of. Xue Yang recalls grinding his teeth all night, once, at the sound of Song Lan washing his hands every 15 seconds while battering some fish to fry. Fucking exhausting.
He looks at his phone. Xingchen should be home by now, he can head over. He lifts the cat from his chest to put her down on one of the many beds he's made for her around the apartment, and she meows pitifully at him.
"Sorry, babe." He's really starting to slack on his other options. Or maybe this is love already, crying when he leaves. More likely she's just using him as he's using her, because she was warm and now she's not. Should have gotten a dog.
Xue Yang doesn't have a key to Xingchen's place yet, another one of Song Lan's crimes. Xingchen doesn't answer his text, so he knocks on the door instead.
Song Lan answers.
"Xingchen isn't home yet," he says. "Had to work late."
"Ok," Xue Yang says. Is that supposed to make him leave?
It takes another second, but then Song Lan steps out of the way and lets him inside.
"I made dinner, Xingchen said not to wait."
"Cool," Xue Yang says. At least he can cook.
Xue Yang sits. Song Lan brings them both bowls. They eat. It's delicious, like always, but Xue Yang has gotten more used to it, doesn't just blurt it out anymore.
Song Lan doesn't say anything either. Xue Yang remembers some old sect that had rules about not talking while you eat. Imagine being that determined to make your life boring. Just more rules to have reasons to keep people out.
"Did you work today?" Xue Yang asks when he gets bored. He doesn't even remember what Song Lan does. Something lame. Teaching?
"Yes," Song Lan says. Xue Yang worries he's going to stop there. "Writing a lesson plan."
"About what?"
Song Lan makes a face. "Do you really want to know?"
Xue Yang laughs. "Yeah," he lies. "Teach me."
Song Lan sighs. "Do you know anything about mapping data from long range ambient spiritual energy readers?"
"To do what?"
"A lot of things. Weather patterns, illness. I've recently been looking into cross-referencing historical data with political events to see if there's a correlation between–"
"Oh come on, think bigger. Couldn't you use that to find dragons?"
"Dragons? Dragons come to us when they want to. We can't just go—"
"Fuck 'em, think about what we could do if we could find where they're hiding."
Song Lan's hand turns into a fist. "Dragons are divine creatures, not prey animals."
"So?"
"So they deserve your respect," Song Lan says. He's angry. This is much more fun.
Xue Yang grins at him. "I just think that for the good of humanity—"
"I think we should talk about something else," Song Lan says, visibly willing himself to calm down. Just when it was getting good, too. "What do you and Xingchen talk about?"
Xue Yang huffs a little laugh. "I don't know. Whatever."
"Whatever?"
"Yeah. Or nothing."
Song Lan looks blank.
"Oh, hey, I know." Xue Yang scoots his chair around the corner to get closer to Song Lan. This'll piss him off again. "Turn to face me."
Song Lan rotates, hesitantly. Xue Yang puts his hands out, palm up. "Put your hands on mine, palm down."
"I know about this game," Song Lan says.
"Great, I won't have to explain it. Xingchen and I play this, he loves it."
Song Lan doesn't move. Xue Yang gestures with his fingers. Slowly, Song Lan reaches his arms out. His hands just hover over Xue Yang's, barely touching.
"Look at my eyes," Xue Yang says, but Song Lan doesn't need direction. The look immediately brings Xue Yang back to a couple days ago: Xingchen's hand in his hair forcing his head up so that Song Lan can see his face while Xingchen works four fingers into his ass. He knows Song Lan is thinking about it too. Xue Yang licks his lips, watches Song Lan's eyes drop, then turns his hands to slap.
Song Lan's hands are gone already.
"Fast," Xue Yang says. "My turn."
Song Lan slowly offers his hands, resigned, like he knows what's coming. Xue Yang puts his hands down heavily on top of his palms, stretching out his fingers, savoring the way Song Lan winces. Is he going to give up? How long will he try to make nice?
Song Lan steadies himself. Breathes deep. He looks into Xue Yang's eyes.
Xue Yang waits. His eyes unfocus a little but Song Lan's gaze is still clear. Xue Yang's mind drifts towards a different night, on his knees with Xingchen's cock in his mouth, while Song Lan's fingers dug into the chair's arms. He almost forgets what they're supposed to be doing here, then realizes that Song Lan hasn't moved.
"You have to try to hit me," Xue Yang says.
"I know," Song Lan says.
Xue Yang waits a little longer. Nothing happens. His eyes narrow.
"What are you trying to do?"
"I'm playing the game."
"Ok, whatever, if you're just fucking with me then—" Xue Yang tries to pull his hands away but Song Lan's fingers close around his wrists. "Are you serious?"
"Can't you be patient?" Song Lan asks.
Xue Yang glares at him. Then his face breaks into a grin. He slides out of his chair and crawls into Song Lan's lap, straddling his thighs. Song Lan's chest heaves, and his muscles go rigid, but his grip remains tight.
"So who gives in first?" Xue Yang asks, whispering into Song Lan's lips. Song Lan's head goes back to get away, but there's nowhere to go. "How long can you handle this?"
Song Lan says nothing. His nostrils flare with heavy breaths. Xue Yang grinds his hips down, and Song Lan squirms. "Yeah, you like this. This is where you wanted me all along." Xue Yang's trying to keep his cool but he can feel the size of Song Lan underneath him now. This just started as entertainment but now he needs this.
He puts his lips just a breath from Song Lan's. "Come on."
"Come on what?"
"Don't you want to kiss me?"
"Do you want me to kiss you?" Song Lan asks. Xue Yang doesn't reply. "I can wait."
Xue Yang groans. "Man, fuck you," he says, and kisses him. It's mostly teeth, and Xue Yang soon lets out a very different groan as Song Lan bites hard into the flesh of his bottom lip. Game forgotten, Song Lan drops his wrists. Xue Yang rocks against him, pushing his hands in the very little space between them to get to Song Lan's belt.
"Not here," Song Lan says.
"What, do we have to do the dishes first?" Xue Yang asks.
Song Lan stands up suddenly, and Xue Yang scrambles to hold on and not fall on the floor. Song Lan throws Xue Yang over his shoulder and takes them back to Xingchen's bedroom, Xue Yang laughing and swearing at him the whole way.
"Fuck," he says, when Song Lan tosses him on the bed. Song Lan's eyes are raking over him. Xue Yang reaches up to pull him down, and Song Lan grabs his wrists.
"I touch you, you don't touch me."
"Make me," Xue Yang says.
"Fine," Song Lan says. He flips Xue Yang onto his stomach, twisting his wrists behind his back. While he's holding them firm in one hand, Xue Yang hears the sound of him unbuckling his belt.
"Seriously?" Xue Yang asks, his nerves lighting up like wildfire.
There's a pause. "Take it or leave it."
Xue Yang makes an irritated noise. Song Lan gives him a little shake. "Xue Yang. Yes or no."
"Yes, fuck you, do it. Hurry up and fuck me."
Song Lan sighs and starts wrapping the belt around his wrists. "Xingchen's right."
"About what?"
"You're more fun when you don't try to be good," he says.
"I'm—" Xue Yang gasps as Song Lan pulls off Xue Yang's pants and underwear in one motion, leaving him to flop face-first into the bed. Feels indecent, somehow, with his shirt still on and his ass totally out. He grinds into the sheets, listening to Song Lan undress, imagining what—
"Let me see your cock," Xue Yang says, twisting around. Song Lan shoves his face back into the bed.
"You don't need to see it."
"What, you got some complex about that, too? Is it ugly? Fuck!" Xue Yang says, feeling Song Lan's cock head up against his hole. "Fuck, you're huge."
Song Lan lets out a shaky breath. Xue Yang hears the wet sound of him coating his cock in lube. "I should make you wait," Song Lan says.
"You don't want to wait."
"No. I want to give you exactly what you want," he says, and starts to push in.
Xue Yang yells into the sheets. He can take Xingchen with no prep but this is a whole other level. Song Lan works himself in so slowly but the stretch is all-consuming. It's fucking perfect. Xue Yang struggles against the belt, pulling his wrists apart as far as he can; it's grounding.
Song Lan bottoms out after an eternity, pausing to let Xue Yang contemplate the meaning of fullness. He feels frantic.
"Come on, keep going."
"You're alright," Song Lan says, a hand stroking his flank.
"I won't be if you don't fucking—"
"I leave you two alone for one night…" Xingchen's voice comes from the door.
"Xingchen," Song Lan says, startled. Xue Yang whines as Song Lan jerks in surprise, pushing into him deeper on accident.
"Keep going, Zichen, he needs this. He needs you."
Xue Yang hears Xingchen come to bed and sit next to him. He puts one hand in the middle of Xue Yang's back and starts to rub long, soothing circles with his palm. Xue Yang bucks impatiently.
"Shh, Yangyang," Xingchen says. Song Lan starts to pull out. "Good, Zichen."
Song Lan moves much faster on the second round, just as deep, building speed with each thrust. Xue Yang whimpers, his knees give out, but Song Lan holds him up. This is so much better than he thought it would be.
He hears a wet noise behind him; they're kissing, he thinks, kissing about this, about him. "He's going to come like this, Zichen, I know he can. Won't you, Yangyang?" Xingchen's hand curls around his thigh, his fingers brushing soft skin. Xue Yang moans into the bed. He can, he will. He's overwhelmed by it all— Xingchen's hands on him, his ass stretched and filled to the brim, Song Lan slamming into him over and over— his whole body wracks with orgasm, and Song Lan fucks him steadily through it until he spills hot and deep inside Xue Yang.
His heart is still pounding when he feels someone untying the belt and rolling him over. Xingchen kisses him and kisses him, holding him so tightly Xue Yang almost doesn't notice the sudden emptiness.
"Where's…" Xue Yang mutters.
"He'll be back, it's ok," Xingchen promises. "You did so good, Xue Yang."
"Gege…"
Xingchen reaches down between Xue Yang's legs to feel his swollen hole, sighing with pleasure. He looks up when Song Lan comes back into the room with a wet washcloth to clean Xue Yang up. Xue Yang closes his eyes and goes boneless.
"I never expected this," Xingchen says, laughing. "Well, I mean, it was never a requirement. But I'm delighted that the two people I love are getting along so well."
"Well, 'getting along' is—" Xue Yang's eyes snap open. "Did you say love?"
"Yes," Xingchen says, bending over to kiss him. "I love you, Xue Yang."
"Fuck, you're serious," Xue Yang says, laughing. He feels giddy. This fucking idiot. All it took was getting his husband to fuck him.
"I am," Xingchen says, giggling. He smiles at Song Lan, then kisses Xue Yang again.
So fucking easy. And he's got two weeks left.
#
A couple of days later, Xue Yang is curled up with Xingchen on the couch while Song Lan makes dinner in the kitchen. He's showing Xingchen more cat videos, and Xingchen is cooing with delight.
Suddenly, Xingchen sighs, putting his head on Xue Yang's shoulder. "I don't know what we should do about her," he says.
"Who?" Xue Yang asks. "A-Qing?"
"No, the cat," Xingchen says. "We can't bring her here, but it really makes more sense for you to move in so we can protect you."
"Protect me?" Xue Yang laughs. "From what?"
"Well, from whatever's going to hurt you next month. I assume we have to stop it."
Xue Yang goes still. The kitchen noises stop.
"Gege," Xue Yang says very softly, forcing himself to smile. "What are you talking about?"
"Xingchen," Song Lan says urgently from the doorway.
"Oh shit," Xingchen says. "I wasn't supposed to say anything."
Xue Yang looks at Song Lan, who sighs. He looks back at Xingchen. "You knew?"
"A-Qing was suspicious of you and went digging," Song Lan says. "She talked to your friend."
Xue Yang is going to skin Mo Xuanyu alive. He'd been prepared for this, sure, because he'd been prepared for everything. To have to do a "yeah this started because of the prophecy but now I love you for real" sort of reassurance but neither of them seem like they need reassurance.
"You aren't mad?"
"Well, Zichen needed a little convincing," Xingchen says with a little laugh. "A-Qing thought it would make us want to break up with you, but I don't see the problem. It's not like people don't seek out love for worse reasons." Xingchen holds his hands. "And besides, we really do care about you and we don't want you to die."
"We thought it would be better not to tell you in case that messes with the prophecy," Song Lan says. "And because we didn't want to get your friend in trouble."
"And we know you care about us," Xingchen adds, squeezing his hands. "It’s ok. You're safe."
Xue Yang's skin is crawling. They're both looking at him with these soft, condescending faces. His saviors.
He pulls his hands out of Xingchen's grasp. "This is bullshit. So you’re doing me a favor now, that it?"
"What?" Xingchen asks.
"How long have you known?"
"A couple weeks, I guess?" Xingchen says, looking to Song Lan for confirmation.
Xue Yang does the math. "So you knew before you told me you loved me?"
"I…" Xingchen frowns. "I suppose? But that doesn't mean—"
"So you find out about the prophecy, tell me you love me. I should be so grateful, right? Works out great for you, now the fuck toy keeping your relationship together has to stick around, huh?"
"I do love you," Xingchen says, anguished, reaching for him. Xue Yang shoots to his feet and backs away. "Why are you saying this?"
"You don't even fucking know me! I've been lying to you. And you knew that, and you kept me around. You're using me just like I was using you."
"No, that's not true," Xingchen says. "This is real. I know you think you did this only for the prophecy, but it's real. How we feel about each other—"
"'How we feel about each other'?" Xue Yang sneers. "I never felt anything for you, except the satisfaction of pulling a successful con."
"Xue Yang—"
"Xue Yang," Song Lan says. His eyes are blazing. "That's enough. You're throwing a tantrum."
"Me?" Xue Yang lets out a bark of laughter. "Like you aren't desperate to keep me so you can avoid figuring out your shit. Here's a hint: most people who are incompatible break up for more than two months."
"Xue Yang," Song Lan hisses.
"What happens when putting me between you stops working, huh? Throw me out and find a new one?"
Song Lan's eyes widen. Xue Yang quickly switches his gaze to Xingchen, who's shaking his head. "No, no, Xue Yang, that isn't—"
"I'm leaving," Xue Yang says, heading for the door. "Thanks for nothing."
First stop on the way home is Mo Xuanyu's, who isn’t even fucking there. Off with his boyfriend, probably. What a great deal this is for him, get rid of his shithead friend Xue Yang and get a boyfriend out of it, too.
Xue Yang breaks the seal on the door and steps inside. Mo Xuanyu isn't as ostentatious as his brothers but he's still a Jin, and that means plenty of glassware, nice lamps and a big television. Xue Yang cracks his knuckles and gets to work.
He does feel a little better after trashing Mo Xuanyu's place. He's still livid, but his blood is boiling a little less. This is why he got back ups. And when he's alive and well in a few weeks, he can show Song Lan and Xingchen that he never needed them after all.
He wakes up in the morning, hungover as shit, cat meowing at him for food. He stumbles to the kitchen to feed her, then slinks down to the floor to check his phone.
Lots of missed calls and texts from Xingchen, less from Song Lan. At least, he thinks it's Song Lan, he never actually got his number. Xue Yang blocks them both.
He's got a voicemail from the coordinator with the night hunting group.
"Hi, Xue Yang. I'm calling to give you a heads up that there's been some discrepancies with some of your registration data, it seems like the Jin sect has lost your employee records. I'm sure it's just a clerical error, but I'll have to ask you to stop coming to our events until we clear it up. Please give me a call back when you can so we can work this out. Thanks!"
Fuck. Jin Guangyao found out. Fine, none of the kids liked him that much anyway.
"I've still got you, babe," Xue Yang says, as the cat crawls into his lap for morning cuddles. She's stuck with him the whole time, despite how quickly he started sleeping over at Xingchen's. She's loyal. That's love.
Someone knocks on the door. The cat perks up and runs towards the sound, meowing. Xue Yang grabs a shirt from the floor and goes to answer it.
"Hi," says the kid on his doorstep. "Um, I'm sorry for bothering you but— Xiaohei!"
The cat squeezes out from behind Xue Yang's legs and goes right for the kid, rubbing up against her ankles.
"Oh, thank the gods, I was so worried about you!" she says. She bends down and picks the cat up and holds her. The cat rubs against her chin, meowing intensely. She never lets Xue Yang hold her like that. "My dad threw her out a few months ago, I've been trying to find her ever since. One of the neighbors said they saw you bring her in… you kept her safe! She looks so healthy, aren't you, Xiaohei?" The cat meows. "I can't thank you enough."
"Yeah," Xue Yang says. He can't believe this is happening.
"I owe you so much. I don't have any money, but I could—"
"It's fine," Xue Yang. "She was great. Hang on to her," he says. He reaches out to pet her one last time.
He goes back inside. His apartment is silent. He packs up all the cat stuff into an old qiankun bag and tosses it in the garbage.
It's over. There's no time left.
But he doesn't have to go out alone.
Xue Yang pulls some notebooks out of a sealed chest under his bed and starts looking them over. He'd always been in for the long haul on this one. Get the power he needed to get his revenge on Chang Ci'an and his family, but don't get caught. He wants his destruction to be absolute— life, family, reputation— all gone at once. Worth waiting for.
But now there's no time for that. He can still make it work, it'll just be messier. Death on his own terms.
The thought brings comfort. He should have known this was always how it would go. The prophecy was just a push in the right direction. Of course there could be no love for him, all of that was a lie. That was never a life Xue Yang could have had.
#
Three months exactly after that night with Mo Xuanyu, Xue Yang stands alone in an empty park overlooking the Chang estate, well past nightfall. A week ago, he snuck into the Jin compound to steal the Yiling Laozu's Yin Tiger Seal and he’s been using it to turn himself into a bomb.
He's barely slept and barely ate. His bed was too cold, everything tasted awful. It doesn't matter. Soon, it won't hurt anymore.
A twig snaps behind him, and Xue Yang turns, hand in his sleeve to pull out Jiangzai.
"Qianbei?!" A figure steps out from the shadow of a tree into the moonlight. "It is you! I'm so happy to see you! I need your help."
Xue Yang blinks hard. He feels like he's hallucinating. He's spent a week in a haze of resentful energy, and now Ouyang Zizhen is hugging him.
"You smell… evil? What is that?"
Xue Yang pushes him back. "What are you doing here?" His voice sounds hoarse. When did he speak last?
"I come here to think sometimes. I just really needed to get away from home, I just had the biggest fight with my dad, I'm so upset."
He keeps talking. Xue Yang doesn't understand why this is happening. It's surreal, Xue Yang must look and smell like death, and Zizhen is just chatting at him about his dad problems like Xue Yang's not on his way to commit mass murder-suicide.
Wait. Dad problems? Is this it, really? This is the prophecy? He’d won this kid's affection, and now the kid makes a contrived entrance to distract him from his plan? Well, that's bullshit, Xue Yang isn't falling for that. This kid doesn't love him, he just wants someone to complain to. There's no way this is it.
"I know he thinks that means I won't have kids but it doesn't mean that at all! But when I tell him that, he's like, Zizhen, the Jin kid is lying to you, he's just trying to absorb our sect, which is crazy—"
"Zizhen," Xue Yang says. He doesn't have time for this. "Do you want me to kill your dad?"
"What! No! What?"
"Ok, that's all I got."
Zizhen gasps. "Qianbei, you're a genius. I can either have him in my life or I can't, like he's dead or alive. I don't want him to die. I know what to do." He gives Xue Yang another hug. "I have to go talk to him, I have to— Thank you, Qianbei, you’re the best, thank you, see you soon!"
“Sure, whatever,” Xue Yang replies, then frowns at himself as he watches Zizhen leave. He turns back to the estate. If he doesn't get down there soon, the prophecy might kill him before he does what he needs to do. He takes a step toward the edge.
His phone buzzes. Automatically, Xue Yang pulls it out of his pocket. He has an email. From Song Lan. On his work email.
"Fuck off," he shouts, throwing his phone over the cliff. This isn't going to stop him. None of that was love, it was a lie.
He takes another step. He hears a meow from the darkness, and a black shape comes towards him.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Xue Yang says, looking down. This can't be the same cat. She got out again and chased him down across the city? Xue Yang sits down on the ground, entirely nonplussed as the cat climbs into his lap. What's he going to do now, move?
Xue Yang puts his head in his hands. "Fine, fuck you. Just kill me the way you want." He might still be able to make a big enough blast of resentful energy to poison the area, kill the Changs slowly.
Or… Or. This was the death: this plan, his suicide bomb.
Fuck, is that really it? Xue Yang lets out a hysterical peal of laughter. Rookie fucking mistake, he knew this could happen. Got all in his head about the prophecy and let it trick him. Almost let it trick him into dying, fuck. But that means he doesn't need anyone to save him, he can just… not do it.
And then what?
He thinks about what he's turned his life into, how he's burned every bridge he has. There's nothing to go back to. And even if there was… it won't last. None of it does. He thinks about going back to Xingchen and Song Lan, about playing pretend with them for a while longer, until they inevitably move on. The lights around the Chang estate start to look more inviting.
The cat bites him, nicely, the way she does to indicate he is not petting her enough. "This is really heavy-handed, you know?" he tells her. "I can kill myself whenever I want."
He can. But maybe he doesn’t want to. Maybe he doesn't want to pussy out just because everything's gone to shit. Maybe he wants to make Xingchen and Song Lan take responsibility for loving him, see just how long they think they can handle him.
It's way too early to cash out.
The cat has a collar now and an address, so he drops her off at home and tells the kid at the door to get better at boundary spells. Then he goes to Xingchen's.
"You're alive," Song Lan says, opening the door.
"Yeah," Xue Yang says. He smells food. He's so hungry.
"Did you get my email?" Song Lan asks.
"Yeah. Didn't read it though."
"Then why…"
Xue Yang shrugs. "You claim to love me, it can be your responsibility if I die."
Song Lan stares at him. His face breaks into a smile. "That's not what my email was about."
"What did it say?"
"That I don't love you. But that Xingchen does, and you should trust him."
This asshole. Xue Yang can't help grinning. "And that was supposed to stop me from killing myself?"
"You were going to—"
"Yangyang!" Xingchen comes into the entryway. "I was so worried. I'm so angry at you," he says, but pulls Xue Yang into his arms and holds him achingly tight. He's so warm. Xue Yang is so cold and so tired. He goes limp and lets Xingchen keep him up.
"Sorry, Gege," he says.
"It's ok," Xingchen says. He sniffs. "What's that smell?"
"Uh," Xue Yang says. When did he shower last?
"This is demonic energy, where is it coming from?"
"Oh, that," Xue Yang says, laughing. He totally forgot. Can't exactly take it back, can he? Gonna need a new plan to deal with this. He steps out of Xingchen's grasp, fishing around in his pockets for the Seal. "I was going to kill myself with this, but I changed my mind."
"You what?" Xingchen says.
"I changed my mind!" Xue Yang protests. "Long story." He pulls out the Seal.
Xingchen gasps. Song Lan says, "You brought that into our house?"
"You guys want to help me blow the lid off some illegal demonic cultivation going on at the Jin sect?"
#
"…so if A-Yao can just get over himself and say it was his dad's plan, which is true, then I'm sure the authorities will go light on him. Turn him over to the Lans or something. He'll enjoy that," Xue Yang says. He tastes his coffee, then adds a few more sugars.
"And you're… not going jail?" Mo Xuanyu asks.
"Nope, whistleblower protection. On probation for some other shit they dug up though, but I can be a good boy for a while."
Mo Xuanyu nods. "The thing I don't understand, is… what was the love that saved you?"
Xue Yang snorts. "Oh yeah, your shitty prophecy. Pretty sure it was love for myself, which"—Xue Yang makes a jerking off motion with one hand—"I already had that. I could just have not done anything this whole time and survived. But I did a bunch of shit. Changed my behavior. The prophecy made me do things."
"What do you mean?" Mo Xuanyu asks.
"It didn't just predict the future, it made the future." Xue Yang sees Song Lan wave at him from outside the coffee shop, so he gets up, putting the lid on his cup. "You're a weapon, Mo Xuanyu. Be careful where you point that thing."
Outside, he says, "Are you sure about this? You're going to have to bathe it all the time and put it in dumb sweaters."
"I'll take that over hair," Song Lan says as they start to walk. "And I already know how to knit."
"You would," Xue Yang says.
They find Xingchen in a pile of sphynx kittens in a room at the breeder's house. When he sees them, he lifts up the ugliest, scrawniest one of the litter. "This one," he says, confidently.
"Of course," Xue Yang says.
"Worked out before," Song Lan says.
"Fuck you." Xue Yang gives him a shove and goes to meet their new cat.
#
From: [email protected]
Re: (no subject)
Xue Yang,
I doubt you'll ever see this but there are no other options. You won't return our calls, we can't find anyone who knows where you live, or find you on social media. You're either paranoid or don't have any friends, or both. And I can't stop worrying if you're still alive.
You seem to think Xingchen's love for you won't save you, because you don't think it's real. And you don't think it's real because you were lying to us, that the person he loved doesn't exist. I think we could have a long and really frustrating (for me) conversation about who people are, how we define the many facets of a person, who the "real" Xue Yang is. I could even recommend to you a lot of books that I think tackle the subject with the nuance it deserves, but I want you to keep reading this email. The gist of this is that I don't believe that the person Xingchen loves isn't a valid interpretation of your personality. If nothing else, he still loves you when you're being an asshole to me, which feels like an unwise thing for you to fake.
It would be convenient if I could say that I also love you, despite previously mentioned asshole behavior, but I don't. I like that you make Xingchen happy, and I like having you around, against my better judgment. I might love you someday, but I don't love as easily as Xingchen does. He's better at it than I am, as practiced as he is with his swordsmanship and just as dependable. He means this, and I have no doubt that it will satisfy your prophecy.
Come home. It's too quiet now.
Song Lan