Chapter Text
The clear, blue sky had already simmered into a blend of colors ranging from: a deep navy akin to the trenches of the Mariana; a rich orange which looked similar to the hue of an oozing egg yolk; a delicate pink which was indistinguishable from the cherry blossoms which bloomed during the peak of late March and early April – and a tired yellow which still bled through the others so it could continue shining its light upon the humans below.
Chirps were heard from above the Blue Dragon Academy, as the birds gleefully rested on the bare branches and watched the lights turn off in every room and office. It had seemed like all the teachers and students had left the building of education and you would be correct to assume so… if not for the two workaholics. One of whom had screeched so loudly, the hopeful dream of a peaceful evening the birds, animals and sky shared were shattered instantly.
"I'm not going to be your wife!” Baek Suryong snapped, his accusing finger was just grazing the top of the other's nose. “If anything, I’d be the man in the relationship,” he proclaimed with his chest proudly puffed out, while his dear not-quite-yet partner pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a weary huff.
“Baek Suryong, you idiot. First, we are both men, so you would be my husband and I would be your husband. Second, by being betrothed to each other it would stop all my preposterous proposals from coming in.” Namgung Su stated simply, maintaining eye contact with the handsome man in front of him.
Suryong’s smile shifted into an indiscreet frown at the mention of marriage. Clearly, he too had been bombarded with proposals once tales of his strength and good looks had spread. Underneath his composed façade, Su had been delighted to see that the other person was beginning to listen and not dismiss it as random rambling.
He spoke up again, striking while the iron was hot; after all, who knew when he would get the chance to talk about it again? “Judging by your expression, I can assume that you’ve received letters too?”
“I… You… No words can possibly amount to how much I hate you right now,” the man clad in blue decided on saying after giving up on whatever his original sentence had been.
The candidate for heir to the Namgung family felt a smirk grow on his face once he saw Suryong deflate into his chair and finally let his finger rest. The silence was loud. He swore every shift in the room would result in the sound being amplified tenfold.
Although any normal person would leap at this chance to continue their journey on preaching their point, Namgung Su wasn’t the typical human being. (To be fair, it would be extremely worrying if he were anything but abnormal.) In this case, he was basking in the quiet. He knew Suryong like he knew the academy’s layout. Intimately familiar. The man would be swallowed in his thoughts before coming to the conclusion that Su did, in fact, have an exceptional point. Even if it took a while, he had time. All the planning for this week’s lessons had been done prior to today, so he had all night to wait for the eventual answer.
After what seemed like an eternity and back, Suryong groaned, “Fine. You have a valid point, but let’s not stay in our office until dawn. Come with me, we can prepare something like a contract for this… arrangement.”
----
The walk to Baek Suryong’s residence was interesting, if one considered Baek’s awkward attempt at making conversation, and Namgung ignoring said attempts, interesting. Suryong had only lasted a few minutes of getting no reply at his comments on the trees, or dirt, or grass, or whatever was in his line of sight, before he gave up and stormed off with a flimsy excuse of needing to ‘clean his place’.
It was fine! Su knew exactly how to get there, so there was no need to guide him like an anglerfish’s light.
Once Suryong beat up some training dummies while shouting, “Stupid! Namgung! Su!”, he retreated into his room. Only to be met with a guy you would only meet in your dreams. (‘No wait, that makes him sound too sweet’ Suryong would later end up thinking when he replayed the entire night over and over again, until he would bury his head in the poor pillow.)
Getting a piece of unused paper from Suryong’s nightstand, Namgung started writing a draft for their contract and what terms might be needed. With a quick cough from Su’s dry throat, Baek was brought back from the realm of his thoughts. Suryong lifted one eyebrow, as if to ask what the other wanted.
“Write your terms and conditions down. We can decide which ones are the most important to put on the contract.” Namgung Su’s voice was straightforward, leaving no room for further discussion. After a few minutes of getting glared at until he started writing, Baek Suryong finally relented and took the ink brush that was held out in front of him.
When he finally finished scribbling something that was barely legible, he slid the document across to the other teacher.
“Well?” Suryong asked as he leaned back into his armchair with his arms crossed. He decided to ‘rest’ his eyes when he realized the other had no intent of answering anytime soon, as he had already taken a fresh stack of paper to properly inscribe the contract.
After the next incense time, the one with brown hair stretched out an arm full of papers to the black-haired. “No backing out now. Read through everything thoroughly.” Although his voice was as unwelcoming and stiff as usual, Suryong could detect the, often, overlooked tremble in it. He chose not to comment on it.
Baek Suryong skimmed over the first 5 pieces of paper, before stopping at the terms and conditions. The last section before the gaps for the names lie.
Terms & Conditions
1. The fake marriage will last a minimum of three years.
2. Neither party will tell anyone about this arrangement, except Baek Suryong’s Baekryong School students: Cheon Wiji, Gang Heowon, Ya Suhyeok, Sang-Ung Geo and Yeo Min.
3. If public displays are necessary, both parties will comply and complete the display.
4. Stick to the story in section 5 and inform the other party if they have added any additional information.
5. Neither party may engage in romantic or sexual relationships or activities during the three years.
6. Both parties are allowed to set boundaries and the other party must respect them.
7. Baek Suryong is not allowed in a five-feet radius of the kitchen. Violators will be subject to immediate scolding and confiscation of spoons.
When Suryong nodded to say he agreed, Namgung Su drew his sword quickly. So quickly, it could cut through the thick, suffocating air. He held out his wrist, letting the sharpened blade draw crimson liquid. A sharp inhale. No one mentioned it. Carmine colored blood drops trickled down his arm until it dripped onto the ink brush he would use to write. His signature stained into the contract and dried into a mix of colors akin to ruby and rust.
“Your turn, Baek Suryong”
Baek Suryong took the stained steel and, even though he was used to death and gore, he turned his head away to brace himself. The sword cut through the body’s natural barrier. Layer by layer. The blood was indistinguishable from wine red and it flowed like it too. Like wine. The originally white brush was drenched in a maroon shower. It was more than enough to use. To write his own signature besides Namgung Su’s. The paper was soaked as it blended and became a rufescent hue.
“Done.” He was breathless as he opened his eyes to see Su’s furrowed eyebrows staring at his bloody wound. He needed to say something else. To distract them both. He didn’t want to fixate on… This.
“Also, what’s with the last condition? ‘Baek Suryong is not allowed in a five feet radius of the kitchen. Violators will be subject to immediate scolding and confiscation of spoons.’ I don’t agree with it. Remove it!” He doesn’t say it, but he relaxes when he sees the other exhale.
“No. Have you seen your cooking? It’ll make anyone go into qi deviation.”
“Remove it!”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Hah! You said yes!”
“I hate you.”
“I love you too, my future husband~”