Chapter Text
“Xiao Daozhang, are you alright?” A young boy asked as he hurried up to the Daozhang in white.
“Huh? O-oh! Sizhui, yes, I’m er...I might have sprained my back last night.”
“Oh dear! Would you like me to go and fetch a doctor?”
“No, no, that’s not necessary. I’m sure it’ll get better once I walk around a bit,” Xiao Xingchen chuckled, cheeks red with embarrassment.
“I can help you massage it a bit, if you’d like? Jingyi sometimes asks me to give him massages when he’s trained too hard during the day.”
Smiling fondly at the young boy, Xingchen shook his head.
“You still have classes to attend. Don’t worry about me, I’ll put some ointment on it later.”
“Xingchen? Oh, the young Lan Gongzi is here, too?”
“Ah, Song Daozhang! Good morning.”
Sizhui bowed politely, and Song Lan nodded in return.
“Good morning. Are you headed for class?”
“Yes, I’m on my way!”
“I believe Jingyi and A-Qing are already there, you should hurry if you want to catch up.”
“Oh! Thank you, Song Daozhang. Xiao Daozhang, Sizhui excuses himself. Please take care of your back.”
With another bow, the young boy hurries off to find his friends, smiling cheerily as he went.
“...Your back?” Song Lan asks his husband, once they’re alone.
“It’s nothing of concern, just a bit sore this morning.”
The older man frowns and sweeps his gaze up and down the other, taking in his slightly slouched posture.
“Come, sit down. If your back is bothering you we can have a doctor look at it?”
Song Lan gently takes Xingchen’s hand and leads him to a small stone table with a few stools around it, urging his husband to sit. The younger man sighs quietly in relief as he does, rubbing at the small of his back where it had been aching since he got up this morning.
“I’m sure it’ll get better within a day or two, hardly worth making someone come to the Pavilion just for this.”
“...Was it last night? Was I too rough?” Song Lan asked quietly, settling his hands on Xingchen’s shoulders to massage them comfortingly.
“Zichen, don’t be silly,” Xingchen laughed, “You’re never too rough with me. Sometimes you treat me like tender tofu, like I’d come to pieces if you breathed too hard next to me.”
“Hm.”
Song Lan leaned down until his mouth was right beside his husband’s ear. He blew a soft puff of air against the sensitive skin causing Xingchen to jump and giggle.
“Ah! Zichen! Stop that!”
Chuckling, the older man pressed a kiss to Xingchen’s temple before straightening up.
“You do come to pieces if I breathe too hard next to you.”
“That’s cheating! You know my ear is sensitive.”
“I know. My Xingchen is very sensitive...everywhere.”
Soft pink coloured the younger man’s cheeks as he turned to wrap his arms around Song Lan’s waist, burying his face against the dark robes.
“Shhh...don’t say such embarrassing things outside of our chambers, Zichen,” he whined quietly.
Song Lan smiled in amusement to himself, hugging Xingchen against himself.
“No one else is here, they’re all gathered at the study hall.”
“Ah! Study hall!! Zichen, you ought to be going to class!” Xingchen suddenly realized as he tried to stand up, only to wince and slump down on the stool once more.
“Are you sure? I can just give them some reading and meditation to do today if you want me to stay with you.”
“No, no, Zichen. It’s important that you’re with our students during class time. Go on, I’ll be quite alright. I have to prepare for my class this afternoon, too.”
“...Sword training?”
“Yes.”
“...Xingchen…”
“I’ll be fine, Zichen. I promise I won’t overdo it. It’s just some basic forms, nothing that will strain my back.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“If you need help…”
“I’ll be sure to let you know. No go on, everyone’s waiting ro you.”
Song Lan took another moment before sighing with a nod.
“Alright. Get some rest before lunch.”
Xingchen nodded his agreement and made a gesture for his husband to go. He heard the older man’s footsteps fade as he hurried to get to class, leaving the younger man alone as a gentle breeze rustled through the branches of the trees nearby. Xiao Xingchen sat at the stone table for a little while longer enjoying the quiet before he slowly stood up, carefully doing some small stretches in an attempt to ease the ache in his back. Last night they had fallen asleep almost as soon as Zichen and him finished, even before he got a chance to bathe. The awkward position that he held during the night must have caused the muscles in his back to become sore this morning, and he grumbled to himself about his own carelessness. Still, with a bit of stretching and some time he was sure his body would recover.
Slowly, he made his way towards the gardens of Chun Xiang where he knew she must be up by now. It had become a morning routine for him to visit her and her son, offering his greetings to them and making sure their days were pleasant. He enjoyed speaking with her, and everyday when he held young Yue-er in his arms he could feel the young boy growing. He had been so small and scared the first time they had met, crying the entire time as his mother had left him in Xingchen’s arms then hurried away. Now he babbled and giggled, a cheerful little bundle wherever Chun Xiang took him.
Xingchen sighed as he heard a pair of birds overhead chirping joyously as they flew. Qingfeng Pavilion was a busy place these days, and he couldn’t be happier.
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“Daozhang? Is Song Daozhang with you?”
“Hm? Yes, A-Qing, we’re both here, come in.”
A-Qing slowly slid open the door to the private office of the sect leaders, looking slightly troubled.
“A-Qing? Do you need me for something?” Song Lan asked, immediately noting that something didn’t feel right.
A-Qing usually bounded into rooms, her feet barely landing on the ground. Today she seemed subdued, a slight furrow between her brows that was rare to behold.
“Erm...th-there’s someone at the front gate to see you.”
“Oh? Did they offer a name?”
“No. I asked, but he said you’ll know who he is if I just give you this.”
The young girl held out a slim wooden stick, the surface smooth and pristine. At one end, a set of long, graceful hairs swooped down, almost reaching the ground. The item was obviously well-cared for despite signs of regular use and Song Lan recognized it immediately, his eyes widening in surprise.
“Zichen? What is it?” Xingchen asked as he felt his husband’s body tense suddenly beside him.
“It’s a fuchen,” A-Qing answered before Song Lan could, “It looks like Song Daozhang’s, but it’s kind of grey, not black.”
“A fuchen?” The younger men wondered, “Ah, Zichen, is it from someone you know?”
Song Lan remained quiet, his eyes glued to the fuchen in A-Qing’s hands utterly at a loss. His mind was both a confusing mess of questions, while at the same time completely blank. He knew that fuchen, he knew it well. It was something he thought he would never see again, and he didn’t know if he should feel joy or worry now that it has reappeared. The promises of two young men still naive to the world yet brazen with the desire to make it better echoed in his memories and before he could stop himself tears had gathered in his eyes.
“...Zichen?” Xingchen asked quietly, tugging at his husband’s robes, “Zichen, are you alright?”
“I...I...I h-have to go. Excuse me, Xingchen, A-Qing,” Song Lan stammered as suddenly his body started to move.
He grabbed the fuchen from A-Qing’s hands and hurried for the door. His normally steady footsteps were uneven and rushed, quickly disappearing from the office where Xingchen and A-Qing remained, both slightly bewildered and puzzled at the reaction.
“...Daozhang...w-will he be alright?” A-Qing asked as she walked to Xingchen, climbing onto his lap.
“I’m...I’m sure Zichen will handle it,” Xingchen reassured her, although his own voice was hesitant, “Did this person at the gate look like a daozhang?”
A-Qing nodded, “Yes, he had a sword too.”
“....,” Xiao Xingchen didn’t say anymore, knowing that Song Lan will explain things to him when he’s ready, yet at the same time a part of him couldn’t help worrying.
Another daozhang who knew Zichen? And obviously someone whom his husband knew as well...who could it be?
===END Ch.1===
