Chapter Text
A storm is coming. Min Ru can feel it in the tips of his fingers and the hollow of his eye socket. The air always changes before a good rain, but it changes so drastically on a stormy night. He can taste the lightning in the air and feel the air get… heavier? The sky itself feels tense before a storm, even hours before. Which means he will be busy tonight. His heart thrums with excitement at the prospect.
It’s late enough in the afternoon that he can easily slip through the hallways without being stopped to handle some matter or another. Most of the disciples are finishing their tasks or already going to eat dinner, most of the servants are too busy. Shizun’s office doors are ornate, carved with herons, mountains, a glade, far too much for most to count. It’s beautiful. Min Ru has spent hours standing outside this door, tracing a finger over every fine detail in the wood grain. He raises a hand and raps on the thickest part of the engravings, knowing it will echo far into the office. Tuned into the sounds of the office, he can hear the soft hum shizun makes in response, the same hum he always makes.
The disciple enters the office easily, taking an extra moment to close the doors behind him. Turning back to the other, he watches his shizun pore over paperwork for another moment before he walks over. The candles have burned low, the incense sticks burned out long ago. Shizun clearly hasn’t noticed. The disciple stands before the desk for another moment, sure that shizun will not look up at him before he goes about his usual work. He carefully changes out the candles, lighting the new ones with the old ones so shizun’s working light is not snuffed out. It wouldn’t do to disrupt Shizun in the middle of his work, after all. The burnt incense sticks are easily changed out and the ash dumped, replacing them with the medicinal sticks Mu-shishu made for headaches.
Min Ru putters around for a short while longer, organizing paperwork and noting what needs to be replaced come morning, grinding ink when shizun needs more. A drop of water, grinding, a drop, grinding, let shizun take more, a drop, grinding. He watches out of the corner of his eye as midafternoon turns to night, he feels as the air outside changes with the coming storm even when shizun is dead to the outside world in his work. When shizun is finishing the last few pieces of work, the disciple cleans the grindstone and incense burner, tucking them away for tomorrow. Bleary black eyes look up at him once the last signature is given.
“Min Ru.” shizun says simply as he watches. Min Ru approaches and takes the brush from his hand, heading back to the small work table at the back of the room. “How has the peak been?”
“Good. There were some troubles but this disciple sorted through them as shizun would.” the younger man says as he fills a small bowl with water and begins to clean out the brush; “Shizun was very busy today. This one heard he almost missed lunch.”
“This master got all the paperwork from last week back from An Ding peak, which needed to be sorted through… Perhaps you can stay here tomorrow and help manage the office.” Shizun stretches his back out, twisting in his chair to attempt to relieve the stiff ache in his spine. Min Ru knows the effort is in vain. I would love to , Min Ru stifles the urge to respond so easily. This is shizun, deserving of the utmost respect. The Sect Leader of Cang Qiong mountain sect, Yue Qingyuan, the strongest cultivator in the world. The disciple lets a fond sigh escape as he presses the water from the bristles of the brush and reshapes them into a fine point. He hangs the brush in its proper place and dries his hands before turning back to his shizun, who watches him with keen eyes.
“This disciple would be honored to assist shizun in whatever he needs.” he says instead. He returns to the desk and straightens out the nearest stack of papers, careful of the wet ink of the topmost one. Shizun chuckles, low and honeyed, with a shake of his head. The backs of Min Ru’s teeth hurt from how hard he clenches his jaw to contain the words that try to pour from his mouth. No, he can’t say anything. Shizun has trained him too well in the arts of restraint and congeniality. Now isn’t the time.
“Where would this master be without his head disciple?” There is a tinge of fond humor to shizun’s voice that only ever appears when he is too tired from working all day; “Truly, this peak would be a disarray without you, Min Ru. This master does not know how the peak survived before you got here.” He barely stifles a chuckle himself, instead letting a fond huff escape.
“This one simply wants to ease shizun’s burden. He owes shizun so much, it’s the least he could do.” It’s not the response shizun wants to hear, but he will take every opportunity to respectfully remind shizun of how much he cares for him. Predictably, shizun frowns back at him and shakes his head with a sigh.
“Min Ru owes this master nothing. And he never will.” the older man says seriously, drawing his hands together; “How many times will it need to be said?...”
“Forever, because this disciple will always appreciate shizun in the deepest reaches of his heart.” Shizun sighs deeply and shakes his head; “This one understands better than anyone the true kindness, compassion and industriousness shizun hides.” Those obsidian eyes bore into him for another moment intensely before softening and lowering back towards the table. As if remembering the past. As if regretting.
“This master is not so perfect as you seem to think he is. Not at all.” Shizun says after another moment of thinking.
“This one never said perfect. Shizun is not perfect, he works too long, he does not listen to his peak siblings, he allows too much on Qing Jing peak, this disciple could go on. But Shizun should not forget the traits that elevated him to his position as sect leader. People are flawed. This disciple is deeply flawed. But that’s what makes us people.” he pauses only a moment, waiting until shizun opens his mouth to speak again; “And it is not a contest, shizun. Being imperfect is okay, but one should not wallow in it. This one thinks shizun should stop brandishing his sorrow as a badge.”
“.... You’re quite brash today. This master will keep your words in mind.”
"Hm. It's not raining." Yue Qingyuan's voice comes from the walkway behind Min Ru, startling him out of his stupor.
"No. It is not." He recovers none too gracefully.
"You only ever sit outside when it rains. I was somewhat expecting a drizzle." The sect leader steps up beside his sitting form, gazing out across the mountain's expanse; "Unable to sleep?"
"En. Ah, did my light disturb shizun? Apologies…. I will-" Min Ru pauses when his shizun holds a hand up.
"I cannot sleep either." Shizun admits as he lowers himself to sit on the walkway as well; "The air is refreshing tonight." His gaze remains firm on the distant stars, so Min Ru turns his attention back that way as well.
"I will go make shizun some tea…" he offers, not moving to stand yet when the other chuckles.
"There is no need. It will pass. It always does" The faint tone of familiarity strikes a nerve in the disciple.
"That… sounds like something shizun should mention to Mu-shishu." He treads carefully around the idea of suggesting how shizun takes care of himself. It's not like shizun will listen to him anyways.
"Haha, I should, but shidi is always so busy. I could never trouble him over something so trivial."