Chapter Text
Love came quietly
Too stunned to move, TianQi tried to process the fact that Bai Jue was really back. Against all odds, that annoying Ice Cube had made it back from oblivion. The Ancestral God must have grown soft hearted throughout the millennia, who would have thought that?
Although TianQi tried to control his excitement about having his annoying brother back, he failed to contain himself; his relief and happiness needed a way out. He would rather not have ZhiYang and the rest know how excited – and happy! – he was to have Bai Jue back, knowing they would make fun of him for several millennia.
Seeing Bai Jue wrapping his arms around ShangGu and hugging her tight, no longer stirred his jealousy. Instead the affectionate gesture warmed his heart. TianQi was truly happy for them. He had finally moved beyond his jealousy, which had been childish to begin with. The insane urge to prove that he would make a better husband had been ridiculous from the start and had cost him dearly.
If he hadn’t been that blind, YueMi and he might already have been happily married for a long time. TianQi still missed her every day of his eternal life. If only he hadn’t been that blind in the past, which had made him scorn true love and had had him chasing after a fantasy. ShangGu had told him more than once that she thought of him as her most beloved brother and yet he had wanted more. Utterly foolish…
Losing YueMi and finally letting go of his obsession to court ShangGu was why he no longer begrudged Bai Jue his love. In order to prove his love, the other True God had made the ultimate sacrifice – not just once, but repeatedly. Bai Jue had truly proven his worth and had never deserved his miserable fate.
ShangGu and the Ice Cube getting their happy ending was right and he was thrilled to see them reunited. TianQi smiled at seeing them embrace and he even blushed at hearing them whisper admissions of their love. Maybe they should give the happy couple some privacy, but ZhiYang, TianQi, Bai Jue and ShangGu were family and family cared.
The two lovebirds did look happy. ShangGu pressed close to Bai Jue, holding him in turn and clearly staking her claim with Bai Jue only too happy to allow it. Again, TianQi approved and seeing her act that possessively even made him chuckle. For the last millennium she had knelt at the Earth and Heaven Platform, begging the Ancestral God to return her love. Now that Bai Jue was back, claiming her prize was the right thing to do.
TianQi’s grin remained plastered to his face, though he also felt sad. Not for these two, but for their counterparts. Though Bai Jue and ShangGu had never officially married, QingMu and HouChi had. And no matter how much Bai Jue denied that young Immortal Lord’s existence, QingMu was a part of him. In another life, their counterparts had taken their bows, drank the marital wine and during their wedding night, YuanQi had been conceived. QingMu and HouChi deserved happiness too, but they were gone. He had deeply cared for HouChi and although TianQi would never admit it aloud, QingMu had been a charming pain in the butt.
But they could deal with family affairs later. First he needed to pay the new God of Fire his respect by belittling and insulting him. Bai Jue would be disappointed otherwise. In many ways, Bai Jue was like an annoying little brother to him, but TianQi hadn’t fully realized that because of the competition his jealousy had put them in. ShangGu had always thought of him as her older brother, so it was time he started to behave like one, but to both of them, not just her. Treating Bai Jue as his didi would be highly amusing.
Happy to have Bai Jue back, TianQi started with calling out, “Ice Cube!” Though did that nickname still fit Bai Jue? When Bai Jue’s gaze shifted toward him, TianQi’s heart melted upon seeing the softness and love in eyes which had been cold and distant for so long. Love had awakened the fire inside Bai Jue and had brought out the best in him.
TianQi frowned; had love truly changed Bai Jue, or had it merely uncovered his true characteristics? Maybe he should come up with a new nick name, but for now Ice Cube would do. “You’re back!” TianQi wanted to hug both of them, not just her. How embarrassing, he actually wanted to hug Bai Jue! The Ice Cube would never allow it though, probably backing away and frowning at him. Bai Jue protectively tucked ShangGu against his side and then slowly turned to face him.
While ZhiYang kept a respectful distance and merely nodded and smiled to welcome Bai Jue back, TianQi threw caution to the wind – just this once though, as he had promised ZiHan to look out for himself. If Bai Jue rejected him, he would simply deal with it. “Ice Cube, I missed you!”
ShangGu seemed to read his mind and chuckled, encouraging him to try. And so TianQi wrapped his arms around them, hugging Bai Jue the hardest though. TianQi was an affectionate person, he always had been, but in the past Bai Jue had always retreated the moment TianQi had showed that he cared. But not this time. This time TianQi was going to persevere and get through to his stubborn brother.
To TianQi’s surprise, the tactic worked. In the past, Bai Jue would have quickly fled out of his reach, glaring at him for trespassing, but not this time. TianQi could hardly believe it, but Bai Jue actually wrapped an arm around him in turn and smiled. Not arrogantly. No longer aloof. Neither did it show rejection. No, Bai Jue’s smile was open and honest, warmly welcoming him back in his life. Tears moistened his eyes – how embarrassing – but Bai Jue should long be familiar with his emotional outbursts. “Bai Jue, you made it!”
Bai Jue accepted the warm welcome, even savored TianQi patting him on the back, something he wouldn’t have put up with in the past. But past events hadn’t merely changed TianQi; they had changed him as well. After everything Bai Jue had endured, he had learned to recognize and appreciate all sorts of love; that of the woman he adored, his son’s, HonGri’s devotion, ZhiYang’s quiet support and now TianQi’s often emotionally expressed affection.
Bai Jue swallowed hard when strands of white hair moved between his fingers, reminding him how much TianQi had sacrificed in order to save HouChi and keep YuanQi alive when his son had been born. “Thank you,” he whispered from the bottom of his heart, finally finding his voice again. He could never repay TianQi for what the other True God had done. Thanks to TianQi, YuanQi knew unconditional love. Bai Jue tried to get a handle on his emotions before they could overwhelm him. Although the Demon God was naughty and had competed with him for ShangGu’s affection, TianQi had never stopped supporting them. Bai Jue appreciated that.
Acting like that, Bai Jue was going to make him cry even harder, damn it! TianQi glared for good measure, hoping to stop shedding even more tears. “Don’t go sentimental on me now that you are back!” Reluctantly, TianQi pulled back and studied Bai Jue, his little brother. Yes, thinking of Bai Jue in that way felt right.
From this moment on, TianQi would keep an eye on Bai Jue to make sure the idiot didn’t sacrifice himself again. “Bai Jue, you look like you did in the old days, before this whole mess started, but you have changed. In here!” He briefly rested his hand on Bai Jue’s chest, indicating his brother’s heart had finally thawed.
But what if it wasn’t over? TianQi cringed, suddenly anxious about what was to come. These last seventy thousand years had been a mess and there might be more to come. What if the Ancestral God demanded a further sacrifice and unleashed another Tribulation of Chaos? Whatever happened, TianQi refused to stand by and let this couple be separated ever again. If that time ever came, he would sacrifice himself, but in the meantime he would enjoy their company.
After exchanging a look with ZhiYang, who merely quietly smiled back, Bai Jue awkwardly moistened his lips, hoping TianQi wasn’t going to take this the wrong way. “You also changed,” he hinted, rubbing the white hair between his finger tips. Joking still didn’t come easy to Bai Jue, but he tried, knowing TianQi enjoyed bantering.
Appreciating the effort and enjoying a more laidback Bai Jue, TianQi grinned and snatched his hair back. “It’s the color, isn’t it? I tried a new look. I do believe it suits me. ShangGu claims it makes me irresistible.” Overjoyed that his Ice Cube had finally mellowed, TianQi playfully swatted his brother’s shoulder, which earned him an overly familiar glare after all. He could tell it was fake though; Bai Jue was merely acting along. “Ice Cube, there you are!” Yes, this was right; this was the way their story was supposed to end; happily.
ShangGu’s chuckles told Bai Jue that she approved of him opening up to TianQi. At the same time, he tightened his hold on her, afraid she might vanish and leave him alone again. Although he would rather not address his return, he couldn’t ignore it. “How can I possibly be back?” He wasn’t complaining, but he did need to understand. “When I died in the Tribulation, I faded away. I remember falling apart till nothing was left of me.”
Bai Jue had accepted his death, knowing his demise ensured ShangGu’s safety. “There was nothing. Not even darkness. And then,” and then what? Suddenly light had cradled him; a familiar warmth had surrounded him. And then there had been fire all around him, sustaining him. Fire was familiar, since it made up his core and he hadn’t fought it. But the last thing he had expected was to wake up at the Heaven and Earth Platform amidst his loved ones. “Why am I alive again?”
And what about QingMu? Had he survived? QingMu was a part of Bai Jue, which should have never gained spiritual awareness. Although Bai Jue was often at war with that part of himself, he did care. That QingMu had transformed into a sentient being had been HIS fault, not QingMu’s. Bai Jue could hardly blame the North Sea God for loving HouChi. The moment QingMu and HouChi had met, fate had taken its course.
Nervously Bai Jue searched his Original Being, worried about what he might find. He was shocked to find QingMu’s spiritual signature gone and a terrible sense of loss swept through him; QingMu had been a part of him and now he had lost him. Although his Original Being had been healed and was whole again, losing QingMu created an emotional wound and he mourned the loss. QingMu hadn’t deserved to disappear in the void.
Seeing Bai Jue lost in thought, ZhiYang stepped closer. He knew their brother best. Before Bai Jue could move on to process what had happened, his brother first needed to understand. “Bai Jue, ShangGu pleaded with the Ancestral God,” ZhiYang explained and rested a hand on the other True God’s shoulder, “and since he likes her best, he granted her request.”
When Bai Jue gingerly made eye contact, ZhiYang smiled; this was hard on Bai Jue, who had always denied his feelings. ZhiYang was determined to be a better brother and help Bai Jue express his thoughts and emotions in the future. “Bai Jue, I never believed the Ancestral God would mellow and return you, but I am happy he did. The three of us know what he is like, but maybe he changed.” ZhiYang was emotional and had no qualms expressing himself. Maybe he should have done so more often in the past; then Bai Jue might have found it easier to open up in turn. “Now that you are back our little family is complete again. Bai Jue, thank you for returning.”
Bai Jue frowned. Coming back had never been up to him! Life or death had always been the Ancestral God’s decision. But did it matter how or why he had returned? He was back and once more able to protect ShangGu. Smiling at her, he was about to pledge his love to her all over again when, “Father!” suddenly echoed through the air, brightening his smile even further.
“YuanQi?” Had they brought the boy along? Yes, they had. YuanQi stood next to ZhiYang, holding onto his uncle’s hand. On that little boy’s face was the biggest smile Bai Jue had ever seen. His heart briefly contracted, recalling a time when his son had hated him. Had YuanQi forgiven him for the role he had been forced to play in order to expose Wu Huan?
YuanQi released his uncle’s hand and his little legs swiftly carried him over to his parents. How long had he waited for his mother to smile like that? Much too long! He briefly wavered, remembering he hadn’t been that nice to his father in the past. It had only been toward the end that Bai Jue had shown his true colors and that YuanQi had warmed up to him.
YuanQi felt strangely shy recalling the moment he had realized his father had always been there, but disguised as FengRan, his mother’s best friend and the current Queen of Heaven. It had been Bai Jue, and not FengRan, who had taught him to gamble, fly kites, and had taken him to the human realm to enjoy the mortals’ delicacies.
That moment YuanQi didn’t care about the past. All he wanted was his parents and in particular for his father to hold him. Flinging himself into their arms, he held on as tightly as possible, determined to never let go again. “Father, you’re back!” YuanQi no longer cared about gifts or magic weapons. All he wanted was to hold and to be held. These were his parents and they loved him!
Bai Jue let go of ShangGu’s hand so he could properly catch his son. A son he had been unable to recognize as his own due to Wu Huan targeting his little family. Cradling him against his chest and holding the boy tightly, Bai Jue’s voice shook when he finally managed to gather his courage. “A-Qi,” he whispered affectionately, hardly able to believe he was allowed to hold his son again. When he had died, the thing he had regretted most was abandoning his little boy. “I love you, son.”
YuanQi hiccupped in an unusual display of emotion. Normally he was all smiles and wicked tricks thanks to his uncle TianQi, but right now he was just a boy wanting his father to love and hold him. “Father!” Wrapping his short arms around Bai Jue’s neck, he held on tight; he wasn’t planning on letting go any time soon. His wicked streak showed when he batted his eyelashes at his mother, smirking happily. “Father is back!”
Yes, he was. ShangGu returned the smile, wrapped her arms around her little family, and thanked the Ancestral God for having had mercy on them.
TBC