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Kun sighs as he sits down at his seat heavily, huffing and sweating. He has barely made it in time, running to the class all the way from his off the campus apartment. He feels Taeyong rub his back as he catches his breath while the professor enters and greets them.
The taller one offers him a small smile as the lecture starts, the smile is comforting and friendly. The feeling of heaviness sinks further into his chest. To be honest, Kun is surprised with the other's patience. Taeyong knows how something is up with both Kun and Ten but never pushes to tell them. At some point they will have to tell him what is going on, right? And something tells Kun that day happens to be today. It's just not Kun's day, is it?
His answer is given in the form of the headache that bangs away at his skull and the tiredness that pulls him down into his seat, slumping. Others often tease Kun about being a perfect student but all Kun can see himself as right now is a mess. He mentally scolds himself for letting the juniors drag him to the club and later getting drunk enough to suffer the consequences now. He shivers in his seat, head struggling to be held up, trying to focus on the lecture.
By the time Kun's last class of the day comes around, Kun is exhausted. His headache is louder than ever, his chest tight as if someone has a fist closed around it. He feels cold despite his jacket around him, despite the sweat dampening his clothes. His feet drag themselves unwillingly into the Political Science class that he shares with Taeyong again. The moment he sits in the seat his head meets the desk, arms cradling it to escape the daylight.
He doesn't look up when Taeyong walks in, his dulled senses barely noticing the other's presence until the older puts his bag down next to him. "Kun, what is going on? Are you okay?"
Kun gives a garbled response, turning to peek up at the older when his vision goes white.
Taeyong sits in front of him in beautiful, soft red royal robes with a thin, translucent veil over his head. Taeyong, laying on silk sheets under him with flushed cheeks, with delicate white flower tucked behind his ear and his big eyes looking up at him. Taeyong, sitting by his side on the throne in front of the whole kingdom.
He opens his eyes to Taeyong trying to help him up. Kun's entire body feels as if alight with fire, fists clenching onto someone's soft clothed. He feels utterly sick as his stomach keeps wanting to turn itself over, the pounding in his head echoing in his ears. His sight is a mess of blurry objects. He feels someone moving him but his mind slips into another flash.
Yongqin, lying on the ground with Wen Qionglin's men, swords aimed at him ready to finish the injured man. Yongqin who sits unconscious against Kun's chest as they ride away from the carnage of the battle. Yongqin, who greets Kun the moment he wakes up after another battle. Yongqin who has his back during battles, his companion, his healer. Yongqin, who even with his face smudged with dirt and sand looks handsome as ever.
Yongqin who dances in the court, gorgeous as always; lighting up the royal palace brighter than the oil lamps. Yongqin walks to the center of the filled courtroom, all eyes on him. Yongqin who turns a blind eye to Taeyong’s, the whole court’s hateful glare. Yongqin who dares to ask the Queen for the biggest treasure of the Cloud Recesses, Qian Kun.
Kun retches helplessly onto the cold, dirty floor, on the ground of some empty class. Taeyong rubs his back worriedly, holding up his shaking figure. Kun is crying, tears falling for a life he lived long ago. Pain surges through him with each flash, making him curl up on the ground. Despite his attempts to tell alarmed Taeyong to call Ten all that comes out are painful sobs and incoherent words.
"Tell me whose sword do I put my head to? If being in love is a crime, punish me. You, who write the history of love, if I am completely wrong, then erase me."
"Yongqin...you are still here. Why?"
"Love, my Lord. The same that fought the stormy sea to reach here. The same that fights the world in the royal court. The same that forgets God the moment it lays its sight on it's lover, that love, Your Majesty."
"Yongqin..do you understand what you are asking for? Do you understand that with me you will have to walk on a fiery thin rope all the time?"
"I do."
"You will never be my first. Not my first love, not my first husband. I will never be only yours, do you understand?"
"I do."
"If you put my name to yours….you will get nothing, absolutely nothing but shame. Yongqin...you hear that?"
"I do."
"Then by the grace of sky, wind, water and fire; Yongqin, fro m today I, Qian Kun, take you as my husband, as my second consort."
Kun feels himself being carried somewhere, rain pouring over him. Water drips down his skin, mixing with his tears. Two familiar voices urging him to co-operate and oh, how much he wishes he could. But his body and mind remain trapped in the painful memories of their past life. He wishes for the nightmare to be over.
Kun is in the middle of a war, retreating from the battlefield for the night. Kun gathered his troops to plan retaliation on the day after tomorrow. Kun with his blood seething, ambition evident in his each order.
Taeyong, in his exquisite robes, walking through the empty palace halls with a little Chenle bouncing along, ranting about the annual festival they were going to attend. Taeyong who looks back over his shoulder as his instincts sense something wrong.
Yongqin, in his plain robes, face bare, turning the corner to see Taeyong with Young Master Chenle and a masked black-clad figure behind him, sword ready. Yongqin, who meets the stranger’s gaze and pushes the royal pair out of the way. Yongqin blocks the sword with his short knife, yelling at Taeyong to run. Taeyong, horrified, watches more of the men pour in. Chenle cries, latching onto his father’s hold and buries his face into his chest. Yongqin takes one down only to find more blocking their way, the only thought in his mind is to get the other two away.
Taeyong snatches the sword of the first man down. The two consorts of the Qian Kingdom work in harmony for the first and last time.
Taeyong heads towards the stable of the palace as Yongqin keeps an eye on his back, holding back four men at a time. The men do not stop coming and Yongqin doesn’t stop putting himself between the men and the stables, not until he hears little Chenle’s cries fade, not until he hears the royal horse running out of the palace gates. Yongqin doesn't see the sword come in contact with his dominant arm, leaving him disabled. He doesn’t stay awake to see if the men kill him or try to chase the pair.
Kun feels himself leaning against something solid, something cool contrasting his heated body as concerned voices go back and forth near him. He bends ahead, dizzy as the elevator spins and spins. Yongqin- no, Ten speaks in his ear, saying something about home. Before Kun can make sense of what the other meant, his eyes roll back.
Kun, ready to face the battlefield in his war attire, steps ahead to get on his horse when he is stopped. Kun unfurls the message sent to him by Taeyong and as his eyes reach the end of the papyrus, his hands tremble with shock. He wants to shut his eyes, fall and yell out to the skies. Kun wants to curse all the gods but all he can do is look around at his fleet of men, his soldiers and command them to get ready. Kun gets on his own horse, eyes filled with unshed tears, with rage and anguish as he yells, “Fight for your life, fight for the Qian clan.”
In a dingy, dark room Yongqin wakes up to water thrown across his face. Yongqin, tied up and bleeding from his earlier wounds, makes his final wish in the same room, to die under the same sky as his King’s. In the same lonely room as the sun sets in front of Yongqin dies with a smile on his face, his lover’s name on his lips with each blow he receives from behind.
Headstrong Kun goes into the last battle of his life, the battle that is won but also lost. The battle has Kun lying on his back, bleeding out onto the earth surrounded by bodies of his own men, under the fading glow of the setting sun.
In one more lifetime, Qian Kun and Lee Yongqin never quite get the ending right.
Ten is power walking to his class when his phone rings. He pulls it out of his pocket to see Taeyong's picture flashing on the screen. He picks up to hear ragged breathing and- wait, is that Kun crying?
"Ten! Thank god, Ten, Kun is sick." Ten stops walking, something twisting in his guts. "He is sick like….like you were that day after being in rain! I...what do I do? Ten-" Ten turns on his heel, asking, "Yongie, Yongie, calm down please. Where are you? What's- How is Kun?"
Ten heads to where Taeyong told him, listening to the elder carefully. He assures him that he is coming and rings Donghyuck, relaying everything to him. Donghyuck confirms his suspicions, Kun is having one of his visions. If Ten is not having them, then it must mean it's about one of their past lives. The thought only makes Ten's worry peak, feet rushing towards the empty class.
He bursts in to see Taeyong kneeling by Kun, who dry retching on the ground, frame curled up into a ball. Kun is definitely having a vision, his eyes glazed over and out of touch from reality. Ten drops in front of him, running his fingers through his hair to feel his forehead burning. He pushes his worry aside, taking action instead, "Hyung, let's take him home. Help me, okay?"
With the taller's help, they haul the now passed out male up between them. Their luck is cursed as ever because it is pouring heavily outside. They wait for a taxi, the road emptier than they thought. They try to walk some distance, worrying over the shivering boy's condition before finally coming across a taxi that drops them to their dorm.
Ten watches Kun's tear streaked face while they stand in the elevator. Ten gently wipes his tears away as guilt washes through him. He feels a hand on his shoulder, Taeyong comforting him from the side.
"I don't know what's going on with you two, but Ten, it's not your fault, okay? I don't know what this is, but I think Kun will agree.” Ten nods in response just as the elevator dings.
Together the pair trudges slowly through the hallway into their dorm. After sitting Kun on a chair in Ten’s room Taeyong leaves the room to change, letting Ten change Kun and himself too. Ten looks at Kun shivering and soaked, feeling his heart hurt at his whimpers. He sets to work gently tugging Kun’s jacket off him, letting it drop to the floor. His fingers find the edge of his shirt when Kun gasps, waking up abruptly.
“Ten! Ten!”
Ten’s hands hold his, stilling their frantic failing. “Kunnie...Kunnie, I am here. I am here, it was a dream, baobei.” Kun’s searching eyes land on him and a loud sob escapes him. Ten is pulled into a tight hug, Kun’s face pressed into his neck as he cries loudly. Ten’s heart breaks at his sobs, his shirt being fisted tightly into the chinese male’s shaking hands. Ten runs his fingers through his hair, other hand rubbing his back in hopes of getting him to calm down. Ten’s fingers brush his forehead, feeling searing heat coming off him.
Ten tries to loosen the other’s grip to get a thermometer but Kun tugs him back, bawling louder. Chinese words are muffled by Ten’s shirt. “Don’t! Don’t leave Ten, please. Stay. Stay. Stay.”
Ten’s lips press into a thin line, worrying in his chest pooling over the edge. He soothes Kun, pressing his lips to his head and talks softly. “Okay… I am not leaving, okay? Where will I go? My Kunnie is right here. But can you change for me first, love? I will stay right here. We can stay in bed after that okay? No going anywhere...not at all.”
Ten is not the one for nicknames but he couldn’t help but let them slip out. The sight of the usually put together Kun now a mess of feverish tears, tugged the strings of his heart hard.
A knock sounds on the door and Tyongie peeks in. “Hey, need anything?”
Ten nods, relieved that the elder is there to help. He asks him to get some supplies and Ten gets Kun to change with much words and assurance. He gets his now awfully silent boyfriend settled in bed, tucking the blankets around him. “Kunnie, can you tell me what you saw? Please, baobei…”
Ten settles on one side, stroking the back of Kun’s hand as the other closes his eyes. Taeyong enters silently as Kun starts to re-account his dream, words slurring slightly. Ten nods his thanks to Taeyong and wrings out the cold water from the cloth Taeyong left. He gently puts it on Kun’s burning forehead, the other sighing softly before continuing.
Kun tells him all about their past life, about them being royals again, about meeting in the battlefield again, about Taeyong. Ten quietly listens, settling besides Kun after giving him some fever reducers, occasionally changing the washcloth on Kun. He tucks the blankets over Kun’s sleeping form again, fretting unnecessarily to keep his hands busy.
He feels sad, listening to the miserable end their previous lives had and can only imagine the pain Kun feels living it all over in his head. His mind betrays him, wondering if they will end up similarly in an unhappy ending again but Ten shuts down the thought the moment it starts.
He is determined to change it this time, this time whatever happens they will end up happy and hopefully together.