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On a rare calm day, Shen Wei takes in the soft breeze, the warm dappled light through the trees, the quiet rustle of the leaves. Further beyond what a human can sense, Shen Wei feels a trickle of water beneath the soles of his shoes. All of these wonders are what Kunlun has bestowed upon him.
The bench he sits on was once a part of these gifts too, long since molded to suit the needs of man. A delicate and alluring scent of flowers floats by. Shen Wei breathes it in deeply and closes his eyes, tilting his head back to reminisce of days spent beneath a beautiful plum blossom tree playing chess.
He's falling further into the memory, the boisterous laughter of Shen San filling him with a deep ache, when he feels a tug on his pant leg. Shen Wei blinks his eyes open and looks down. His heart and breath both still in shock.
Standing by his leg is a small boy with a nest of messy hair, clothes that are covered in dirt, and large, dark eyes that seem to pierce into Shen Wei's very being.
Kunlun.
Of course, Shen Wei has known Kunlun's latest incarnation had been born, but with the continual weakening of the Great Seal, the ghosts and beasts have surged Above and it has left Shen Wei with less time than he would like to check in on Kunlun. If memory serves, the boy is named Zhao Yunlan.
Zhao Yunlan peers at Shen Wei closely, he squints as if seeing something particularly interesting on Shen Wei's person. It makes the Ghost King want to squirm. Finally, he nods, as if satisfied with his inspection. "You're pretty. Would you be my wife? Ma says wives are very pretty."
Shen Wei sits stunned, a foreign heat creeping up his neck as he stares at this small, shameless creature. “I…” Any further words dying before they can reach his lips.
The boy sways slightly, swinging his hands back and forth, grinning as he waits for Shen Wei's reply. He looks around, pausing when his shoes catch his attention, proposal seemingly forgotten. Zhao Yunlan lifts his foot and wiggles it, watching the laces bounce around, before he lifts it up higher to shake at Shen Wei.
They stare at each other in silence; one confused, the other with impatient expectation. Zhao Yunlan shakes his foot a little more vigorously, frowning slightly when Shen Wei doesn’t move.
Shen Wei blinks as understanding slowly dawns on him and proceeds to lift the boy onto the bench. He takes the proffered foot and ties the laces efficiently. Zhao Yunlan beams at him once he's finished and pulls his foot back, knocking his feet together to admire his work.
Utterly shameless, Shen Wei thinks again, this time with an aching fondness. Unbidden, a small smile curves the edges of his lips. And if possible, Zhao Yunlan's smile grows even brighter in response.
Task complete, they sit on the bench, both content not to speak.
Shen Wei takes this time to examine the differences wrought in this incarnation through the era. With food supplies plentiful and medicine far more advanced than in the past, there is less to worry about. The boy looks healthy, well-fed, and unburdened. This comes as a relief.
For what few changes there are—as there is still time for the boy to grow into himself—there are also the painful similarities.
There’s a sharpness to his eyes as they observe the world around him. Here and there they linger and Shen Wei wonders what it is that warrants the extra consideration. Kunlun and Shen San always had a way about them to see the unseen. To know that which people and ghosts did not readily reveal. The mischief that was a rare treat in Kunlun, seems to permeate this boy from head to toe. If his earlier display is anything to go by, he will grow into much trouble.
Zhao Yunlan, blissfully ignorant of this assessment, happily kicks his feet as he watches people jog by and listens to the song of his legacy unknowingly.
An aggravated call suddenly breaks through their bubble of calm. "Yunlan!"
Zhao Yunlan perks up, his head swiveling in the direction the call ostensibly came from. "That's my ma. I guess I have to go."
Shen Wei swallows back a whine of displeasure. He clenches his hands into the bench, silently scolding himself. Distance, he knows, is for the best. "It seems so." He watches as the boy clambers off the bench and turns to look at Shen Wei.
"Don't forget!" That ebullient grin hooking straight into Shen Wei's heart.
Shen Wei tilts his head in question.
"You're going to be my wife!" Zhao Yunlan shouts as he runs off when a slightly angrier "Yunlan! " fills the air.
Shen Wei huffs a quiet laugh. He doesn't recall accepting the proposal.