Archive of Our Own

.seed

It started in the middle of a sentence. Shang Qinghua had a lot of sentences rolling through his mouth all day long, short, sharp, long and sleepy phrases and interjections, they were there from the first ray of light that passed through the thick ice of the windows to the coldest air of his late sleepless nights. It never stopped, it was now a sound that, after decades of demanding his own space, turned to be a sound of the north . Shang Qinghua’s voice was something you expected to be there in the center of the big and shining palace and was bound to hear no matter the corner you hid into.

Anyways, it started in the middle of a sentence. Mobei Jun, a tall and broad ice demon lord, was listening attentively to his advisor, a small and not so broad human cultivator, talk about the new affairs in the south demon court when with a cough the voice stopped echoing through the iced halls of the palace. His mouth shutted and the demon made a mental note to order some warm and honeyed tea to be delivered urgently. The human wasn't inclined to catch colds, however when such an atrocity happened it was harsh and distressing. 

Strangely, the voice didn't come back.

“Qinghua?” Mobei Jun turned his body to face his human cultivator, whose face was flushed and hands were wrapped in front of his body. Ashamed of catching a cold? “Keep talking.”

Shang Qinghua nodded and opened his mouth to speak, just to be again interrupted for an incredibly rough cough. His body convulsed, his lousy bun allowing strands of hair to fall down his face, and with eyes as big as a sea lion’s, Shang Qinghua hands flew to his mouth, just in time to catch a single and colorful flower petal. The delicate petal rested on his fingers, bloodied, the metallic smell evolving the air around them and making Mobei Jun’s heart race.

Blood.

“M-my King?” Shang Qinghua eyes were fixed on his slightly red stained hands, and his cautious voice went right into Mobei Jun’s core, making all his demon instincts fuse and collide. Blood means hurt, hurt means bad , means sick , means danger. Blood also means trust . The demon king knew he should do something, all his body was telling him he should move, protect, fight, freeze, but his mind was fogged. It was an endearing smell, wasn’t it?

However, Shang Qinghua was his human and it was his duty as a king, as his demon lord, to protect and ensure that his most devoted cultivator was safe. And if you were a more detail oriented person, you wouldn't dare say Shang Qinghua is a servant, everyone that looks at him – or at them, demon and human – could say they were always on the merge of being more, oscillating between pure devotion and anxious doubt. Even if Mobei Jun wasn’t ready to put into words – which was the human's speciality – he felt it too deep.

"What is this? What is happening" Mobei Jun's confusion didn't mirror on Shang Qinghua’s face. Which didn't set right, Shang Qinghua was bleeding and the desperation in his face obvious, but it didn’t feel like it had the same root as the Mobei Jun's.

"N-nothing, my king." Oh, so he decided to lie, once again.

Mobei Jun did what he did best, opened a shadow portal and (gently) threw Shan Qinghua through it. The demon could get really annoyed with lies sometimes, mostly with the ones that didn’t come from the chronically liar cultivator, yet, it was just one of these days when the demon woke up a minute late, or got a low demon stepping on his way, his patience with dealing with lies and pretendings was close to zero. Just a matter of bad luck.

He stepped inside the shadow and hopped to put an end to whatever was hurting his human cultivator.

⁕

It was supposed to be simple. Mobei Jun called for the palace healer, this healer would say what’s wrong and would give Shang Qinghua medicine, he would take it and his health would be as if new. It was simple, it was just like that . Mobei Jun had seen it countless times, what was so difficult?

Shang Qinghua was sitting on an armchair, with his blue and silver outer robes lying on top of Mobei Jun’s bed, and had coughed three more petals when the healer finally came into the demon’s quarters. A bulky and tusked beast, with heavy blue fur – a typical northern demon – entered the room with faked confidence and shrinked himself while bowing down to his lord.

“May I know what’s the reason for the call, my lord?” The demon then bowed in front of Shang Qinghua, who tried to pass it as casual, but Mobei Jun could tell that he still wasn’t used to the lowly demon's respect.

“Lord Shang is sick.” Shang Qinghua flinched imperceptibly, his legs bouncing in an anxious rhythm. Mobei Jun got closer to the human, putting his clawed hand on his shoulder.  “Show him the petals.”

Shang Qinghua hesitated, his palms were closed in a tight fist, his knuckles white and his breath held in. The petals would be squished and gooey, but they would serve the matter.

“Qinghua, open your hand.” Mobei Jun tried to be gentle, to sound less bossy and more tender, to sound less like a demon lord. No effect, the human acted as fast as always, like his life depended on obeying his king.

The healer looked at the petals with curiosity, got them in his hands and analyzed them thoroughly. Mobei Jun was impatient.

“He coughed these.” With the unoccupied hand, the king pointed to the petals. Dumb demons, even the healer, all of them.

The healer's eyes opened in surprise, he looked at his King as if not believing such a thing.

“I’ve never heard of a curse like that, my lord.” Shang Qinghua made a pained face, starting to fidget on his seat, like a scared mouse. Mobei Jun felt his mood sour, it wasn’t right that his human didn’t trust him to save his life, he shouldn’t feel so scared of a curse. “May I check Lord Shang’s meridians, my lord?”

“Go ahead.”

The healer’s face stayed low, his eyes fixed on the floor, Mobei Jun felt satisfied, he liked demons who knew their place, who knew to respect other demon’s properties. The healer frowned, made a confused sound in his throat and with what Mobei Jun knew it wasn’t good news, kowtowed.

“I’m sorry, my lord, I’m deeply sorry.” Shang Qinghua recoiled, whimpered and diverted his gaze from the blue demon. “There is no cure for a disease like this, not one that I know of, at least.”

Blood spattered, covered the king’s and the human’s robe’s hem. Shang Qinghua didn’t flinch.

“Useless.” A group of servants came into the room, removing the loveless body from the floor.

“My King.” Shang Qinghua spoke in a silky voice.

“No cure? So what, Qinghua will cough petals forever?” Mobei Jun could feel all his noble training erasing from his mind, the composure and coldness running away. His free fingers played with ice in an old anxious mannerism. He wanted to feel desperate, but Qinghua couldn’t see him like this. Mobei Jun was strong and capable, wasn’t he?

“My King…” The human slowly brought his hand above the king’s, he looked up, with a small smile and a reassuring squeeze of his long and caloused fingers. Mobei Jun felt every inch of his body asking to dive into the brown eyes. “I’m not sure how this will end, and I don’t want you to feel pressured to cure me.”

Contrary to why you may believe, Mobei Jun knew his human very well. Shang Qinghua had a small wrinkle appear right between his eyebrows, he blinked slowly and his voice was a bit, just a tiny bit, lower. So he knew something about what was happening and for some reason he didn’t trust his kings with it.

“What do you know about it?” He pressured. Shang Qinghua knew then, he was caught in the act. 

“I may know something.” He got up and smoothed his blue robes. “But I’m not so sure, it’s a human disease.”

“We shall call the human healer then.”

Shang Qinghua’s face contorted in panic, his eyes traveled around Mobei Jun’s room. The demon felt something fond and warm, knowing some excuse was about to be said, yet he decided to let the human slide this time, they could wrap up the matter later, it didn’t seem so pressing. Just some petals.

“My King, I have some papers to revise.” Mobei Jun nodded, of course he had. “May I go? I’m feeling good right now!”

Mobei Jun wanted to take a deep breath. Shang Qinghua could be very frustrating. “Call your king if you need. You may go.”

Running like a little mouse, Shang Qinghua got out of the room, tripping on his own feet. His King asked himself once more when would the human stop acting like a servant, when would the human accept him.

.bloom

It hurt like hell. His chest was heavy, his mind foggy. It was way, way more poetic on paper, on fanfictions , and yaoi novels . Dying like this sounded painfully beautiful in romantic modern fiction. It was not. It just hurt like hell.

He didn’t even write this on Proud Immortal Demon Way, he wouldn’t dare. So why? You ask yourself. Why are flowers blooming inside Shang Qinghua’s lungs? Simply because he was heartbroken for so, so long, that his body just somatized and decided to fucking kill him already to end it all. Oh and it would kill him for sure.

He coughed hard another time, blood spattering over another paper that he would have to start over. As the day passed and issues and delays were appearing from thin air, Shang Qinghua started to hate the disease more for disturbing his work than for the constant reminder that his King didn’t, and would never, love him back.

And it hurt like hell.

Shang Qinghua was beaten constantly for years. Was overlooked, hurt and tortured, even poisoned. He had felt his blood like running fire in his veins, his brain like a screaming siren, he had felt his soul implore to come out of his body. This pain – this fucking what? coneflower? – growing inside his body was a heavy sensation, like wanting to breathe underwater when you know well enough you can’t. Shang Qinghua could actually feel the tiny petals tickle inside him.

He coughed once more.

It was starting to worsen, crawling inside him at a fast pace he knew for sure wasn’t canon compliant, it was right that he omitted to Mobei Jun that he had been sick for some days now, what wasn’t right was the daring of it in start to grow faster. Wasn’t it supposed to last weeks, months? Why was he already coughing a handful of colorful and blood stained coneflowers petals? The smell was sickening too, too sweet, too metallic.

Maybe it was because his king really despised him. Not a single drop of desire in his big, sturdy and blue demon body. Shang Qinghua wanted to cry. He had never cried because of his unrequited love, perhaps there was still a tiny hope before this morning, that his king would like him back somehow. That the ice demon king would wake up one day and magically realize he loved his human advisor.

Shang Qinghua wasn’t wrong in hoping, Mobei Jun had changed over the years after all. They were in a different tempo now, after the event with Linguang Jun. Shang Qinghua was not stupid, he could read into lines, into actions, even more into Mobei Jun’s actions, he created the man! So why, why the universe decided to throw him back into reality in this wicked way, he is so not loved back that he will die for it.

Stupid coneflowers too, the ones Shang Qinghua grew in his garden back at the sect. Mobei Jun never said a thing about them. Yet apparently he liked them enough to make it bloom inside Shang Qinghua. What a destiny.

Just as he was finishing the letter, Shang Qinghua felt a lump in his throat, he coughed and nothing came, coughed harder, nothing. So he tried to breathe in and nothing happened, the air simply refused to come in. His hand weakened, the brush fell over bumping in the ink holder, making the black viscous liquid spill over the new paper, another one ruined . He didn’t have time to mourn it, the moon was high and the lump was there, the air was thick and stubborn .

Shang Qinghua tried to cough once more, feeling the corner of his eyes starting to fill with water.

It was then that Shang Qinghua caught a glimpse of how he would die. He caught a glimpse of it and it was way slower than what he thought. He didn’t want it. He didn’t want it. He didn’t want it .

In a last attempt he coughed harder, the lump releasing its pressure. Shang Qinghua cried harder, relief and fear mixing in his mind.

“ M-my king.” Although it was whispered, Mobei Jun appeared promptly like he was waiting just outside the door.

With his clouded vision, Shang Qinghua could swear he saw fear in his king’s expression, or it was just his own wishes. He felt the world around him obscure, the shadows evolving him and taking him away. The pressure in his body and mind was familiar, it was safe. They disappeared in the dark.

He left the coneflower bud sitting on his ruined desk.

⁕

Shang Qinghua had calmed down when he layed down on his bed. Unlike his king, who was a nervous wreck – in his own way, anyway.

The ice demon was sitting on the other side of the room, his eyes following the human’s every movement.

“My King.” Shang Qinghua cleared his throat. Mobei Jun’s expression hardened. “I was just scared, I’m better now.”

“Qinghua.” The room suddenly got colder. “Do not lie to me.”

“I’m no-” His eyes dropped, catching his bloodied robes splattered by his feet. Shang Qinghua didn’t dare to think about being in his inner robes in the same room as Mobei Jun. Fuck. It was a lot of blood. “I just don’t see why you think…”

“Hm.”

“I just don’t see why you think staring at me will help.” Shang Qinghua fidget. “It’s disconcerting. Not that you can’t, My King may do whatever he wants, I’m not dictating what you can or not. You know, look as much as yo-”

Shang Qinghua was interrupted by another cough, a rough and disgusting one. His eyes caught Mobei Jun’s expression and, being really honest with you, it was harder to bear than the whole flower trying to come out of his body. His king looked worried, he looked like he cared.

Shang Qinghua really wanted to cry from tiredness.

“Shang Qinghua…” He looked up again, smashing the coneflower in his hand. The demon said nothing.

Mobei Jun just stared at him like he was a wounded animal, in a way a human would look at a wounded animal, he didn’t move an inch, as if he turned into ice himself, the moonlight transpassing the ice of the ceiling making him shine like a beautiful entity. Their eyes looked into each other, Shang Qinghua counted one, then two, maybe three, then Mobei Jun disappeared in a shadow portal.

Great, his inner robes were now stained too.

.growth

He realized they didn’t have time. It was obvious now it wasn’t just a matter of coughing petals and flowers. What type of king was he? How could he hold the image of a powerful demon when he let that slide like that. When he couldn’t see when his own… his own something was in need of urgent help.

Mobei Jun tried to shake away the image of Shang Qinghua in his study room. He could only remember the deep red all over the place. The red and the helpless look on his human’s face. He knew – Shang Qinghua told him about it – bleeding like this wasn’t right for a human, they couldn’t handle it like demons could.

The ice demon breathed hard when he stepped on the human helm, it was hot and uncomfortable, not smelling like it usually would with Qinghua by his side. His eyes searched in the dark night. He didn’t want it to do this, not fully, but if his demon healer could not do the service, he might as well try the human one: Lord Something Something, Mr. Human Healer, whatever. 

Finding the leisure house he wanted, the lord demon opened without knocking, encountering a very fair looking human cultivator in sleeping robes. A cultivator that looked at him with not very friendly eyes. He remembers the look, it was that one.

“You. Come with me.” He opened another portal, with not much time to spare on ceremonies.

“Mobei Jun. May I know whaAAT!?!” No. Mobei Jun stepped inside the shadows right after the other.

It wasn’t that easy traveling like this that much in a day with company. Somehow Shang Qinghua didn’t tire him like other companions, maybe his body was just used to him, maybe it was something special. So when they reached Shang Qinghua’s chambers just to catch the man sleeping in his dirty robes, the demon fought with himself internally not to kick out the human healer and sleep right beside his human advisor.

“Oh. What is this?” The healer – Mo Qingshan? Mu Qinghong? – was honestly with a very impressed expression while looking at the bloodied robes on the floor. And the flowers. So many new flowers already.

“Blood.” Mobei Jun could feel the irritation start to rise inside him. He walked slowly to the side of the bed, Shang Qinghua was splattered in the middle of it. “Come closer.”

The human healer stepped closer while the demon king occupied himself in changing his advisor's body position, putting some blankets, a pillow, and taking off the day-to-day hair pin. He could feel the healer’s eyes on him – the man apparently didn’t know about privacy – like the demon was an object of study. Mobei Jun could tell what he was thinking and wan’t very fond of it.

They stayed there, side by side, looking at Shang Qinghua’s sleeping body and hearing his heavy breaths. Mobei Jun wanted to hit the healer, he truly wanted to, the man was just another useless one. However, not only said man had proved himself on other occasions, he knew the healer was to a certain degree important to Shang Qinghua, so he restrained himself.

“So…?” Useless Human finally spoke. Mobei Jun could not handle it.

“Cure him.” It seemed that there weren't any humans as smart as Shang Qinghua.

“May I know from what?”

“I don’t know.” The healer sighed, sighed , and without asking permission, touched Shang Qinghua to check his meridians.

"Symptoms?" The human frowned in concentration.

“Coughing flowers.” Shang Qinghua’s face in the study room came back to his mind. “And blood.”

The human healer opened an eye, looked at him for a second and closed it again. His frown deepened. Mobei Jun could hear his heartbeat accelerate and smell the sweat coming out of him, not a good sign coming from a human.

Useless Human opened his eyes and looked at Shang Qinghua with a concerned and curious look, Mobei Jun’s stomach tightened. 

“I don’t know for sure what it is.” His face turned into a business one, his hand coming to his side once again, then he faced Mobei Jun. “We shall talk somewhere else, he needs all the rest he can get.”

Mobei Jun for sure didn’t want to go somewhere else. He wanted to stay there beside his human, ensuring he was alright. But maybe that was the right way of doing that, so he walked out of the room, assuming the human would follow him.

Right outside the door he ordered for enforcement on the guard and for a tea to be delivered at his quarters. It would be hard talk and Mobei Jun for sure wasn’t ready for it.

He walked as slow as he could with an urgent matter creeping his mind, so the human would not get lost in the halls and freeze to death. It was a beautiful palace, at least the human was having the privilege of appreciating it.

He entered a big round room with no doors right in front of his bed chambers, with armchairs and furs. Mobei Jun decorated it with Shang Qinghua’s comfort in mind, as he stayed awake there working for his king until late at night. Mobei Jun tried not to think of the human alone in his own bed chamber, suffocating on blood and that flower that smelled just like him, while he was here with another human on the place Mobei Jun built for him.

“Sit.” Mobei Jun waited for the man, right as a small demon entered the room with tea and sweets. Shang Qinghua’s sweets. 

“My lord.” The healer drank a spit of the hot tea. “The thing with Shang Qinghua is… is not a disease, it may be a curse, but it feels like something else.”

“Hm.”

“I don’t know what it is.” 

“Hm.” The room got colder. Useless human.

“But I do know it is growing, and it will kill him if not stopped.” A shred of ice flew right beside the healer’s head. The whole room was filled with spikes and snow.

“How to stop it?” Mobei Jun could smell fear from kilometers, and close like this was a sickening smell. He wanted to puke, a smell as strong could only be his own.

“I will have to research.” The healer made a pity face. “Look, I know someone who may or may not be helpful, but he will only be useful by morning.”

“I don’t want someone else.” Mobei Jun really didn’t want more people inside his palace meddling with Shang Qinghua. “I don’t need more strangers here, Qinghua won’t want it either.”

“Oh! Don’t worry, Lord Shang won’t mind at all.” The human sipped again on his tea and said worriedly. “You just have to convince Luo Binghe to land him to us.”

Mobei Jun could only think that maybe this human healer wasn’t that stupid.

⁕

Getting Luo Binghe’s consort to help was way easier than Mobei Jun thought. After spending the little rest of the night inside Shang Qinghua’s sleeping room, watching him cough his life away, cleaning the blood and helping him to sleep again, it was easy to make the most pitiful and desperate face and get the human’s attention.

Shang Qinghua was still in bed, awake but too weak to get up alone, when Mobei Jun decided it was enough. He wasn’t even talking like before, it was maddening and worrying. Mobei Jun got out of the room and ordered the servants to wake up the human healer, he wouldn’t allow this thing to hurt his human anymore.

The demon then reached over to Shen Qingqiu, the shadows opening right in the living room of the bamboo house. Luo Binghe looked at him with pure rage in his eyes, fierce as ever, when his husband stopped caressing his head to look at Mobei Jun with curiosity.

“What happened with Shang Qinghua now?” Mobei Jun hated the casual use of the name.

“ Qinghua is dying.” Luo Binghe rolled his eyes and Mobei Jun didn’t think before freezing the floor right at his but. Then he said something not fitting to his character. “I need your help to save him.”

“Oh.” The cultivator looked at Mobei Jun thoroughly, something known in his eyes reminded him of Shang Qinghua’s, he hated it. They looked at people as if they knew things they weren’t supposed to. “Binghe, I will go pay a visit to Shang Qinghua, be good and wait for me here.”

Mobei Jun opened a portal, waiting for the human to get inside and avoiding Luo Binghe’s eyes. Shang Qinghua would have had a very ironic remark to say through his breath.

The demon reached the round room in time to see the surprise on the consort's face seeing the human healer, who was now wearing robes certainly bigger than his size. His fan fanned agitatedly and his eyes darkened with unpleasantness. At least he was there .

“Peak Lord Mu, I see you were recruited as well.” 

“Is good to see you after so long, Peak Lord Shen.”  His eyes glanced for a brief moment at Mobei Jun. “Well, not that good given the circumstances.”

“What happened to Lord Shang?” Mobei Jun wasn’t fond of talking, it wasn’t his thing, but the healer, Lord Mu, looked at him expectantly.

“Qinghua has an unknown disease.”  Mobei Jun seated heavily on his armchair. “It started with petals…” Oh , Mobei Jun felt Shen Qingqiu recognition exhale from his human pores, although composed and hidden. “By night he was coughing full buds of them, this morning he coughed one with a stem. He can’t breathe well.”

Shen Qingqiu pondered for some moments, his eyes looking everywhere, calculating. They lended on Mobei Jun. “Let me see him.”

“What does Consort Shen know about it?

“I may know something.” Mobei Jun hated it.

Mobei Jun guided both of the men back to Shang Qinghua’s quarters. Asking the guard if the advisor was awake, if he had coughed a lot “Yes. No.”. Mobei Jun allowed Shen Qingqiu to enter the room. 

Just when the human was opening the doors, they faced an awakened and standing Shang Qinghua, wearing his inner robes and hair down, in a way he never dared to appear in front of others. Mobei Jun drank on it, until he noticed the pale face and big eyes aimed at his sect brothers.

“My King, what is h-”

“We need to talk, Qinghua. May I go inside?” Consort Shen interrupted the question, Mobei Jun could hear the fake politeness and the fake smile behind the fan. He wasn’t asking, Shang Qinghua nodded still astonished, giving space to the other cultivator.

The demon stayed put while both men entered the room, and even with his hearing he didn’t attempt to eavesdrop. He knew they talked in codes, in a language just understood by them. He hated it. So he waited outside. 

.harvest

When he entered the room Shen Qingqiu was enveloped by a filthy smell.

Facing away, Shag Qinghua was a mess. The man was a mess by default, but like this, the dark circles prominent in his sick face, the hair pointing in all directions, and although Shen Qingqiu knew for sure the man had tried to clean himself, there was still dried blood right at the corner of his mouth.

“For how long have you been like this?” Shen Qingqiu walked behind Shang Qinghua, feeling the flowers crumple below his feet.

“For quite some days.” Quite some days. Qingqiu felt a headache coming.

“Mobei Jun said it started yesterday.”

“He discovered it yesterday.” The man paused to cough, it wasn’t even a flower, just some stenched blood. He drank a cup of water and sat at the foot of his bed. Shen Qingqiu sat beside him, his robes getting dirty with blood and sticky flowers. “It got worse really fast after that.”

“Is it because of him?” Shang Qinghua didn’t answer, he didn’t have to. “Airplane…”

Honestly, he wasn’t sure of what to say. Was it right to tell the man to confess and try his luck when he was dying from it? Shen Qingqiu really believed Mobei Jun loved Shang Qinghua, but who was he to say this to the dying man? It just wasn’t fair.

“Fuck. I knew I would die by his hands but this situation is kinda anticlimactic.” He laughed a self-pitying sound that didn’t match him at all. Shen Qingqiu wanted to beat him with his fan for trying to make a joke out of the situation, and so he did. “ Ouch! ”

“I can’t believe it.” The consort tried to summarize everything that was running through his mind. “You are about to die for a second time, serves you right.”

“Fuck you bro.” Shang Qinghua’s smile was enough to assure Shen Qingqiu that he understood what he meant.

They were alike, not that he was ready to admit, there wasn’t someone in their world that understood him like Airplane. The bastard was smart and helpful, if Airplane dies, Shen Qingqiu will miss him. He will be alone in a certain way, even their fights were somehow part of his routine, they were bros after all. But angst wasn’t his favorite genre, these goodbyes were for the dramatic ones, people like Shang Qinghua.

“You are quiet.” He just wished the other didn’t interpret it as encouragement.

“It hurts to talk.” Yeah, makes sense.

“Mobei Jun sent me here with a reason, I have to go back there with something. I understand…” He sighed. “I understand if you don’t want to try the right way of curing this.” Shang Qinghua snorted, okay! So Shen Qingqiu fanned himself, while Shang Qinghua coughed another horrendous bloodied mess, flowered this time, beside him. “Let’s get up. We have a fake research to do.”

“What do you mean?” Shen Qingqiu hid his hurt face behind his fan and helped Shang Qinghua to get on his feet.

“You decided on dying already, Airplane. If not shooting your shot with Mobei Jun, the only way of ending this curse is dying, I guess papapa with Binghe wouldn’t help either” 

“No, it wouldn’t.”

“But Mobei Jun there, he will not accept it. At least pretend you are trying, it’s easier for us both and probably for all the other demons in the North.” Shang Qinghua nodded in understandment, and started to try to look more presentable.

He tied his hair in a bun with a silver headpiece and put on a blue robe marked with the Northern Desert sigil.

What a dumbass. 

.drought

Shen Qingqiu came out of the room with Shang Qinghua by his side. Mobei Jun’s eyes fixed on his human. Shang Qinghua was wearing his royal headpiece and official robes again. Mobei Jun felt satisfaction seeing the human wearing the Northern colors in front of his Sect Brothers.

He got closer to the human and silently cleaned a drop of dried blood at the corner of his mouth, smirking slightly with how flustered the human got. Mobei Jun wasn’t fond of teasing Qinghua that much, the man’s reactions were as worrying as they were entertaining, but his inner voice told him that he should, somehow, mark his territory.

“Are you feeling better?” The king spoke in a low voice, only for his human to hear.

“Way better, My King.” Mobei Jun nodded, bringing his hand to rest by his side again, he decided on letting the lie slide. Shang Qinghua looked to Shen Qingqiu, starting to walk away. “We talked, me and Consort Shen, and we decided that something can be done about this, we will need just a bit of research.”

“I’m sure I don’t have anything like this on my scrolls.” Mu Qingfang – Mobei Jun came to learn – spoke, greeting Shang Qinghua with a bow. “I will ask my disciples to check it out again.”

“Thank you for coming, Peak Lord Mu, I’m grateful for your help.” Qinghua bowed back, talking in a formal and aristocratic tone, a tone that Mobei Jun knew it was just for looks. “You don’t have to bother your disciples, certainly we will have everything needed here at the palace.”

“Let’s go, then.” Mobei Jun walked over them, stopping to let his heavy cloak around Shang Qinghua's shoulders before resuming his impetuous pace. “Don’t get lost.”

Mobei Jun led the way over the giant halls, the daylight making them more majestic with colors and reflections. The freezing temperatures didn’t seem to bother the humans, who looked around and talked in whispers behind the demon king. Shang Qinghua sounded proud while answering questions, even Consort Shen, who wasn’t really unfamiliar with the scenery, seemed occupied observing the glacier labyrinth.

Suddenly, on a turn, Mobei Jun stopped. Shang Qinghua hurried to get to his side, it was his turn to lead the way, as they were now, on the right wing of the palace, where the study rooms were located, the place commanded fully by Shang Qinghua.

The flow of servants grew, running from one side to the other and bowing hurriedly. Often stopping to talk to Shang Qinghua, crying in his ears and worriedly asking why he was so late, sign this, what to do about that, which color, which metal, who to invite, how to write. Shang Qinghua looked paler and paler, his hidden coughs sounding more pressing.

“Enough.” His hands flew to the human’s arm. Then with the mask he mastered, Mobei Jun walked, sending a clear sign of not wanting to be bothered. “Qinghua shouldn’t work when sick.”

.plague

When they reached his study room Shang Qinghua coughed a bunch of flowers right at his feet. His body felt weak and his vision blurred. The pain was familiar now, not paralyzing like it was the day before. Mobei Jun wasn’t making things easier either, he cleaned Shang Qinghua and ordered a bucket and water to be delivered, hands touching and eyes attentive. He was making it hard not to feel love.

Mu Qingfang and Shen Qingqiu were unbothered by the disgusting mess that was Shang Qinghua and were already looking around the room on the indicated sections, which made the advisor itchy, by the way. It was, after all, a very private place. He himself tried to act unbothered that there were not one, but two , of his sect brothers there to help cure him, and Shen Qingqiu came alone! Shang Qinghua must be really fucked.

They decided on searching on disease related scrolls first. A fake research actually, but that was a secret between Airplane and Peerless Cucumber. Mobei Jun seated by his side, while Shen Qingqiu decided on being as far as possible, and Mu Qingfang disappeared somewhere in the dark corners of the room.

Shen Qingqiu read with his elegant mannerisms, his fan moving slowly and his eyes blinking only when necessary, he searched with diligence, putting scrolls away with care, not even flinching when Shang Qinghua had coughing fits. 

Mobei Jun was a reading beast by his side.

The king read the scrolls with his serious, and hot, concentrated face. His finger traced everything he judged important, asking Shang Qinghua about it, getting mad when it showed to be useless. He threw scrolls everywhere, his fangs sharper and sharper, oh his king was truly impatient.

“Qinghua is getting worse.” Shang Qinghua heard the voice far away, he had vomited a handful of orange coneflowers, the sweet smell making him sicker, and decided on closing his eyes just a bit.

“Hm.” And that was his king's line, wasn’t it?

“He has to eat something.” Shen Qingqiu's voice sounded farther away.

“Noodles?” Was his king asking things? Sweet.

But the conversation got unintelligible and Shang Qinghua felt a really good and warm fog lay over him. He closed his eyes for just a moment, but maybe too much time had passed as he was now in a sunny camp, without snow or chill.

He looked around, something was making his lungs itchy, maybe the pollen. Pollen? Oh, coneflowers, right, he has a field of it at his sect! And bees, everywhere. Shang Qinghua wasn’t fond of bees, maybe he should call for his king to take him back to the North. They were doing something important there, and Mobei Jun would for sure come take him back, he was different now, making noodles and gifting him with important things, he likes Shang Qinghua’s presence nowadays.

“My King.” Shang Qinghua waited a second, then two and just when he was about to question himself a breeze of cold air passed by him. “Oh, you came, my king!”

“Hm. Of course.” Of course. Of course he would kill Shang Qinghua with his beauty and deep voice.

“My king, I think the flowers are making me sick.” Shang Qinghua was sure that he called Mobei Jun for another reason, he just couldn’t remember which.

“Qinghua seems fine.” Mobei Jun said as a matter of fact.

“I will get rid of them.” He looked at the horizon, he could swear his field wasn’t that big, maybe it got bigger by the time he was at the palace. It had been a long time since he came back to check on his disciples.

“I like the flowers.” Somehow, Shang Qinghua felt he knew that already.

“You shouldn’t, my king, they are making me sick.” The itchy feeling got intense for a moment, a bee flew in front of his eyes. There were a lot of them.

“Qinghua it’s not allowed to get rid of them.” But the itchy feeling was really annoying, and the bees.

“Why not, my king?” If he wasn’t allowed, what would he do?

“I like the flowers.” He looked at his king, the demon was wearing his final face, open for no discussions.

“Take me back, then.” Aha, that was what he wanted to ask.

“Qinghua does not live in the Northern Desert anymore.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You ran away.” Shang Qinghua didn’t, at least not recently. There were so many bees.

“No I didn’t.” He took a step closer to the demon, a group of bees flying with him.

“You live here now. You have for a long time, Shang Qinghua.”

“Take me back!” The bees were starting to cloud his vision, his lungs were itchy and he couldn’t see a thing. “My King! My King? Take me back!”

“Qinghua should not ask for things he can’t have.” The cold breeze disappeared. Mobei Jun!

“My King!” His vision was covered by black dots, the bees starting to land on him, they were so heavy and his body was heavy too. Mobei Jun didn’t come back. “My King?”

His air was rarefied, he tried to breathe in, so he could call for Mobei Jun once more, but there was nothing for him. He sat down on the flowers, the smell so strong it made it impossible to think, the bees were now a part of him. Shang Qinghua could not understand why his king let him there, if the flowers were making him sick like this.

Maybe his king really didn’t want a low human by his side.

Shang Qinghua cried a bit, he can’t lie. He would have cried more if he could breathe, but it was getting so itchy and heavy he was certain he would die. Maybe if he hadn’t asked for things he can’t have his king would be by his side now. Shang Qinghua tried to reach for his king again, his heavy hand catching a handful of flowers and bees, it hurt a lot, the bees and his lungs, he screamed in pain, but the sound was airless. He was just a pitiful creature, crying, reaching out, screaming silently, he would end in a really undignified way.

⁕

Shen Qingqiu was holding his fan closed, so that was the pain that woke him up. Mobei Jun was holding him, so that was the soft and comfortable bed he was laying on. However, the scenery didn’t seem homelike at all.

“Qinghua is breathing.” Shang Qinghua’s consciousness came back in a flood. He looked up to face his king.

Mobei Jun was breathing hard, his pupils dilated and his arms were holding Shang Qinghua on a tight grip, was a disturbing, if not beautiful, image. He looked away, facing Shen Qingqiu, whose lips were on a thin line, his eyes wide and his fan was now in an agitated rhythm.

Something, something might have happened.

“What…” He looked down, his blue robes were now ruined in a mess of blood, stomach acid and flowers. The first blue robes he ever owned.

He blinked and a cup of water was in front of him, Mu Qingfang looking at him with his doctor like attitude, it usually meant “You are going to be alright.” , but now it only seemed to mock him. The water tasted awful, probably with some medicine or vitamin. Shang Qinghua felt guilty for making the man work for his situation, his without solution situation.

“We found something that might help.” Mu Qingfang handed him a book with some messy annotations. Shang Qinghua didn’t recall writing it, but it was his handwriting and horrible sketches. 

He tried to sit and the world seemed to spin. Mobei Jun held him tighter. 

Three-Stem Creeping Leaf with Blue Thorns? What the actual fuck? Powerful leaf, healing properties of level five, works better on flower related curses. Not specific at all. “Where do we get it?”

“There is no ‘we’, Qinghua will stay here. This king will get the plant.” Shang Qinghua felt his heartbeat speed up, he tried to be reasonable, if his king was going to get a plant to save him, it was because Mobei Jun actually wanted him by his side. “It’s not hard at all, trust your king.”

“I do.”

.prune

He wanted to say it was ridiculous, but it was actually understandable. What wasn’t understandable was why they were making a fake research and lying to the powerful demon king about it. Said powerful demon who was disgustingly obsessed with his sect brother.

Mu Qingfang wasn’t against this type of relationship, he was not so close minded, however he had his restrictions. Being weirdly territorial was one of them. The demon didn’t seem to notice he was the only being that thought Shang Qinghua was that attractive, attractive enough to fight a demon for.

Well, he wasn’t, poor man. Poor man indeed, there was so much blood and flowers flooding from him that Mu Qingfang was starting to get worried, which was hard, as he saw everything already working as a doctor for Cang Qiong.

He was lucky to actually find something at this fake research that wasn’t fake only for Mobei Jun. The plant actually wasn’t rare, it had a field of it. Just that the field was protected by a beast, and judging by Shang Qinghua’s situation – he had almost suffocated while sleeping – the demon king would have to prove himself.

“You both, rest.” Mu Qingfang had to admit, Mobei Jun wasn’t that tyrannical, they got snacks and drank tea and now that Shang Qinghua was sleeping in his chambers, protected by guards and servants, the demon allowed them to rest!

When Mu Qingfang was about to open his mouth, the demon entered the famous shadows and disappeared. Shen Qingqiu sat with a heavy groan on the other side of the room.

“Will you explain why we just lied?”

“No.” Fair.

Mu Qingfang walked around the room. It was impressive, he never thought Shang Qinghua would have that much knowledge stored, or produced. The strangeness of it, and of the role Shang Qinghua occupied at the court, didn’t stop the doctor from meddling around.

“I wouldn’t do that, Mu Qingfang.” Shen Qingqiu's eyes were closed, in a meditating state. “He is very secretive over his things.”

Mu Qingfang knew of the fame of his martial brother: cunning, unforgiving, vicious. However, having traps settled inside his own study room? Paranoid. Maybe he had to be, Qingfang was only good with medicine, he wouldn’t know about demonic court affairs. So, just because his hands were important for his work, the doctor ignored his curiosity and sat beside his cultivator friend.

Shen Qingqiu gave up on resting and was now looking at nowhere, frowning hard, probably thinking about Shang Qinghua, Mu Qingfang actually never understood their relationship. He caught an edible from the plate in front of them, human food, real human food.

“There is a chance of the plant working.” The sweet exploded in his mouth.

“Maybe.” 

“But you don’t believe that.”

“It’s not about believing or not. Maybe it works, but it won’t.” His mouth clenched, Mu Qingfang truly wanted to understand their relationship.

“Are you worried because it won’t, then?” Mu Qingfang caught another sweet.

“I’m not worried.”

“So stop mourning, he didn’t die yet.”

“I’m not mourning!” He opened his fan and hid his face behind it. He was mourning.

“Go say goodbye to him, we already faked the research and if Mobei Jun’s plant doesn’t work… he is already in a bad state.”

Shen Qingqiu didn’t answer, so Mu Qingfang closed his eyes and lied back, not waiting for the man to wrap his feelings. The doctor needed rest, considering he would have to work hard on the medicine for Shang Qinghua with the very pressing eyes of an ice demon lord on his back. 

His lord friend moved and disappeared, Mu Qingfang really didn’t want to meddle in their friendship, Shang Qinghua was strange enough alone.

.sprout

The bloodied beast was writhing, its head held on Mobei Jun’s right hand. The demon threw it away and walked to the blue and shiny field, snow falling around him, but never touching his skin. His demonic aura was imposing, making the creeper plants in his feet move away, avoiding being touched.

He got down, his claws cutting without ceremony a handful of the Three-Stem Creeping Leaf with Blue Thorns. Shang Qinghua would have as much as needed to be safe and secure. His hands trembled, if this didn’t work Shang Qinghua there would be no time for research and battles against snowy beasts.

He opened a portal and landed inside the study room, Shang Qinghua’s smell still strong. Mu Qingfang was sleeping in a corner, sleeping , useless bastard. Mobei Jun froze the floor underneath the man, who woke up in a shriek.

“Get up.” He let the or next it will be your balls unsaid, Shang Qinghua likes when he is cordial with his martial brothers, even the coward ones.

“Mobei Jun, you are back.” The door opened, entering Shen Qingqiu, with blood spots on his green robes and the honey-like smell of coneflowers stuck on him. Mobei Jun never thought he would hate the smell, as it was Shang Qinghua’s smell every time he came back to the palace after spending time at the peak.

“Here is the plant, use it as you need it.” Both men got closer. “You can use the lab, call me when you are ready, I will hear.” Mobei Jun opened a shadow portal, sending both cultivators away without a major word.

He wanted to be alone.

The cultivators thought he was stupid, but he knew his own advisor well, knew he was hiding something and he truly didn’t want to think about it. After the incident with Linguang Jun he thought, if he worked hard, Shang Qinghua would be by his side.

He was being good. So why was this happening now? Why was Shang Qinghua making him prove himself like this, hiding things from him but sharing with the other cultivators. The king was the one caring about him from the beginning, was the one who would feel the real pain and results of his death. Shang Qinghua was his. Now, he couldn’t care that much for the lies anymore, he trusted Shang Qinghua and if he believed Mobei Jun should be kept in the dark, the demon would refrain himself from pressing further.

It didn’t mean he wasn’t ready to kill someone, though.

Mobei Jun walked slowly in the direction of Shang Qinghua’s chambers, stopping in front of the closed door. He could hear the deep rhythmic breathing of the sleeping man, his chest clenched, the haunting thoughts of never hearing the sound of it again coming back after a long time. These two days without the constant ramblings of the man were already so lonely and empty, all the palace seemed to walk on the wrong foot. Mobei Jun was not a king without his human by his side. He would wait there, patiently, for the medicine and for the man to come back to him.

.winter

It didn’t work.

They worked on it for hours, Mu Qingfang was certain they would get it on point, he actually put a lot of effort into it. As always, Shen Qingqiu was right.

When they called the demon it was almost uncomfortable to see the hope in his posture, eyes, mannerisms. As usual, they were allowed to enter Shang Qinghua’s room only after Mobei Jun checked everything, like they weren’t in a rush.

It was freezing with the anxiousness of the demon, but they managed to wake Shang Qinghua, who looked a tad better after the long nap. His form only seen by the help of the rising moon in the sky, the iced ceilings casting silver light everywhere in the room, making it impossible to be completely dark.

“It’s bitter, drink it.” The smell was way worse than bitter, and Shang Qinghua drank it in a sip.

They waited for a minute, Shen Qingqiu was almost climbing on top of Mu Qingfang, not being able to ignore the hint of hope that rose inside him. Mobei Jun was already sitting on the other side of the big bed, but Shang Qinghua closed his eyes and went back to sleep without a word, falling like a ragged doll. It was a good sign, he told himself, low energy and the body working to recover. But the room got colder.

“Check it.” In a night like that, Mu Qingfang couldn’t help it but feel like a little prey inside his predator’s den. He reached Shang Qinghua’s pulse with his hand, checking his meridians.

“My lord.” Mu Qingfang felt the warm breath of Shen Qingqiu in his nape. “Maybe we should talk somewhere else.”

Mobei Jun didn’t seem inclined to get away from Shang Qinghua, his demeanor harsh and unmoving, however he got up in a rompant and stomped out of the room, making both cultivators run behind him. As soon as they stepped out of the once cozy room, they were greeted by a snowstorm, shreds of ice flying everywhere, the demon’s blue robes in the distance being the only thing recognizable in the haze.

After what felt like hours, but surely were minutes, they reached the warm study room breathless and tired. Shen Qingqiu hurriedly sat down by Shang Qinghua’s table, like telling Mu Qingfang to deal with the situation alone. But wasn’t he who had decided to lie to the demon. Said demon that was now without a trace of his composed self, the cordial, the royal demon, he was now an icy mess, covered in shreds of ice from head to toe, some part of his robes completely destroyed by holes – Mu Qingfang was pretty sure the demon could have avoided that.

He wasn’t sure how to tell the obviously dangerous and mentally unstable demon that the medicine hadn’t worked.

“Say it.” The demon looked at him like he was daring the man to say, he already knew the answer. Power play then, not really Mu Qingfang’s thing.

Mu Qingfang really didn’t want to give the bad news. With a growl Mobei Jun got closer to the cultivator. “I don’t repeat myself.”

“It didn’t work.” Mu Qingfang felt like the most brave man in the world.

“What do you mean ‘it didn’t work’?” Mobei Jun’s face changed in a blink of an eye, he made a puppy like sound at the back of his throat and honestly caught Mu Qingfang by surprise.

“For a medicine as strong as that, it should’ve had an instant effect, but his meridians were still unstable and the curse was still strong.”

It was disconcerting to see the powerful demon like this, disheveled and desperate. There was nothing Mu Qingfan could do now and he truly would like to do more, but if even the so-called Three-Stem Creeping Leaf with Blue Thorns could not make the deal on that situation, he could only hope for the old way of curing: time.

“Are you sure?” It was starting to get awkward on his end of the situation.

“I’m sure of it, my lord, he’s still as ill as before, if not worse.” Mu Qingfan did not, in fact, liked to see his sect brother sick like that, and he was not that much of a culprit for his own coldness, he just saw too many of his own dying from a diversity of diseases.

He knew it was cruel, but there is a certainty in the world, even in a world like theirs: everything that lives, dies. Shang Qinghua was a living being just like them, just like the demons and cultivators, his stupidity even made him more prone to this type of thing. Not that he thought the man deserved it, just that it was just by time.

“Maybe there is something we didn’t see, get the books back.” Mu Qingfan could not contain the pity that must have shown in his face. A demon, pitiful?

“We’ve been searching and working on it for hours, my lord, I don’t thin-” Bang!

“ENOUGH!” On the other side of the room, Shen Qingqiu held his fan with white knuckles against the table, his face contorted in a mix of pity, pain and tiredness. “There is no cure.”

“How can y-” The demon tried to fight the reason. How could he be so sure? He was Shen Qingqiu.

“There is no cure, Mobei Jun. He is dying. He will die. There is no cure.”

Mobei Jun’s face hardened, the room getting several degrees colder. But even mad and hurt – and honestly not in his right mind – the demon was not stupid, deep inside he trusted the cultivator’s words.

“He can not go like this.” His voice was low and in the words not spoken and not heard by Mu Qingfan, the lord and the consort talked an invisible discussion. He wasn’t sure what “this” meant, it didn’t seem just something about early death.

Mu Qingfang had seen countless times before: people on the merge of losing things, people who lost and felt guilty, people who thought they had time to spare. He saw it before and he saw it on Mobei Jun’s eyes, the fear of losing, the fear that the time spent was not enough, that the titles held and the relations weren’t on their right places.

“Then go and do something about it.” Shen Qingqiu followed the king’s back with his eyes, then threw himself in the armchair.

Mu Qingfang felt like he was watching some dramatic play.

.flower blossoms in winter

Mobei Jun had lived two lives. Once he was cold and lonely, aware of the shadows and glances and of the power circling around him, then he met Shang Qinghua on a life changing second and a new era started, a safe and forward one. He could tell he was not the same person before and now, and he can list an infinite list of things that showed that now is a better life than then. Mobei Jun himself was a different demon when he first met Shang Qinghua, the human grew on him like moss, stuck and refused to go, and his ways on life changed Mobei Jun deep inside, from the way he saw the light to the way he saw death.

The King could tell he was facing another life changing moment, he would never go back to the one he was before meeting Shang Qinghua, but without him he would not be the same either. His third life, without the man he so cared for, was a dark era he refused to enter.

He knocked on the door before entering – disturbing Shang Qinghua now was out of list, he told that to all the demons on his way there and he told this himself – the strong and sweet smell of coneflowers and the now well known smell of Shang Qinghua’s blood. It was dreadful, the honey-like fragrance used to make him warm, the Qinghua’s type of warm, and now he could only think about the man’s imminent and inevitable death.

Mobei Jun was still feeling imponent, after he did everything he could to save his human, well, everything he was aware he could do, he still felt like part of him didn’t try hard enough. Yet he was no longer feeling urgent or agitated, Shang Qinghua was alive for now, and he was allowed to take care of him; but there was one thing, one little thing, he would not be able to live his third life in peace if not done, or said.

Shang Qinghua was awake and coughing when he entered the room, covered in thick clothes and fur, Mobei Jun felt guilty for the earlier rampage. Mobei Jun hurried to his side, helding his weak body for him, getting back the cloth he used on the night before. The round face was covered in hot fresh blood, the blue robes marked in deep red, Mobei Jun breathed as hard as Shang Qinghua, the flowers spattered on the floor making a sound that sounded too loud.

Shang Qinghua started crying. Mobei Jun held his torso, feeling the smaller hands clenching on his clothes. The king breathed hard, controlling his own emotions, while caressing his human’s back, shushing him in whispers.

“M-My King! Mobei Jun!” The anguish on his human face tightened his heart, Mobei Jun held the face in his hands, the pale color of the skin almost matching the blue of his palms.

“You will be alright.” They both knew he was lying. “I know it’s painful bu-”

“You don’t!” The cultivator's hands wrapped around his wrists, helding like it was the only thing keeping him awake and alive. His breath became shallow, in a hoarse weakened whisper said. “You don’t understand how much it hurts.”

Mobei Jun wanted to argue, he wanted to tell the human he was hurting so much now he couldn’t even feel it anymore, he wanted to tell the human that seeing him like this was the most painful thing that happened to him, more than all the poisoning, death attempts, more than the never find you again situation. Losing Shang Qinghua was the most painful life changing moment he could bear.

“I wish I could make it better, I truly wish.” His own low voice was unstable. Shang Qinghua’s face contorted even more.

He didn’t answer. Somewhere deep inside the slight hope that the human would come with a last minute solution died.

“Well, this King can only wish to do better, and can only wish to…” Oh he wouldn’t say that, not now. He cleaned the tears running down Shang Qinghua’s face, waiting for them to stop, for the man to give all his attention. “But I do want to show you something.”

Mobei Jun swore he saw a ghost of a smile there somewhere.

“I would be delighted to see it, I’m just not sure I can.” Shang Qinghua looked at himself, his bloodied and heavy clothes, it would be hard to walk, even stand, alone.

“Don’t worry” The demon smiled, remembering the time when he carried Shang Qinghua back home, the first chance he got. “This King will carry you.”

“Oh, my king, you shouldn’t…” However, he extended his arms, waiting for the demon to do something “Thank you.”

Mobei Jun wanted to carry Shang Qinghua in his arms, but it was too close of a desire, so he turned his back and waited for the human to crawl up. He wrapped his hands around the cultivator thighs, holding it firmly against his body, and stood up. A “whoop” escaped from the human, he was as quiet as que could ever be, but it was still his human.

“Hold still.” Shang Qinghua crossed his arms strongly around the King's shoulders, the hands just hovering over Mobei Jun’s pectoral. Even at this time the human couldn’t be discreet for his life, maybe because it was this time, they both knew it was short.

“Ready?”

“Yes! Go!” Shang Qinghua’s hoarse voice sounded like his happiest. And Mobei Jun went.

He navigated the ice halls with certainty, encouraged by the resilient coughs and flowers escaping Shang Qinghua, his robes being marked by the blood while they made a trace behind them. His stomach swirled in want, he wanted and wanted, wanted Qinghua’s blood on his tongue, wanted his robes red, he was want from head to toe; but now he needed to focus on doing things right and get what he could.

Shang Qinghua’s head was laying on the top of his, the chin pressed on his black slick hair, Mobei Jun could tell the human’s eyes were fighting to stay open, he fastened his steps, reasoning with himself to not use shadows to not further injure Shang Qinghua’s meridians. Everything was so hard.

The corridor suddenly opened up on a windy hall, the snow was falling lightly and slowly, the rays of light reflecting colorfully on the ice. All the northern plants were layering, curtling up on each other on a mix of blues and dark greens; it was Shan Qinghua’s favorite place in the palace. The garden was as cold as the other rooms, if not colder, its roof opened to the white sky, the human used to like to sit there to see the spirits lights on the night sky, when it was clear, he liked to see the stars. However, it was cloudy and they had come there for another reason.

Mobei Jun walked them to the middle of the garden, where a big and imposing tree grew and hovered over them, its thick and gray branches reaching all directions. It was a very old and loved tree. Qinghua moved trying to get down, Mobei Jun held his body and got him down slowly, feeling the shiver that went through his body.

“Qinghua…” Mobei Jun could tell he made a worried face, because Shang Qinghua tried to smile, like he could somehow reassure his King in a situation like this. The King took off his outer robe and passed over the human’s shoulders, resting his claws on the cutivator’s jaw. “Tell me if you feel cold.”

“Oh my King, you know I’m used to it by now!” He chuckled a wet guttural sound, his smile red, Mobei Jun felt it resonate in his chest too.

“You know I don’t like it.”

“You are too overprotective now My King.” Shang Qinghua slipped his hand over Mobei Jun’s.

“I… It’s not…” He sighed. Remembering Consort Shen’s face and talk, Shang Qinghua couldn’t die as an advisor, he couldn’t die without knowing about Mobei Jun’s feelings. “I have something to tell you.”

Shang Qinghua frowned.

They are under the tree at Shang Qinghua’s favorite place in the palace, counting the moments before Shang Qinghua’s lungs are filled with flowers and blood. Mobei Jun looked at the human’s worried face and felt his chest full, full of relief and courage, so he mustered in his most gentle tone: “Be my consort.”

Shang Qinghua frowned even harder, taking a step back, almost falling on snow. His mouth opened slightly, his eyes dancing from one place to the other looking, searching, for something, in Mobei Jun’s face. Well, that was a reaction.

“How do you– Who told you? It was Shen Qingqiu? What a big fucking traitor!” 

“What?” Mobei Jun reached for his face again, but Shang Qinghua turned around and faced the tree instead, mumbling inaudibly a horde of things, things Mobei Jun could not understand. The demon was trying to find an answer, he didn’t think Shang Qinghua would say no, the thought never crossed his mind, Shang Qinghua was perfect for him, his life changed after he entered it, it was supposed to be the same for the human as well. He knew it was the same.

“You say no.” He was not able to contain the slight grieve and anger in his voice.

“What?” Shang Qinghua turned his head, like his thoughts were interrupted in the middle of an important turn. A face he made a lot.

“Your answer.” Mobei Jun breathed in, filling his lungs with the mix of Shang Qinghua and the sickening smell of flowers. “Is no.”

“No!” A pause, and in a small voice. “Yes.”

“I need you to be clearer than that.”

“I want to say yes, my king, fuck maybe that’s the last chance I get and gods know how much I want to be your consort, but…” and with a whisper “I want it to be real.”

“It is real.”

“Look, I know I’m dying-”

“It is real!” Mobei Jun could tell how he looked even without seeing his own reflection, like a true demon, without the gentle mask he tried to put on for Shang Qinghua. Shang Qinghua wasn’t affected.

“What do you mean it is real?”

“Is your King a liar?” He reached again, this time Shang Qingua didn’t step away. “Am I that vile in your eyes? Am I someone who would play with feelings and the future of my own?”

“No!” Shang Qinghua finally turned over, stepping even closer than before, with short breath and a fight against a cough. “You are not, I don’t see you like this. I just want to understand! Why now? What is this? Is it about feelings? Are we going to talk about feelings?”

“I do want to talk about feelings.” Mobei Jun touched his fingers lightly on the cultivator’s hands. “Why now? I honestly always thought I had time.”

His light blue eyes were trying to convey all the words, in a way he was certain the human learned how to read. The king was not used to hearing his own voice, not in the way he had to hear in the past few days, he was not used to have to say things and was not used to show worship in the human ways.

“Oh, My King, I will need you to be clearer than that.”  Shang Qinghua enlaced his fingers on the icy ones.

“I wan’t you by my side, forever.” Shang Qinghua got impossibly closer.

“Just say it, Mobei Jun.”

“I love you, Shang Qinghua.” 

“ Fu - Kiss me.”

And so did Mobei Jun. Their lips touched with aggression, Mobei Jun’s tongue eager to taste his human’s mouth, he hugged Shang Qinghua’s waist, encircling with his arms and bringing the fragilized body closer to his. The blood was slicky and warm, tasting delightfully, he felt a growl deep in his chest, want . Shang Qinghua breathed hard and twined his fingers through his king’s hair, kissing greedily, pleasuring himself on the sensation of the strong body embracing him and the warm and caring tongue against his.

Mobei Jun felt satisfaction on the feeling of it, of filling Shang Qinghua’s needs and desires. He was the one capable of it, the one who got this and the one that Shang Qinghua chose.

He didn’t think when he reached Shang Qinghua’s meridians with his core energy, he caressed it with caution, trying and feeling it, looking for the cracks and missing parts. The cracks and missing parts that were not there.

He interrupted the kiss, looking at Shang Qinghua with gravity, but the human only smiled back at him.

“I’m good now.” His breath mixed with the demon’s, his plump and shiny lips still so close, tempting. “My king cured me.”

So Mobei Jun fell into temptation and caught the cultivator’s lips back on his, after all he lived enough on his two lives to know some curses broke as easily as thin ice with a simple true love kiss.