Work Text:
He was a Guard, that was his job. He was meant to guard, serve and protect. Gaming could be considered very adept at his job description with how well he tended to the item or person he guarded on numerous occasions. He took it seriously and did everything within his power to make sure that he did a great job, that nothing went wrong. And most of the time, he’d done perfectly!
… But then there were cases like this where he’d been sent out to deliver goods, to guard it, later due to some awkward time management that wasn’t anyone’s fault. Regardless of it, he really did try, he’d made sure that he was fast enough to deliver, but…
“It’s already so dark…” he muttered, dejected. To make sure that he’d been fast enough, he’d foregone his camping equipment for a night spent outside despite being aware that he’d have to travel through the dark…
From Quingce Village to Stone Gate and to Dihua Marsh, it wasn’t so bad. He’d had the water at his side and animals making noise in the trees, grass and walls of stone. But then there was the Guili Plains…
Gaming stared out over the large expanse of… darkness, silence, wordlessly eerie and spine chilling with how no bugs or animals made even a chirp to tell him that he was safe. It was vast, dark, silent, ominous in that just looking at it made him feel like he was alone… the eyes, the feeling of being watched telling him otherwise, but he saw no one, nothing…
It didn’t help that he was so tired. He’d convinced himself that the shadows stretching for him were just shapes made from the glow of the lantern lit city and Inn behind him.
Wangshu Inn was behind him, the bridge having been passed and he was just standing there, feeling as though he’d passed the veil to some dark stretch of land between the safety of the Inn and the security of the harbour.
Which was sort of silly… He’d travelled the route so often, passed through the plains more than a couple of times a week. He knew the path better than the back of his hand, so why did he feel so hesitant, so reluctant.
Gaming took a deep breath, bouncing on the toes of his shoes. The thought of running the length from there to the very end of Guili Plains gave him some energy, to get out of the area as fast as he could. A straight shot to the harbour and he wouldn’t even need to stop to camp out despite how late it was. Admittedly, he had thought of spending out some spare Mora to stay at the Inn, but…
He didn’t want to waste anybody's time.
“Alright. Gotta be fast,” the boy reached his hands to his face, giving his cheeks an encouraging ‘get it together’ pat. With the goal in mind, Gaming kicked off from his spot and started running, being as light on his feet as possible to give himself as much momentum as he could to keep his pace. He ignored as many shadows as he thought he’d seen, skipping over a few things in the road so he wouldn’t trip up or lose any speed.
The feeling of the eyes grew stronger, the reaching shadows extending, the darkness getting that much more impossibly dark, the deafening silence and the stretching plains seemingly being stretched that much further.
There was a swiftly growing hint of anxiety building, his confidence just barely shaking him and protesting that this hadn’t been the best move at all.
He tried to speed up, propelling himself faster and faster, but it dawned on him that he seriously hadn’t made it that far with how much time had ‘already’ passed with his pace!
Because he’d only just passed the small bridge and to his left, he could see the glimmer of a Waypoint peaking the walls of the small battered and worn ruins on the roadside.
His speed, the time that passed, and he wasn’t even a quarter of the way through the Plains. It very briefly hit his confidence, but Gaming pushed past it, wanting to just get back, just to get out of the plains and return to the safety of the-.
His eyes shot wide open when he saw a ‘real’ shadow, something huge and hulking launching from the walls of the ruins he’d been running past. He dug his heels into the ground, freezing and trying to stop before he was struck by whatever the thing was swinging down at him.
“Whoa!!” he stopped too late, skidding and dropping to the ground, still skidding, and raised his hands with a shock of fear as he was directly under the weapon the huge thing was bringing down on him. He wasn’t fast enough! He snapped his eyes shut with a sound akin to a terrified yell, unable to do anything but weight for the pain, if that was all he’d feel!
A sharp sound of crackling wind rushed through him, an ominous breeze hitting him and then a sound of metal clashing.
It was instinct, his eyes snapped up with his rushed panting, shaking from the absolute shock-factor of the few seconds that had passed by. Staring up, he saw the huge, damaged metal of an axe, the evident messy fur, hands, arms, size and mask of a Mitachurl, completely frenzied and trying to force down its weapon on-.
Gaming stared, still shaken, but he wasn’t hit, wasn’t struck. The body of a guy his own size was between them, blocking the axe from striking with a bright green polearm neck braced against the upper part of the weapon where metal met wood.
It took him far too long to see the shake in the guy's arms, the struggle to keep himself standing under the pressure. The moment the guy's knee hit the ground just shy of Gaming’s leg kicked him into gear, not wanting to get in the way. He scrambled back, wanting to get to his feet, to help. This was a Mitachurl, nothing he hadn’t fought before!
It was just as he’d gotten out from under the person that he saw the beast sharply tilt his weapon, dropping that pressure and catching the guy off balance fast enough to slam the big base of the hilt back into him and send him a few paces to the side with a grunt as he hit the ground. Was that a-, mask?
He didn’t get much time to eye the person or rush over as the monster suddenly launched for him, a roar leaving the thing as it went to swing, a huge mist of black smoke following the beast. Gaming materialised his Claymore as fast as he could, bracing the handle and flat of it over his head as the axe came down and hit it with an ear tearing clang and snap of something metal, just barely seeing a sharp point of the axe bounce along the ground a little way off.
Shrugging it off, he forced through his Vision, a bright red burst blinding him and the Mitachurl, the beast lifting an arm to cover its eyes and take a few steps back, probably to adjust and come at him again, but…
A sharp slashing of the wind cracked through the area again… Still panting, Gaming watched as the monster seemed to freeze, staring at him with a horrible harshness, the black smoke appearing to dissipate pretty fast. He swallowed thickly, gradually straightening up and being very cautious of it until it started falling forward and just… collapsed without a struggle…
Behind it, the guy from earlier was standing, or should he say ‘swaying’, not seeming all there from the way he was catching his balance, hurt by the way it looked like he couldn’t find a comfortable stance. Regardless of the initial apprehension, Gaming dropped his weapon midst dematerialize and vaulted over the Mitachurl body, reaching out just as the other seemed to lose that little bit of balance he had.
“Whoa! Whoa-, I got you!” he was instantly there, looping an arm around the guy's upper-waist and pulling him close to use his own body for leverage-.
“I’m fine!” the gritty, curt snap came, noticeably ‘not fine’, but also very echoed, misted with the odd vibration to his tone and sure enough, he was wearing a mask, although it was disappearing in a faint flicker of green flakes… A very well known mask, a very… revered, adored, admired and… Yes, a very well known being, especially in the Guili plains…
Gaming was holding up the Vigilant Yaksha.
A very injured one from the increasingly weakening stance and from what he could see of the darker patches on his body, smeared blood? If so, that really wasn’t good!
“Get away from me,” he heard the guy growl weakly, but could barely manage to squirm away from him in his state. He was… weak, way too weak, way too spent. Had he been fighting the entire day until then?
“Let’s get you back to the Inn!” Gaming held him close and shifted his position to try and navigate the beings arm over his shoulders, wanting to give him enough leverage to walk with help rather than humiliate the powerful guy by carrying him. Regardless of it, he could feel him struggle a little, obviously not wanting the help, but he at least didn’t shove him away or disappear to keep fighting in the dark.
A while of agonisingly slow steps and it really did feel like the Yaksha was about to collapse. At some point, they’d reached the bridge just ahead of the Inn and he stopped to give the being a break from the strain. More and more of the noticeably small weight was being leaned on him the further they walked the path back and even in the dark, Gaming could see and feel the struggle, the strained breathing and black smoke, though it was just barely there in the dark. Seeing it was a struggle when everything was just… black.
“Are… are you-, can you keep walking?” he asked out of concern, watching the other and trying to be as careful as he could while angling more towards him to help him stand, both arms being laced around his waist, lower and upper half. At least the Yaksha didn’t seem to mind it, but then that could be summed up to his state, not being able to fight even ‘Gaming’.
He got no answer, which really wasn’t promising at all, and the look on the guy's face showed the strain, the pain and discomfort. The harsh breathes and almost feverish reactions. He was hurt, exhausted, dealing with some form of physical conflict, inside and out.
“I’m really sorry ‘bout this,” Gaming swallowed, shifting his hold just slightly and with little effort, he managed to tilt and get the lower arm around the back of the Yaksha’s legs, swiftly lifting the lack of weight that was the Conqueror of Demons.
There was a hefty growl’y wince from him, to which made Gaming hiss sheepishly in return, thinking he might have hurt him with the carrying, but the guy seemed to shift against him, an attempted struggle before he… sorta settled? The grip on his shoulder was terrifying, it genuinely felt like a warning with the tension in the hold, like it was a bad idea to be carrying him, like he’d originally thought, but the Yaksha wouldn’t get help fast enough if he hadn’t lifted him like this. The faster they got there, the better, right?
Not wanting to waste time, he made sure that the Adeptus was secure before walking again, moving at a faster pace with the Yaksha being cradled in his arms and against his chest and shoulder. The soft, hot panting against his neck did little to ease him, both because it worried him how bad his state had to be and how it tickled his skin and drew a couple of shudders from him.
Fortunately, with being so close to the building, it took him mere moments to get to the lift beside the Inn and with the Archons smiling down on him, the lift was actually touching ground when he was within reach! He stepped onto it, waiting and tilting his head to the guy in his arms. He was obviously still hurting, obviously still struggling with whatever strain was aching him… But his face was half hidden against Gaming’s shoulder and neck… Almost like he didn’t want anyone to see it? Or for Gaming to not see? Whichever reason, he wasn’t sure, but that wasn’t the issue.
By the time they reached the top, Gaming was already ready to step off onto the platform and darted for the main area where the Boss was, ignoring anyone that happened to be there and saw them. Regardless of the whispers or gossip, he had a goal!
“Miss Goldet! Are you here?” he called out and entered the building, glancing around the corner to see that the lady was, in fact, there. He relaxed some and saw the shock on her face when she seemed to register who he was carrying along.
“Xiao! Uh-, this way, please,” the lady rushed out from behind the counter and made for what appeared to be a door under the stairs that led to the balcony, just right of the stairs that led to the kitchen where Yanxiao was cleaning dishes.
He followed swiftly and followed her into the room where she was tidying up some space near the untouched bed. She’d moved out of the way, instantly motioning to it and Gaming headed over and leaned a knee on the edge to make sure that the Yaksha was set right, with his head on the pillow. The grip was still harsh on his shoulder, definitely leaving marks, he wagered, and managed to get the Adeptus to let go, getting out of the way for the Boss to check him. Understandably, the guy was still panting heavily and in the dim light, he could see that the black mist had receded a lot, but was still very present, like an outline of black along his shoulders and waist.
“He’s pushed it again,” Gaming heard her worry, even her own expression souring as she delicately brushed just barely above his arms and face. Though he could see that she didn’t directly touch him and completely avoided the black misted areas. He frowned, his hands entangling at his waist where he played with his thumbs, a tad anxious as he recalled something.
“He saved me when I was running through Guili Plains. There was a weirdly strong Mitachurl there and it hit him in the gut with the handle-, can the Yaksha bruise? Would there be any internal damage from that?” he asked in a rush, taking a step forward, and not even a second later, he saw her attention shift fast, reaching down for the hem of his shirt. She pulled it up enough to uncover his midsection and Gaming stared hard, seeing the already bruised spot, but it wasn’t as bad as expected against his strong, toned waist. He was very sturdy or he had some mega enhancements thanks to being an Adeptus.
“That’ll heal overnight, fortunately. The Karma is the worrisome part. He might have taken on too much,” that alone was definitely a concern. What did it mean though? What was Karma? What had he taken on to drive him to this state?!
“Will he be okay? Is this temporary? Does he just need sleep? Food? Recovery time?” he rushed the questions as the Boss tucked his shirt back into place and rounded him to get to the door, still having the concerned expression.
“I’ve only ever dealt with this a couple of times, but by morning, he’s usually awake and moving around,” she muttered, her brow furrowed with a frown, “It’s usually the night that’s bothersome. He’s… restless, pained. It’s like he’s having nightmares,” she spoke sadly.
“Should I… I mean… Can I stay with him? I can stay with him! I can clean him up and… make sure he’s comfortable,” he tried, his worry very evident in his tone. He swallowed and glanced between her and the Yaksha and then back again, seeing the thought she’d dropped into for a moment.
“Okay… Okay, I’ll go get some water and cloths-, but be careful!,” she lingered, watching him and Gaming gave her a firm nod, a swift and confident one. He knew he had to get back to the harbour, but… this was an emergency and he felt maybe a little responsible for having been attacked. But then maybe he would have ended up in this state either way. The Boss had said ‘He pushed it again’.
Gaming turned to the body on the bed after the lady disappeared, his gaze following the strong form of the Adeptus from hair to boot and back. He was still almost vibrating with the state he was in, clearly out of it and making ached faces. He was hurting.
Shaking his head, the boy tightly crossed the little space between him and the bed, drawing a chair with him for the water that the Boss woman would be bringing. Carefully, he scooted up onto the bed, sitting on the edge near the Yaksha’s hip. A safe’ish distance, he hoped.
The space was… narrow, he’d admit, like it was only used for the bed, but upon entry, the bed looked untouched. The room was empty and plain of pretty much everything personal, but he’d figured that this was the Yaksha’s room since it wasn’t with the rentable rooms below and it had a single bed, so it couldn’t have been the owners since she was with the man in the kitchen… Maybe it was a spare space that the Adeptus used when he needed rest, like at the moment.
“Alright, here’s the water and a couple of cloths. Please be careful and avoid the black smoke stuff.. If anything happens, please call for me, understand?” like a whirlwind, Gaming watched her rush back into the room with a small tub of warm water and fabric and was setting it down on the chair beside him, giving him stern looks… he understood why, of course, considering who this was and Gaming was a mere human. He had nothing on this guy and was very breakable compared.
“Understood! Absolutely!” he rushed the reply and was already reaching for the fabric to wet it so that he could get started while she lingered a little. Fortunately, it actually looked like the mist was dissipating, at least enough to comfort the lady, and additionally, himself.
He set about leaning up over the Yaksha, gentle when pressing the warm, wet cloth to his face. He dabbed softly at first, taking it easy on him and those still pained reactions and little twitches and panting. Though it seemed sort of automatic that the guy tilted his head into the touch. Did he like the feeling?
“I’ll leave you to it,” the Boss’s quiet voice reached him and she slowly slipped out, maybe to finish up work before coming back later?
Either way, Gaming continued, he gently patted the Yaksha’s face with the wet fabric and ran it down towards his neck before switching sides and again, the Adeptus followed, leaning into the cloth and his hand. He genuinely felt for him, saddened by the thought that he was going through some nasty stuff that Gaming knew nothing about. Like what was the mist? Karma? What was Karma? It wasn’t the normal term that he was used to, the whole ‘what goes around, comes around’ thing.
He continued his gentle cleaning, not really able to do much about his clothes and he wasn’t about to strip him, no way. He liked life. He did as much as he could about the markings, scratches and any dirt on his face and neck and for the most part, he’d been slow about it, trying to make sure that he wasn’t adding to any strain for the Adeptus. Fortunately, if anything, he seemed to do the opposite.
The Yaksha was… lying there, head tilted into Gaming’s hand that wasn’t holding the cloth anymore and he seemed… comforted? He wasn’t sure how to explain it, he just seemed calmer. Even the black mist had pretty much disappeared. Gaming did check, he thoroughly leaned over him to shoulder shoulders and sides and the stuff wasn’t there from what he could tell.
At least there was that. It was promising. And he only needed the night to recover from what the Boss had said… It was so impressive… and a real shock.
Gaming hadn’t expected to meet the Vigilant Yaksha, the Conqueror of Demons, the pure embodiment of intimidating Anemo… someone not to be messed with, for sure.
He watched him for a very long moment before the being seemed to shift, turning over just slightly, closer to the wall with his arms wrapped around him. Was he cold? Gaming tilted his head and eyed the locked window and the almost completely shut door. It wasn’t too low in temp and the Yaksha was… as he assumed, maybe feeling a fever from what happened? A reaction to whatever happened or maybe the damage?
He frowned softly and scooted a little closer, unsure of what he could do to help him. Besides trying to warm him up himself, but that’d be awkward for him if he woke up… But then Gaming could maybe explain as honestly as possible. He might not try to de’throat him.
Gaming chewed on his lip, a hesitant expression passing his features as he inched forward, closer and closer and turned to his side before lying down behind the other much shorter guy. For real, he was like… 5’2 feet? Gaming was only 5’6.
Shrugging off the mildly amusing observation, he shifted as close as he could, feeling the Yaksha fit perfectly against his bent legs to his chest. He knew for a fact that he would likely either kill him or push him off the bed if he caught Gaming ‘spooning’ him… Please stay asleep…
With being as close as he possibly could and having not woken the other, Gaming relaxed and ever so slowly slid an arm in the gap between the Yaksha’s neck and the edge of the pillow, using himself as a sort of posture pillow for him while the other arm was reaching up over him, carefully being draped around the Adeptus. He was so un’alived if the Yaksha woke up.
He tried to force the worry thoughts down, wanting to focus on making sure the Adeptus was warm or at least comfortable and for a moment, a thought briefly hit him that
this was sorta nice.
The situation was terrible, obviously, he hadn’t let that slip, but the fact that he was trying to comfort a being that was far beyond what he could imagine, even from reading the books on these immense Adeptus, the scrolls, the stories, the feats that he couldn’t begin to think about. What the Vigilant Yaksha must have gone through and appeared to still have to deal with.
And here Gaming was, trying to comfort him while he was damaged and hurting.
You’re getting ahead of yourself…
Gaming sighed softly, internally shaking the dumb thoughts away and hugged up as close as he could without waking him, pressing his pillowed head to the back of the Yaksha’s with a gentle cradle of his body. Surprisingly, it was like a sandbag… A stiff form until you have your hands on it and it just… loosens up depending on the way you hold it.
Like that, the Adeptus had been stiff and just relaxed against him the moment Gaming had found a comfortable position for them. It warmed him, made him think that maybe it would help.
The boy rested against him, delicately running his hand across his chest in an attempt to comfort further. He remembered his mother having done it when he was really little, when he’d been sick a few times. It was a little automatic, he’d admit.
Either way, it appeared to work… But the motion and warmth, the hugging… the lying down, it was actually lulling him too. It took a few tries to keep his eyes open, but even then… he was starting to relax too much, his body losing any stress it had from the last hour or so…
Eventually… Gaming passed out holding the Yaksha, snoozing against the smaller body.
—--
Xiao wasn’t a slow stirrer, if he’d slept at all, but on the very rare occurrence that he needed recovery time during the few days of the Lantern Rite, then he didn’t stir slowly…
Even less so when he became instantly aware that there was another presence in the room, far too close for his liking.
The Adeptus frowned deeply, taking stock of his own body and damage, but his attention fixed heavily on the heat pressed at his back, rear and behind his upper legs. He blinked, his eyes pinning the wall ahead of him for a brief moment. It took only seconds to conclude that it was morning, given the light hiding the beige surface.
The soft snores against the back of his neck returned his attention to the ‘person’, his hair standing on end with the instant worry of his Karma affecting them.
He swiftly tilted his head, turning as much as he could to look over his shoulder, but with their position, he could just barely see a black clothed shoulder. Xiao sighed softly, attempting to move his arms, but even then, they were crossed over his chest and the person's arm was draped along their locked position… holding onto his outer wrist, sealing his position further.
Xiao deflated slightly, shifting his legs, but even then, the other was someone wrapped around him. He didn’t wish to wake them, but with his Karma, the position and… the time…
He wouldn’t wake them. The Yaksha glanced down and attempted to carefully unravel their arms, gradually slipping out from beneath the arm and leaned up onto his elbows to be able to see who it was. Sure enough, it was the Yilong Wharf boy that spent his time working as Transport security and dabbled obsessively in Wushou dancing, a fine traditional and expressive art… he’d admit.
Xiao shifted to sit up, his hand lifting to his chest, lightly rubbing the space he’d felt something similar in his sleep. He was thankful to feel nothing of the fight for sanity he’d gone through during the night prior… His body had acclimatised, the Karma having settled for the time being.
His gaze drifted to the boy, staring, examining… he wasn’t affected, he could feel no strain of the menacing power lurking besides what was already inside the Yaksha. He blinked, continuing to watch, but there really was no sign of him having afflicted the young human. Though the moment he shifted, appearing to reach for something, where Xiao had been lying a moment beforehand, it seemed to stir him that he hadn’t grabbed hold of whatever it had been… That being the Yaksha.
The mortal was a sleepful embracer, it appeared.
The soft groan that left him seemed to wake himself further and after a moment, his bright eyes peeled open, eyeing the space ahead of him groggily, waking so slowly from his comforted, restful state. It seemed to take him far longer to come around than it did the Adeptus, and seconds later, his gaze snapped open and he glanced around, his stare catching Xiao’s-.
“You’re awake!” the boy shot up, leaning so close that the Yaksha shot back, pressed to the wall in his brief surprise, “I was so worried! Are you okay?! You’re not hurting anymore, are you?! No headache?! What about the gut hit you took?!” … He was far too lively!
“I’m fine,” was the only reply Xiao could offer before disappearing from the spot, reappearing in the centre of the room while facing the boy. Said boy shot his gaze around, smiling the moment his eyes landed on him again, and he began to climb off of the bed, dropping from the mattress to his feet.
“You look way better than last night. Way more full of life and healthier! The sleep did you great!- Oh! My name’s Gaming!” he’d introduced, a sigh leaving the Adeptus as he watched him. The need for names had long passed the moment the human had crawled onto the bed with him.
“... You may call me Xiao,” he half deadpanned and turned away, reaching for the door to open it. He stepped out, taking in the scent of food and the sound of mortals all over the area. It was maybe a tad later than he’d expected then if it was this lively. He eyed the area, seeing the Boss of the Inn out on the deck with her canine companion and a few couple of children. Midday, maybe.
“You sure you don’t want me to call you something more formal?” at that, he glanced at the boy who’d closed the door behind them, grinning brightly. He almost reminded him of a small dog…
“I’ve no need for formality or honorifics. Xiao is fine,” he replied flatly, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched the boy. He seemed hesitant suddenly, the Yaksha being very unaware as to why considering all seemed fine to him.
“Why do you seen unsatisfied…?” he questioned, earning himself a confused hum in question, “You’re pulse is a tad faster, you seem discomforted,” he blinked, tilting his head.
“No! No no no! I’m really happy. I’m really glad that you’re okay! I was really worried and… You’re a really big deal, like super dope… I… I guess I’m nervous? It’s dawning on me that I’m talking casually with you?” he blinked dubiously, the expression being very evident, he was sure. Because not only had they been talking, they’d shared a bed and slept together, the boy had been holding him…
“You realise that you were embracing me not even ten minutes ago,” he deadpanned, seeing the red rush to the boy’s face the moment the words were registered. Why? He wasn’t sure.
“I-... I!-... I better get back to work! I’m really late, ya’know?!” Gaming blurted with haste, so fast with his words and a swift hug! before he suddenly let go and darted past him, leaving Xiao very much confused and slow on the uptake. He glanced over his shoulder, watching as he turned to run towards the side where the lift was situated. He blinked, a brow quirking as another, the cook, gradually made his way over behind him.
“You finally made a new friend?” Yanxiao spoke with a smile to his tone. Xiao gave him no reply and disappeared from the spot, reappearing at his balcony where he had a view of the Wushou dancer sprinting from the Inn and heading for the bridge, following the same path he’d seen him run the night before.