Work Text:
“He is a starlight,
Pei Ming had hoped he was dreaming–no, he’d wished he was dreaming.
But of course, this was all so very real. The sight punched the air from his lungs, leaving him hollow. The blood pooling around Shi Wudu's elegant robes felt like a cruel mockery of the man he had been.
Pei Ming vaguely registered Xie Lian, telling everyone to fan out and search for Shi Qingxuan, but he was rooted in place. He did not move and would not move. Shi Wudu’s once-glamorous figure starkly contrasted with the ghostly and oppressive surroundings.
He hadn’t even realized he’d moved until he felt himself scoop up Shi Wudu’s lifeless figure into his arms. Shi Wudu’s body was icy, an eerie echo of the coolness Pei Ming had once so easily teased. Pei Ming knew that cold from the many times their shoulders had brushed or he had graciously and mockingly helped Shi Wudu down from carriages by hand, or… Nonsense! He needed to stop thinking like this…
He blinked and forced his numb limbs to move, carrying Shi Wudu’s corpse out of Black Water’s Manner bridal style. If it were any other day, he’d never have been carrying Shi Wudu like this. And even if he was… Hmm, maybe he should’ve tested Shi Wudu like this before.
He could practically feel Shi Wudu’s fan smacking his head.
He could almost hear the Water Master’s haughty but authoritative voice demanding Pei Ming to put him down.
“Pei Ming. Put me down this instant!”
Pei Ming would chuckle and hold him tighter, before truly laughing as he was whacked in the face with the Water Master’s fan.
“Hey, no need for violence, Shui-Shi-xiong. Who knew the ever so tranquil Water Master could be so vicious with that fan of his?”
Then Shi Wudu would glare and spit his next words with such vitriol that they would sound like a true threat. They weren’t.
“Keep this up and I’ll show you just how vicious and cruel said Water Master can be, General Pei.”
And Pei Ming would snicker and tenderly place him back down.
“Of course, of course. My dear Shui-Shi-xiong, won’t you excuse me while I find a pair of boots to shake in?”
And they’d continue like that until the conversation lulled into a comfortable silence.
Though, now, the silence was anything but comfortable. Once, Shi Wudu would’ve bantered back and forth with him until Pei Ming’s face ached from smiling. Now, he held only an algid corpse in his arms and he walked alone.
He handed Shi Wudu’s corpse off to another Heavenly Official and made his way back to Heaven. Haggard as he was, he was immediately bombarded with questions from various officials the moment he returned.
Their faces all blurred into a blob of color.
He said nothing in response and shoved through the crowd, stalking off. Back to his palace, where he could collapse into his bed.
When he finally did make his way back, he ignored the concerned glances from his junior officials and slammed the doors of his palace open with a resounding BANG that shook the foundations of the building.
In all his memories, his palace was a warm place, filled with tapestries and scrolls and wine. His palace was a refuge and a place of pleasure. He snatched a wine bottle from a table and pushed his way through another set of doors.
As he made his way through the hallways of his palace, making his way to his chambers, he spoke not a word. It wasn’t like he had anyone to speak to anyway. If Shi Wudu saw him in such a state, he’d have an earful and a lecture waiting for him the moment Shi Wudu got the chance.
Pei Ming could almost hear it now…
“Ugh–! Look at you! All disheveled and disgusting! What demon dragged you through a swamp this time?”
Then he’d flip his hair over his shoulder and let the venom dripping from his voice gradually die out, before grabbing Pei Ming by his arm and leading him away.
“Honestly, how would you even get by without me?”
And Pei Ming would laugh and let Shi Wudu pull him along, basking in his attention, bitter as it may be.
“Oh yes, of course, how would I get by without you, Shui-Shi-xiong? A true mystery, one we’ll never know, I suppose…”
Pei Ming supposed they would never know, at least not now.
He closed the door to his chambers with his foot and placed the wine down on a desk in the room. He lit a candle with a snap of his fingers and took in the state of his chambers.
His junior officials, bless their souls, had taken the time to open the curtains and the windows for him after he left. Pei Ming had always made an effort to take care of himself, he did not need servants, nor did he know what to do with any he would have. Maybe they’d known he was in a rush, but regardless, the small gesture made his chest feel a little warm. Yet… not warm enough, not now.
He collapsed heavily into the chair by his desk and poured himself a drink, watching the liquid cascade from the wine bottle. He brought the glass to his lips and gulped it down.
The sweet wine glided down his throat, leaving a slight buzz in his mind. Of course, Pei Ming had never been a lightweight. But he was already out of it, so he’d been a little buzzed already.
The wine warmed him for a moment, only a moment. But Pei Ming noticed and quickly downed another drink, then another, and another. He drank until the room around him was spinning and he swayed on his feet as he stood.
He held his head, attempting to steady himself as he tripped and collapsed backward onto his bed. He groaned and his eyes fluttered as his back met the plush and soft pillows of his bed, lulling his drunken mind to sleep.
. . .
He dreamed of warm arms around him – not an uncommon occurrence, but still. He dreamed of pale, slender hands carding through his umber hair. He dreamed of those white robes enveloping his vision and that soft-black hair framing the man’s sharp face and spilling over against Pei Ming’s skin. He dreamed of striking, sapphire eyes gazing reverently at him. He dreamed of sweet nothings being whispered in his ear so smoothly. He dreamed of The Water Master. He dreamed of his Shui-Shi-xiong.
. . .
When Pei Ming woke, he woke with a splitting headache and an aching body too. Though not for the reason the gossipers of the Heavenly Court would assume. He groaned as he sat up, the armor he forgot to take off the night before in his drunken stupor digging into his skin as his head throbbed.
He grumbled under his breath and hurriedly pulled all his armor off, before collapsing back into the silken sheets and plush pillows of his bed. His head ached and he could barely keep his eyes open. It would be fine… the Heavenly Court could go a day without him. He was sure Shi Wudu wouldn’t agree. Shi Wudu would’ve come barging in here at the most inconvenient time he could manage. Pei Ming could almost see it in his mind’s eye.
Shi Wudu would slam the door open with a loud BANG, then he’d shove the curtains open and talk Pei Ming’s ear off until he’d successfully shamed him awake.
“Get up. It’s three hours past noon and you’re still not up. And to think you call yourself a soldier.”
He’d scoff and glare down at Pei Ming, who would be groaning and covering his eyes with his arm.
“Ack–! Shui-Shi-xiong! Pump the brakes here, give me a minute!”
Then Shi Wudu would look at him with pure disapproval and shake him awake for a moment or two.
“Get up! You can’t be that hung over.”
To which Pei Ming would gasp theatrically and respond just as pridefully.
“Excuse you, it can be that bad. Of course, you wouldn’t know, since you don’t know how to have any fun!”
Shi Wudu would glare and tug on Pei Ming’s hair, drawing out a pained grunt from the man.
“Hey! The hell was that for?”
“For being insolent, as usual. I do know how to have fun, I just don’t drink like the wine is a damn lifeline!”
Then he’d grab Pei Ming by his shoulders and pull him out of bed. Pei Ming would smile and laugh, but then Pei Ming would lean a little into his touch and Shi Wudu would shove him away with a scowl.
Instead, the curtains stayed closed, and the room remained empty, save for Pei Ming’s breathing. Daylight streamed in through the window, but Pei Ming couldn’t find the energy to rise.
When he did, the sun was already high in the sky.
After finally managing to drag himself out of bed, he made his way to the bathroom, holding his head as he did. Truly, hangovers are not pleasant. The room was cluttered with candles and boxes of petals and facemasks, as well as any other manner of skin care you could think of.
Pei Ming had Shi Wudu to thank for that, the man truly had an eye for such things.
Pulling off his wrinkled and disheveled robes, he turned to his reflection. To be honest, he looked like shit. His eyes had a dull, tired quality to them – a quality Pei Ming suspected he’d be growing more and more familiar with soon. His hair was messy and rumpled by sleep. And on top of that, he was sore and weary and tired. Truly, he was a trainwreck.
Settling himself in the bath – which he had decorated lavishly with petals and floral candles until the mood was set just right – Pei Ming found his traitorous mind going back to his now-deceased friend. He doubted he’d ever get used to that.
The warmth of the bathwater pressed against his skin, and for a fleeting moment, he was back in Shi Wudu’s hot springs, the Water Master’s sharp voice chastising him.
Months ago – or was it years? It mattered not – Shi Wudu had dragged him to one of his hot springs, saying that Pei Ming looked dead on his feet and that he would not be associating with someone who looked like a street rat.
“What did you think you were doing, taking that demon head-on like that?”
Shi Wudu whispered angrily as he practically smushed the moisturizer onto Pei Ming’s frankly, dry, grimy, and not-so-long-ago blood-stained face.
“My job, Shui-Shi-xiong. What else?”
The look Shi Wudu sent him would’ve sent anyone else into their grave, but Pei Ming was a fool. He knew what to overlook as ‘affectionate anger’.
“Well, seems you’re not very good at it, huh? Getting hurt on patrol like this?!? Some might even say you’re doing it on purpose.”
Now, that wasn’t entirely true. Sure, Pei Ming was reckless sometimes. But it hardly mattered. He was a god, immortal. So what if he got a little banged up? Better to save time on such boring and monotonous matters.
“Hey! Are you even listening to me?”
Pei Ming nodded faintly, but his eyes must have looked far away. Shi Wudu grabbed his chin and spoke lowly, his words meant only for Pei Ming, even if the two were alone.
“Listen to me when I’m speaking, General.”
Maybe it was the way Shi Wudu had said those words, maybe it was the look in his eyes, but Pei Ming decided that moment that Shi Wudu was in a mood where it was best not to trifle with him.
He straightened and spoke calmly, almost in a monotone fashion, much like how he spoke to the King when he was but a General.
“Of course, my apologies, Shui-Shi-xiong.”
Pei Ming had deliberately looked away from Shi Wudu when he said this, so he missed the way the man’s eyes widened and his lips tightened into a displeased line.
“Apology accepted. Now, go fetch me the nice face masks, Heaven knows you need them.”
Pei Ming chuckled as he thought about the memory. Overall, it had been a good day. Sure, he got a little scratched up, but it was worth it. He felt himself relax into the water as the flames of the candles flickered and the petals swayed gently to his movements.
For a moment, as he slipped away into unconsciousness, he could pretend those glacial-cold arms were around him, that those slender hands were carding through his hair. He could pretend. He could pretend that his Shui-Shi-xiong was here, with him. If only for a while.
“Always gone by sunrise.”