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Hua Cheng wasn’t used to having his mother back, albeit a reincarnated version of her. She was still the kind soul he remembered with an unfortunate streak of luck. Even in a new life, she got an awful husband, a red eyed child, and deeply sick.
But this time, she was saved.
Hu Shui, a new goddess of midwifery, motherhood, and fiercely protective of children, heard a prayer from an unlucky child. The child had been praying to every god and goddess she knew the name of, hoping someone would help her mom. With her plea finally answered, Hu Shui whisked the mother and daughter away so they could heal in safety.
A chance visit while following gege to check up on the goddess brought the family together.
Months have passed, his mother was as healthy as she could be thanks to gods and ghosts. So much so, she was touring Ghost City with gege, after putting his little sister down for a nap.
His little sister… He’s consider having a daughter before, but never a little sister. It was something out of his control, something he’d never have to consider. She was almost a mirrored version of him from that time, she even had the same milk name, Hong Hong-er. Five years old and unnamed.
The area they used to live in refused to recognize any name for ‘cursed’ children, hoping that without a proper name, they’d avoid being remembered in history and the milk name would ward off the demons. It led to their little red not responding to any other name they suggested to her, loudly denying she was cursed, but believing it in her soul that she was.
It had taken a while to gain her trust, and even then, she was still skittish. He completely understood why, with how awful humans could be. Maybe that’s why he decided to stay back instead of joining them. This was the first time the mother and child would be separated for a longer than a few minutes after moving in, someone had to be there for her if she woke up before her mother was back. Sure, Yin Yu could have done it, but he’d rather do it.
As if on cue, in the next room over, he saw her jolt awake through a butterfly. She panicked, searching the nest for her mom, then jumping out and searching the room, then the closet and bathroom. As she looked about to have a meltdown, he sent his butterfly to fly into her view, distracting her and leading her out of the room. She paused at the door, wondering if it was okay to leave, ultimately deciding so when she saw the butterfly going further and further away.
His and gege’s room wasn’t too far away, just down the hall, but it was a long distance for a child her age. She ran and ran after the butterfly, skidding to a halt in front of the open door the butterfly went into. Hua Cheng laid in his nest on the bed, casually observing her. She sniffed the air and took a step back. The other reason he stayed behind was for himself, he’d entered preheat.
Before meeting his family again, him and gege had decided to try to have a kid of their own. While they considered using the child-bearing pill, they wanted to try other ways first. After a lot of talking, their first choice was this, him attempting to unsuppress his omegan instincts. As much as he hated his heats, being pampered by his alpha was very nice.
Hong Hong-er hesitated at the door, unsure of what to do, she spun in a circle before moving to hide behind the door frame. He chuckled. “You’re allowed to come in.”
“I thought you said that I wasn’t allowed in.” She pokes her head out to look at him.
“I said you’re not supposed to go into this room without permission. I’m letting you in for now.”
She looked around again, probably trying to figure out if this was a trap. After deciding it wasn’t, she runs inside and stands beside the bed. “Where’s mama?”
“She’s taking a walk with gege.”
She stares up at him, as if trying to solve a puzzle. “Then why aren’t you taking a walk with him?”
“I’m resting.” He snorts.
“Yeah, but you’re always with him.” She puts a hand on the bed and uses the other to point at him. Upon realizing what she’s done, she stares at him for a long time, trying to see if this was a bad thing.
He lets it slide, shrugging his shoulders. “If only I could always be at gege’s side, but no, sometimes we need alone time.”
“Alone time?” She cocks her head, putting both hands on the bed to help pull herself up to look into the nest.
“Mhm. From time to time, people will want to spend time without someone.” He explains, watching her try to be subtle about climbing onto the bed.
“Is that what mama’s doing? Alone time from Hong Hong-er?” She asks quietly.
“Yes, but not because she hates you. People need a little time to themselves. Plus,” he gives her a toothy grin, “it’s hard to buy a surprise gift for someone if they’re stuck to your hip.”
She lights up at that, crawling to the edge of his nest. “Mama’s getting a gift?”
“Oh no, did I spoil the surprise?” It wasn’t much of a surprise, at least for him. Their mother had felt guilty about leaving her daughter behind and made promises of bringing them back gifts. He told her it wasn’t necessary for him and to spend his money to her heart’s content, but she shook her head and said she’s getting him a gift. Gege’s also helping her, since he’s raised his sleeve to shield the butterfly’s vision from time to time as she’d make a purchase.
“I get a gift, I get a gift, I get a gift.” Hong Hong-er whispers, vibrating with energy. Then yawns.
“Do you want to sleep?”
“No!”
He raises an eyebrow. “So you don’t want to nap in big brother’s nest?”
She stills, looking between him and the nest and herself. He knew it was a very cozy and most certainly looked it. But it also looked very expensive, which it was. And despite their mother’s and gege’s attempts, they hadn’t managed to convince her to wear clothes that weren’t the ones she had before moving in. Which he also understood.
They had both been dirty kids who would only dirty and curse things they touched, they didn’t deserve anything nice, they’d only ruin it.
But he wasn’t cursed anymore and she wasn’t truly cursed to begin with. He taps the inside of the nest. She slowly crawls in, stopping after every move she takes to see if he’s changed his mind. Since he made no move to kick her out, not even moving asides to fake breathe, she ended up in the nest curled by his side.
“There you go, pup.” He gently ruffles her hair.
“Are you really a Ghost King?” She mumbles.
“Yes.”
“Then why are you nice to me?” She curls even further into herself. “Powerful people aren’t nice to me, they’re only mean to me.”
“Well, you’re my little sister.” He tries.
She shakes her head, frustrated by that answer. “No! Jiejies were mean to me. Why are you nice to me?!”
“I used to be like you.” He states.
She looks him up and down, her left red in contrast to her dark right eye. “No.”
“No?” He raises an eyebrow, amused.
“No.” She says firmly. “You’re too rich and cool to be me.”
“I wasn’t always rich and cool, for a long time I was poor and weak.”
“I don’t believe you.” She unfurls a bit, glaring up at him.
“What would prove it to you?” He wasn’t even mad, it was good to know that he didn’t look like the street rat he once was.
“I… don’t know.” She admits. He pats her head, slowly shifting his form back to what he looked like at almost her age. Hair and clothes a mess, unhealthily skinny, and a filthy bandage covering most of his face. She stared at him for a long time. She speaks up in a soft whisper, “did you really look like this?”
He nods, rubbing a hand over his face. “Not what you’d expect from a powerful Ghost King?”
She nods, fiddling with the hair that she lets drop over her eye most days. “Did… Did you also have a cursed eye?”
“I did. I even went by Hong Hong-er for a long time as well.”
“Should I wear bandages like you did?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “Those who already knew weren’t fooled and those who didn’t, they treated me like I was diseased.”
“Oh.” She slumps, defeated.
“An eye patch looks much more refined.” Hua Cheng says, shifting his form again to no longer be a dirty little child, instead returning to a form much similar to the one she saw entering the room.
“Is that why you wear one?” She perks back up.
“Sort of.” He admits, touching his eye patch. “I tore mine out, so it hides the scars.”
“Should I tear mine out?” She asks softly, too serious.
“No.” He turns his face to stare at her properly. “I was already dead when I took mine out and for a very specific reason, we don’t want you bleeding out for no good reason.”
“But if there was a good reason…”
“Maybe, but its very unlikely.” He knew gege and his mother would have wanted him to say no, but it wasn’t impossible for her to have a good reason in the future.
“Then I’m stuck with it forever?” She sniffs, rubbing at her eye.
“More than likely,” he says, “but now you’ve got more people who like you and your eye.”
“Who would like a disgusting eye like this?” She growls, regurgitating what she’s heard thrown at her over and over.
“Our mother, gege, E-ming, Yin Yu, and soon all of Ghost City.” E-ming chirps from in its scabbard on the other side of the room.
“Ghost City won’t love me.” She mumbles.
“They will if they know what’s good for them.” He growls softly, a clear threat to the city that didn’t know it yet. She giggles.
“Hua-gege? I want to be an omega, just like you and mama.”
“An interesting choice.” One he wouldn’t have made himself if he had a choice. “Why?”
“You’re both so strong and cool, I wanna be like that too!” She yawns.
He pulls her closer to his side. “Remember, its not something you can pick, but who you chose to be is more important than what you present as.”
She nods, probably not fully understanding what he means, but thinking she does. She was finally drifting back off to sleep, purring and muttering, “I want to be a Hua too…”
“You will be.” He whispers, closing his eyes. “Now you just need a given name.”