Work Text:
Nezha sits still, his eyes shut, legs crossed on top of a pillow he placed in front of his bed. His hands resting along his knees, the tips of his thumbs and index fingers touching together. He was meditating. Not his own idea but rather it was suggested to him. Nezha never was one to sit down and relax when there was work to be done or when there wasn’t really…
But right here, right now, he allowed himself just that. And Nezha felt genuinely relaxed, at peace.
Knock, knock
Nezha heard a knock at his door but ignored it. Whoever it was should already know it was his day off. They’d leave soon enough.
A few moments later...
Knock, knock
He takes a deep breath.
“It's fine,” he tells himself, leaving this minor irritation to the back of his mind.
He closed his eyes, centering himself again, returning to the stillness of his mind.
Knock, knock
Nezha's eyes shot open.
"Oh, for the love of-"
He gets up from the floor and leaves his room, and stomping towards his front door. Nezha swing the door open, his annoyance barely contained.
“What is it?” he snapped, glaring at the figure at his doorstep.
Stood before him was a Celestial guard. Nothing particularly odd about that. Perhaps, he needed to inform the prince of something urgent! Or maybe the exact opposite. He'd soon find out.
Clasping his hands together, the guard happily utters, "Ah, Nezha, there you are! I figured you were in there."
Nezha was rather surprised by the guards causal tone. Rarely would those within the Celestial Court just regard him as Nezha.
"Right... Now, what brings you here exactly?"
"Oh, no particular reason."
The guard lifts his helmet off his head.
"I just assumed you may want some company on your day off."
As he said this, his sclera changed to a pale yellow, his pupils now a bright red and yellow.
"X-xiang Liu!" Nezha studdered out.
His caught him off guard. It wasn’t unlike Xiang Liu to pull a stunt like this, but still he more than little surprised to see him here today.
"Are you going to let me inside or...?"
Shaking off his minor bewilderment, Nezha sighs and grabs Xiang Liu by the wrist.
"Come in."
He pulls him inside and shuts the door behind him. Once inside Xiang Liu fully drops his disguise. Shifting from a Celestial guard to Nezha's mate, the Nine Headed Demon.
"So, what have you been up to? Reviewing guard reports, civilian reports? Over-analyzing your performance this week? Thinking up new ways to kiss up to your f-"
Nezha covers Xiang Liu's mouth with his hand, glaring up at the mocking demon.
"Ha. Ha. No, none of that actually."
Xiang Liu removes Nezha's hand from off of his mouth.
"Ah, is that right, now? Then what have you been doing all day?"
"Meditating mostly."
The Celestial takes Xiang Liu by the hand he's holding and starts them walking back towards his room.
"Meditating? That's it?!"
"Yes! It's actually quite relaxing if try it."
He let's go of Xiang Liu, leaving him at the threshold to his bedroom. Nezha walks inside and grabs a pillow from his bed, setting it down beside the other one on the floor.
"Tsh, right if you find being left alone with your own thoughts to be relaxing..." The snake demon said under his breath.
Just the thought of doing such a thing made his skin crawl. He lived far to long to know the recesses of his mind were not pretty. With huff, he shakes off the thought and turns back to his partner. Nezha was staring at him, hand held out as he sat on his pillow on the floor.
"Care to join me?"
Xiang Liu narrows his eyes, his posture rigid.
"You can't seriously expect me to just sit with you and do nothing all day!"
Nezha gives a light chuckle.
"Not all day. Just for... ten minutes. Twenty, at most."
Xiang Liu groaned, rolling his eyes, he was staring to regret this visit.
"Oh, come on, Xiang Liu. You know I need this." Nezha admits, his tone bearing not an ounce of shame.
"Heh, yes, that you do."
"And you too."
Xiang Liu’s eyes widen, his arms crossing in offensive. "What?!"
The Celestial warrior meets his intense gaze with a knowing look.
"Look, I've known you well enough to notice you're not as calm and collected as you pretend to be. You're anxious. Unsure of yourself."
For just a moment, the snake's eyes dart away from him. He scoffs, as if completely unbothered, then blurts out, 'Ha! No, I'm not! What could possibly have convinced you of such a thing?!
Nezha smiles again, an almost teasing expression. His tone, however, genuine as can be.
"It doesn't matter if you accept my words or not. I just want to offer both of us a moment of reprieve. You’re free to take it or leave it."
Xiang Liu hesitates for just a moment longer, then sighs. He supposed he could give it try. It wasn't as if he'd be completely alone with his thoughts. Nezha would be right beside him after all.
"Right... Ten minutes then?"
"Ten minutes."
Nezha repeats.
Xiang Liu hesitated, clearly reluctant, but the idea of doing something for Nezha won him over. He mimicked Nezha’s posture, legs crossed and hands on his knees. Nezha’s hand remained in his, offering some silent comfort, especially considering Xiang Liu’s hesitance only moments before.
Nezha closed his eyes, but before Xiang Liu could do the same, the Celestial spoke again, his voice soft but firm.
“And if it helps,” Nezha added.
“you don’t have to just sit and do nothing. Focus on your breathing, clear your mind… or let it wander, if that be easier.”
Xiang Liu grimaced, one of his snake heads hissing with distaste.
"Ugh, I truly don't what your getting out of this..."
Nezha gave a small chuckle. “You could always try imagining a happy place.”
Xiang Liu blinked, raising an eyebrow. “A happy place?”
"Yes," Nezha said, his voice soft. "Somewhere that brings you peace."
He sighed. “Hm, alright. I’ll try...”
"Alright, talk to you in ten."
He gives Xiang Liu's hand a slight squeeze then takes a deep breath and begins his meditation. Xiang Liu does the same in turn, shutting his eyes and taking in a deep breath. He beings to mumble to himself saying, "Happy place. Think of your happy place... Happy place... Happy place."
Then in an instant he opened his eyes. But he wasn't in the lotus prince's bedroom anymore. No, he was somewhere completely different. Otherworldly. The Chaos Beyond.
Xiang Liu was... home?
He stood at the edge of the Chaos Temple, staring down into the swirling storm of the realm’s chaotic energy. Thunder cracked as lightning danced across it. The air was thick with a torrid heat. A gust of it blowing his way, seeping into his scales and warming his body to the core. It felt so real... Yet, could it be?
The answer became fairly apparent when he realized he still felt Nezha's hand in his. He turned to his side finding, Nezha staring into the strom too. But there was something different about him. It was his attire.
He wore an orange and teal robe, the fabric hanging loosely over his shoulders. Beneath it, a sleeveless hanfu burgundy in color, edged silver trim, his shoulder muscles in full veiw. A wide black belt wrapped around his waist, a soft pink sash tied at the middle of it. From the belt, a long murray-colored loincloth hung, the same color of the ribbons that now held his hair buns in place.
The Celestial wore the colors of the Chaos well...
With a fond huff, Xiang Liu smiles. This truly was his happy place. He calls to Nezha and the prince turns to face him.
"Hm?"
"Sit with me, would you?"
"Of course!" Nezha responded and the two settling at temple's edge.
They stayed like this for three minutes or so, watching the storm below in complete silence. Oh, how Xiang Liu had missed it. And to now have the chance to share this with his mate? It was everything he could want. He leans on to Nezha, one of his snake heads resting atop of Nezha's right shoulder. The serpentine demon's chin resting on his left looking up at him.
"So, what do you think?"
It's..." Nezha pauses, his gaze lingering on the storm below, as if trying to capture the full weight of it. "It's... interesting, to say the least. Mesmerizing, really."
"Aha, I know! To watch the very heart of the chaos pulse with so much life...witness its untamed energy at first glance...Oh, my flower, I...I could stare at it for eternity..."
The prince pulls Xiang Liu in closer, wrapping his arm around him. Nezha's eyes turning away from the storm for just moment to look down at his mate.
"And I'll be right here with you."
As Nezha uttered those words, Xiang Liu broke his gaze from the storm. It was as if the world around them had faded—his voice washing everything else away, leaving only the two of them suspended in total silence, an endless space. Slowly, Xiang Liu sat up, his eyes locking with Nezha’s. They were soft, genuine—holding everything he could want and more.
With no further hesitation, he pulled the Celestial into a kiss—one which Nezha returned immediately, his hand settling gently at the back of Xiang Liu’s neck. Soon enough their lips apart, Xiang Liu resting his forehead against Nezha’s. The multi-headed demon smiled, a light chuckle escaping him as he sits there looking at Nezha.
"I love you..."
"I love you too."
Xiang Liu sighs, a hint of disappointment in his breath. He bows his head, refusing to meet Nezha's gaze any further.
"Xiang Liu is something wrong?"
Nezha's fingers slid up Xiang Liu’s neck, his thumb gently caressing his cheek, an attempt to comfort him from whatever now plagued his mind. But Xiang Liu disregard his affections, drawings his eyes towards the chaos' storm once more.
"You know, I know none of this is real, but YOU are by far the most glaring reminder of that!" Xiang Liu, sneered.
"A Celestial like Nezha, the Third Lotus Prince—willingly leaving his post, his world, HER world... for me?! It’s absurd. Laughable, even!"
Xiang Liu's eyes snap back to Nezha, his gaze now intense and filled with resentment. He grabs Nezha's face with a clawed hand, his nails penetrating skin! Nezha hisses out in pain.
"Ah! Wait, stop I-"
"Silence!” Xiang Liu shouts, his voice raw and trembling with rage.
“The real Nezha wouldn’t greet my home with amazement or wonder! He’d be disgusted, fearful—baffled how his partner could come from such a horrid place! That’s why I could never tell him... he’d... he’d think me a MONSTER...”
And in that moment, the scene around him changed. Xiang Liu was still within the Chaos Temple, but Nezha had vanished, replaced by four disturbingly familiar faces. They stared at him from across the room, their expressions twisted in horror. The storm continued to rage behind Xiang Liu, its roar now louder and infinitely more violent than before!
"No! No! NO!"
The four voices screamed in unison, their voices ripe with fear.
"Monster!"
"Monster!"
"Monster!"
"MONSTER!"
Their cries echoed through the temple, each one louder and more desperate than the last. Xiang Liu clutched his head, dropping to floor. It wouldn't stop!
Then...just as suddenly as it all had started. The four ceased their screaming and then it was dead silent. He looked back up at the group in front of him finding their faces no longer mark by fear and terror but hope and delight. At first, Xiang Liu stared at them completely puzzled as to what could of changed their tune only to feel a new presence enter the scene behind him.
It was warm, pleasant, totally unlike the torrid heat that emitted from the storm below. Xiang Liu sat up slowly getting to his feet without the slightest hesitation. He turned to towards the presence and his cold blood became to boil! With shaking fists he clutches his hands, staring up at the goddess with pure hatred in his eyes.
"YOU!"
"Ngh! Xiang Liu!"
"Huh?"
Then all of sudden, he heard Nezha voice again. Pained, panicked. He called out for him. His tone riddled with confusion and worry.
"Nezha? NEZHA!?"
Then once more he felt the sensation of his mates hand in his. He looked down at it to find not Nezha's hand but red blood dripping out from under where his claws met his palm!
Xiang Liu’s eyes shot open. He was back in Nezha’s bedroom, in the real world.
"Xiang Liu," Nezha shouted again.
"Let go!"
The scaled demon turned to his side and saw Nezha. He frantically trying to release his hand from Xiang Liu's grip. But it was futile! Xiang Liu's hand was clasped tightly around Nezha's hand, his claws digging into his skin! Horrified by this discovery Xiang Liu quickly let go of his hand, the prince hissing in pain as he held his wounded hand.
There was a look of fear in Nezha's eyes, but more importantly concern.
"I..." Xiang Liu began, crossing his arms tightly against his chest.
"I told you I didn't want to do this!"
Nezha was silent for a moment, processing the situation, Xiang Liu’s words, and his own thoughts. He took a breath and cautiously reached out to Xiang Liu, resting his other hand on his shoulder.
"I...look know I. I know. I just didn't think it would cause you to do..."
He leans his forehead up against Xiang Liu's.
"I'm sorry."
The familiar gesture makes Xiang Liu smile.
"Ha, you should be! You can't expect me to not get a little antsy at sitting here doing nothing the whole time."
Nezha smiles back, glad to Xiang Liu's usual demeanor back in full swing.
"Right. Well, how's about I bandage my hand up and bew the two us some tea?"
"Now, there's something I can get behind!"
They spent the rest of the day in relative calm—first sipping tea and chatting, then finding themselves caught in a seven-hour session of checkers (Nezha, the sore loser, kept demanding a rematch each time he lost). The day ended with them cuddled up together in bed.
Nezha lay there, tightly wound in his serpentine partner's constricting embrace. He rubbed his hand over the bandage on the back of hand, recalling the incident that had caused it hours earlier. It was a reminder that he was dating a demon—one whose past he didn’t fully understand. Under any other circumstance, he’d keep his distance, yet something about Xiang Liu compelled him to keep him around...
Opposites did attract, after all.