Work Text:
Feng Xin had barely had a day to himself after he'd finally made a place for himself in the Heavenly Court.
As Martial God of the Southeast he was always expected to be doing something, whether that be taking patrols, training his deputies, attending meetings or investigating disturbances in his boarders, it seemed like his workload just never stopped. He'd wake up every morning (if he'd even chosen to sleep that night) and sigh inwardly, preparing for another long day of being unable to catch a break.
But it was fine, after all that was just the harsh reality of being a Heavenly Official of the Upper Court. If he wanted all the glory, worshippers, temples and offerings then he needed to do the work to get those privileges. And really, it wasn't like he had anything better to do with his time.
He just wished that once in a while he'd he able to catch a break. Maybe then he wouldn't have to wake up at five in the morning to do some stupid archery training.
...
Alright so that might have been a bit of an exaggeration. Truthfully, his deputies normally left time in his schedule for him to do archery training at a more reasonable time, normally at some point in the afternoon or the early evening. It's just that this week in particular had so many random meetings being called, and he had a new deputy who was unable to use a bow properly and he'd had to go on that one mission with General Pei that had taken a good two days, so there just hadn't been time to fit his own training into his schedule.
That wouldn't be a problem, except Feng Xin grew restless when he hadn't properly trained himself recently, and he could feel himself growing more and more impatient to get onto an archery range or training court with every hour that went by and at some point he just got fed up. Which led to now, Feng Xin forcing himself out of his palace at the break of dawn to go and shoot some targets in one of the Martial Gods communal training grounds.
Yay.
The training grounds weren't too far from his palace luckily, so the walk down there really didn't take that long. He passed a few odd Heavenly Officials on the way down, the ones who chose not to sleep because as Gods they didn't had to, but as expected the streets of the Heavenly Capitol were mostly empty. Feng Xin was sure that they'd be much busier on the walk back, but most Heavenly Officials kept at least some habits from their time as humans, including not leaving their homes until it was reasonably bright outside.
That is to say, he arrived at the Training Grounds without trouble, and was fully prepared for a smooth and efficient training session.
Until he realised someone else was there. Probably the worst person he could share the Training Grounds with, in his humble opinion. Mu Qing.
"Oh, Great." The other God muttered, rolling his eyes. "What are you doing here?"
Well if Feng Xin had realised Mu Qing was going to be here he'd never have come.
He should make it clear, he didn't hate Mu Qing, at least not in the way that most of the other Heavenly Officials believed. Sure, Mu Qing got under his skin a lot, and more often than not the arguments he had with his fellow Martial God made Feng Xin feel like punching someone (or something, usually his wall). But that didn't mean he wasn't fond of the other man. He'd known Mu Qing for Eight Hundred Years at this point, before they'd even ascended, back when they'd both served Xie Lian when Xianle had still existed.
Mu Qing was just...a key part of his life. He'd been with Feng Xin through everything, and even if it wasn't quite as a friend it certainly wasn't as an enemy either. Mu Qing had always felt the most like home out of all the Heavenly Officials, and if anyone were to ask he was probably also the only other person Feng Xin might willingly spend time around.
And his slight feelings for him probably didn't help either.
All that aside, Mu Qing would not be a good training partner. He'd most likely spend all the time complaining, critiquing him and trying his best to be a complete inconvenience, which he did often. By the end of the time Feng Xin planned to spend training he'd probably end up fighting with the other Martial God instead of actually practicing his archery, and then they'd end up not talking for another week. Contrary to popular belief Feng Xin didn't actually want that.
But still, was it really worth giving up a perfectly good training session?
"I'm here to train." Feng Xin told him, crossing his arms. "Why else would I be at the training ground?"
Mu Qing groaned. "Well obviously. I know that Dumbass. But you never train at this time!"
Feng Xin raised an eyebrow. "And how would you know?"
"Because I train at this time?"
Well. Feng Xin couldn't argue with that.
Although it shouldn't have suprised him. Feng Xin had never actually seen Mu Qing training, nor had any other Martial God for that matter, and Feng Xin had always wondered why that was. It had reached a point where he was convinced that Mu Qing just didn't train, or that he'd only train privately in the gardens of his palace.
Now that he thought about it, of course Mu Qing would train in the early morning. He was strange like that.
Mu Qing rolled his eyes again. "Well? Are you going to answer my question?"
"What question?"
Mu Qing muttered something under his breath. "Why are you here?"
Feng Xin shrugged. "I'm busy at every other time this week, so I had to come now. Need to get in some archery practice."
"Well this is when I practice so you'll just have to come back at another time."
"This is a communal ground!" Feng Xin protested.
"Well, I was here first!"
"Do you even know what 'communal' means?" Feng Xin asked, "Because I assure you it had nothing to do with who arrived when."
Mu Qing smirked, teasing. "Yes, my dear Feng Xin, I do know what the word communal means, I'm not stupid." Mu Qing paused to look him up and down. "Unlike someone."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Feng Xin shouted.
Mu Qing shrugged, flicking his ponytail over his shoulder and starting to walk off. "Whatever you want it to. How you choose to interpret my words isn't really my problem." He sighed. "Now get lost, I'm not done training."
And truthfully, Feng Xin really should have just left. He knew he wouldn't be able to train properly with Mu Qing here, the man was just too much of a distraction, and he would probably be able to make some time in his schedule in the late evening if he really felt the need to shoot a few arrows at targets.
However, he was also stubborn to a fault, especially when it came to Mu Qing, and more than willing to hinder his own training if it meant proving a point.
So instead of leaving like Mu Qing wanted, Feng Xin placed down his gear and picked out his Bow and Arrow, walking over to where Mu Qing was standing, now looking thoroughly unimpressed.
"No, I don't think I will 'Get lost.' This is a communal ground, and I intend to use it as such."
Mu Qing rolled his eyes (third time now, yes, Feng Xin was counting). "Come on Nan Yang, don't be a child."
"I hardly see how sharing a common space is 'being a child,' Xuan Zhen. I'd actually argue it's very mature of us."
Mu Qing groaned. "Why are you doing this?"
"Like I said," Feng Xin began, "I need to get some training in. If we handle this like adults it'll be fine. Just pretend I'm not here."
"As if we've ever handled anything like adults." Mu Qing sighed.
Feng Xin smiled proudly, knowing that all he was doing was pissing the other God off. "Well then, it's a good time to start. Now come on, we're just wasting time. You do your thing, and I do mine."
Mu Qing glared at him, harsh and cold, as if he was planning to say something far too harsh for five in the morning. However, to Feng Xin's suprise, he didn't say anything, and instead just silently made his way over to the other side of the court, pulling his sword out of his sheath and starting to attack a training dummy, his attacks graceful and elegant, and yet definitely deadly.
'Much like him.' Feng Xin thought fondly.
You see, the rivalry between the two Southern Martial Gods was very well known throughout both the Heavens and Mortal Realm. At this point, everyone and their mother had heard about it, and it tended to be a great source of gossip, especially in the Heavenly Capitol. When you walked through the streets you'd hear two Heavenly Officials talking about how "Xuan Zhen and Nan Yang had been screaming at eachother in the dead of night" or how "Ling Wen had to build one of the pair yet another new palace after it had been destroyed in a fight."
Their hatred for eachother was really just common knowledge at this point.
But what most people didn't know was that Feng Xin had a few more feelings for his rival than they had originally first realised, and definitely not ones they'd expected. Truthfully, Feng Xin had harboured romantic feelings for Mu Qing since one night all the way back in Xianle, where they'd ended up having to organise Xie Lian's wardrobe and Mu Qing had gotten just a little too close to Feng Xin for comfort.
And he'd been head over heels since. Eight Hundred Years of fighting and arguing, and throwing harsh words that he definitely didn't mean, and all that time he'd been trying to be rid of a stupid little crush he definitely shouldn't have. He'd never act on it, after all there was no way that Mu Qing would be interested in Feng Xin of all people, and he thinks he'd know by now if he actually had a chance.
He was perfectly content to continue whatever strange rivalry he and Mu Qing had going on, and if he really needed to he could always return to his palace and scream into a pillow later or write Mu Qing's name next to his in sparkly glitter pen in the privacy of his own home.
He didn't need anything else.
But fuck, Mu Qing didn't like to make it easy.
Every swing Mu Qing used against the dummy was a stroke of elegance, and his form was practiced to perfection. When he adjusted his sword, or made even the simplest of moves, his lips pursed in concentration, and Feng Xin's breath would hitch as they did. They way his brow furrowed, the way his neck bent with a single droplet of sweat gliding down it, it was enough to make Feng Xin's pulse thrum in his throat.
Gods, he's beautiful.
Feng Xin couldn't concentrate even if he tried. He'd made a couple attempts at shooting an arrow, and all had failed spectacularly when he'd spotted the way Mu Qing's jaw set when he concentrated, or the way his hair, silky and smooth, fluttered in the wind when he'd spin or the way Mu Qing...
Yeah, okay, he needed to stop.
The point was that Mu Qing was unbelievably handsome when he wasn't actively insulting Feng Xin (and sexy as fuck when he was), and Feng Xin couldn't help but stare at him when he was like this. Besides it was fine, he'd known from the moment that he saw Mu Qing on the court that he'd get no real training done. He was here because he was stubborn and because he had a crush, nothing more.
Mu Qing finally noticed him staring and raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't look very much like doing your own thing, Feng Xin. If you're just going to watch me this whole time then why are you even here?"
Feng Xin shrugged, trying to think up an excuse. "I'm taking a break."
"Ha!" Mu Qing scoffed. "Sure you are. I didn't know that most people took a break before they'd even started training, but sure. What do I know?"
"Hey, I did a bit of work."
Mu Qing looked pointedly at the two arrows on the floor, the two that hadn't even hit the target when Feng Xin had shot them (because he'd put no real effort into aiming). "Yes. Work. Truly we should get you a medal for your outstanding performance today."
"Oh shut up!" Feng Xin huffed, although there was no real bite to his words.
So sure, maybe Feng Xin wasn't that good at pretending to work when he was staring at his pretty rival, but Mu Qing had yet to figure out his feelings for the past eight Hundred years. That had to count for something.
Mu Qing shrugged. "I'm just saying, for all that talk about 'You do your thing and I'll do mine' it really doesn't look like much of your own thing is happening. I could feel your eyes boring into me from across the court."
"I was observing you." Feng Xin grinned. "You're interesting to watch."
"I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing."
"How you choose to interpret my words is not my problem." Feng Xin told him, echoing Mu Qing's own words from earlier.
The other Martial God just rolled his eyes, before walking back across the court and beginning to collect his gear.
"Hey!" Feng Xin called out. "Where are you going?"
"Back to my palace." Mu Qing called back. "It's nearing six, my deputies are going to wake up soon."
Feng Xin looked up at the sun, trying to calculate the time quickly. And Mu Qing was right, it was nearing six. Feng Xin didn't realise how much time had passed. How long had he been staring at Mu Qing? Because when he'd told General Pei that he could stare at Mu Qing for hours he didn't think he'd actually meant it.
"Oh." Feng Xin said dumbly, "Well, uh, have fun."
Mu Qing walked back over to him, resting his hands on his hips so he looked like a parent scolding his child. "I'll try my best. And you should try get some training in instead of staring at me like some lovesick teenager-"
"I was not-!" Feng Xin tried to butt in, only to immediately be interrupted.
"You were." Mu Qing said. "Anyone could see it. So now that I'm leaving get on with some actual training, will you? I don't need you dying on me because you can't shoot and arrow properly."
And before Feng Xin could say anything else Mu Qing had started walking away. Feng Xin thought he was going to just leave, but to his suprise, he didn't. Instead, Mu Qing turned around, looked him dead in the eyes...and winked.
He fucking winked.
Feng Xin's heart was pounding.
And then Mu Qing waved, clearly teasing him, before walking away and down the street, not looking back.
Mu Qing knew. Mu Qing had to know.
Feng Xin got no more training done after that.