Chapter Text
Jing Yuan was strolling through the market. He was blissfully peaceful, fleeing from his duties as General —in his defense, they were mere bureaucratic nonsense that his retainers were perfectly capable of handling, of course— and looking for a new sword for his dear disciple, who was currently training at the Artisanship Commission with General Huaiyan and his granddaughter.
He stopped at a few stalls, bought some sweets, and finally decided on a beautiful Vidyadhara-crafted sword with a black jade hilt.
He was about to head off in search of some tea when suddenly, he caught sight of short, black hair among the crowd. A pair of beautiful blue-green eyes met his gaze.
He stopped.
He turned around slowly and walked in the opposite direction. How fortunate that Dan Heng hadn't noticed his presence.
“Ah, what was Dan Heng doing on the Luofu on a day like today?”
— It doesn't matter —he told himself—, he probably came to see Bailu.
He knew a good drink stall in the opposite direction, even though he surely wanted the tea from that shop.
As he moved away from one dangerous stressor, he spotted a bandaged arm and striking orange eyes with golden rims in the distance. The bloodlust he felt from afar and the black cascade of hair that accompanied it were unmistakable.
Jing Yuan stopped again. He cursed under his breath.
“The other one too?! This had to be a joke.”
He just wanted one day of peace. One.
Blade walked faster in his direction.
“Ah. This couldn't be serious. And on his day off, no less.”
He took a deep breath and chuckled to himself.
— What a wonderful coincidence —he thought.
He calmed the erratic beating of his damaged, old heart —which apparently would never stop recognizing its masters— and spotted a nearby alleyway to escape his nightmares.
He took it, of course. He quickened his pace a bit until he thought he was far enough away, and leaned against one of the alley walls. He sighed.
Yes, yes, he was running away from his problems, but Jingliu wasn't here to scold him this time.
Memories flooded him.
In a street much like this one, they had both taken him at once during a night patrol while he was performing his duties. The tall Vidyadhara High Elder and the one who was meant to be the furnace master had come to take him and prove that his self-control was useless when it came to them.
He remembered fainting under their momentum. Yingxing and Dan Feng had shown no mercy, and when he woke up, he was in a bed, surrounded by two pairs of strong arms and a dragon tail coiled around his thigh.
Jingliu scolded him later that day, telling him that because of him, she had lost an important bet against the Vidyadhara High Elder and that he needed to work on his willpower. He remembered looking back at her, undeterred, like someone asking: “Are you serious? How could I possibly resist them?” while Baiheng laughed at Jingliu’s bad luck. A satisfied Dan Feng drank tea nearby, watching the whole scene with evident pleasure. Yingxing, of course, was absent, forging some weapon that would conquer new frontiers of the known world.
He sighed, wishing to forget those days. He headed to his home, beautiful and distant, easily accessible through his refined powers.
When he entered, the first thing he did was place Yanqing’s gift on a side table as he undressed and changed into a comfortable, soft silk robe.
He was about to undo the ribbon in his hair when he heard a couple of soft noises. A window, and the door. Two presences filled the house.
He snorted without a shred of shame. He would have almost rolled his eyes in annoyance if his body didn't still remember Jingliu’s punishments every time he started to do so.
Very few people could enter his house without a key. His doors and windows would never open for some, even if they tried to break them down, and only a select few could enter with a key. Only three people had complete access. The locks would disengage even if they were bolted, and with the slightest nudge, the doors and windows would swing wide open as a sign of welcome. Yanqing was far away.
“This is ridiculous, truly. Why did my house still grant such permissions?! Doesn't it see that one of them could kill him?”
“Ah. What’s more... why are they following me?” He almost let out a plaintive moan.
He turned around and walked into the living room, fastening his robe more securely. He took a deep breath before opening the door and... there they were.
Dan Heng was sitting on one of his sofas, while Blade remained standing. They were speaking to each other with their eyes: Dan Heng disapproving of Blade’s entry, and the latter with his usual shade of open disinterest and a touch of amusement, saying something like “if you're so angry, fight me, come on.”
— What are you doing here? —he asked with a weary smile.
— You avoided us at the market —against all odds, Blade was the first to speak to point out the pathetic scene from a few hours ago.
— Of course I did. No offense, Dan Heng will understand what I am saying, but your presence only means trouble most of the time. —Blade snorted at that.
— Weren't you looking for trouble if you ran away from work?
— Peace, Blade. I wanted peace.
— We didn't want to bother you, Jing Yuan, it's just that... —Dan Heng, always straight to the point— we have... recovered certain memories. We have dreamed. Both of us. And you appear. You are there, with us.
— Many years ago, the three of us were part of a group called the High Cloud Quintet...
— Naked. In our bed —interrupted Blade in a dry tone.
Silence consumed the living room. Jing Yuan tried to remain serious as long as he could, but in the end, the corner of his lips trembled and curved upward.
— It was many years ago... —he repeated the same phrase again, with all the seriousness he could muster. He would not laugh at this. He would not.
— You never mentioned it —accused Dan Heng—. Why?
— Were we that bad to you, Jing Yuan? —continued Blade, stepping a bit closer. Jing Yuan didn't move an inch—. Were we not complacent enough with you? —Blade smiled venomously.
He approached him slowly and circled him. He caught the scent of his hair and stroked the ribbon while saying:
— And you deprived us of your lovely presence and body. Does our secret lover no longer want us?
Jing Yuan closed his eyes for a moment. The amusement had evaporated from his body and now the situation felt melancholy and bittersweet. Of course he wanted them back. But did they want him? Hadn't they gone to great lengths to distance themselves from the men who once held him while swearing they loved him? His lovers were gone.
— If you want to talk about that, I don't think it's appropriate to take that stance, Yingxing. It wasn't I who left you both to commit a great crime and kept you in the dark.
Both of them tensed.
— Jing Yuan... —Dan Heng took a step forward.
— No. Basta. Enough. Those are things of the past. I... ah. If you want to talk about it, I wouldn't mind helping you with whatever you need. Both of you. —He sighed— After all, those feelings are in the past.
At that, Dan Heng frowned. Strong hands gripped his hips, and Jing Yuan tensed.
— In the past?
— Do you really feel nothing for us anymore?
Jing Yuan laughed softly as he brushed the bandaged hands off his hips.
— Look, you pair of fools... my lovers died. You both have made that very clear, haven't you? —He raised an eyebrow, questioning, but didn't wait for an answer to continue— And I am already very old; I don't desire other lovers. I am perfectly fine waiting for Yanqing to give me grandchildren and preparing my successor. Forget about all of this.
He turned away to pour himself some tea.
— And get out of my house. I don't want the most wanted criminal in my living room and an Unnamed guest without an invitation.
— Your house let us in, dear.
Jing Yuan paused his movements for a millisecond before resuming them. He brought the cup to his lips.
— You may have the permission of my house, but not mine yet. Now, out. Come visit me later. Today is my day off and I don't want to get stressed with you two.
He returned to his bathroom to start filling the tub. Those two got along terribly, and just today they decide to play nice and notice him? Great.
As the sound of water echoed in the room, he unconsciously wished they had followed him. He scolded himself for such a foolish thought.