Work Text:
Bai Liu wakes up and knows he is not where he is supposed to be.
It becomes obvious from the moment he becomes conscious and registers the additional weight of a waistcoat wrapped around his midsection, as well as a floor-length coat he obviously does not own.
It’s a gaudy get-up. They are the clothes of a certain someone he remembers vividly. He was sitting in a make-shift throne that stuck out too much in the center of the room.
The second indicator is Mu Sicheng.
He is kneeling in front of him. Not only that, both of [Mu Sicheng]’s arms seemed unnaturally bent as they were tied behind his back–broken. Bai Liu felt his eye twitch, scanning more of the unfamiliar but familiar look of his.. friend.
Unlike the Mu Sicheng of his time, this one was wearing an oversized brown fleece that was half-way off his tank top, both pieces of clothing were splotchy with dried blood. His head hadn’t moved from looking down at all in the few minutes Bai Liu spent surveying the room.
At last, Bai Liu opened his mouth.
“Why are you kneeling?”
This evidently gets a reaction out of the teen. [Mu Sicheng] lifted his face up, revealing the nasty grin on his face as he looked Bai Liu in the eye, “Boss. I’d prefer if you get it over and done with if you’re going to punish me.”
Bai Liu paused, [Mu Sicheng]’s face, despite being identical to the one Bai Liu intimately knew, was worlds away from the one in his worldline. His eyes were cocky, that didn’t change, but his pupils were shaking. He was terrified.
Bai Liu knew what he was afraid of.
“..I’m not him, so get up.”
[Mu Sicheng] blinked, the grin on his face stiffened as he looked at Bai Liu like he was crazy. He tries raising his body, attempting to straighten his posture, but he ends up twisting the wrong way, hissing when it messes with the broken ligaments on his shoulders. “Fuck.”
Bai Liu furrowed his brows and stood up. “Stop moving.”
The action prompted [Mu Sicheng] to slump back, hanging his head back down in defeat. He suddenly laughed, “Boss… you’re taking your sweet time today. What’s the occasion?”
Bai Liu found himself walking in front of the kneeling [Mu Sicheng]. Each step took him closer until his heels were directly in front of him. The closer he got the heavier the heavy breathing of the injured young man in front of him.
Bai Liu crouched down to [Mu Sicheng]’s level, nudging [Mu Sicheng]’s face up with a gloved hand. “I’m not your boss. If you can’t stand up, sit down. I know you’re uncomfortable.”
[Mu Sicheng]’s pupils were shaking, if his arms weren’t twisted over, they’d probably be overcome with tremors too.
“Who…”
Bai Liu’s lips twitched, his expression did not change much but displeasure was evident in his body posture. He lifted both his arms swiftly, but gently pulled the kneeling [Mu Sicheng] down to sit on the concrete floor.
“Sit.”
[Mu Sicheng] plopped down and sat. His breathing remained erratic, but for an entirely different reason.
“My boss is a sadist.. but he usually doesn’t marinate his prey for this long.”
Bai Liu sat down in front of him and hummed, “Is it a thing for this worldline to be into BDSM?”
[Mu Sicheng] choked on an unexpected chortle, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the midst of a near-death experience. Then suddenly, his whole body relaxed, he breathed out the last of his cut-off laugh. “You’re hilarious.”
Bai Liu’s lips twitched into a barely there smile, “I try.”
After the brief exchange, a comfortable silence enveloped the two men who sat on the floor. One in pristine condition and the other battered beyond belief. A boss and his subordinate, perhaps, or a pair of friends in another.
[Mu Sicheng] had closed his eyes at some point, completely slumped in his sitting position. Probably relaxing for the first time in hours. Holding his body taut for so long would tire out any person, even if they were fundamentally stronger than the average human.
Bai Liu leaned his face in his hand and studied [Mu Sicheng] in front of him.
He was different, indeed. But he was also the same.
“He will be back.” Bai Liu spoke after a while, gouging out [Mu Sicheng]’s reaction. As expected, the monkey-like man grinned ferociously, completely losing the relaxed aura from before as he opened his eyes.
“He always comes back. No need to warn me about it, little boss.”
“How do you know I’m not him and just acting?”
[Mu Sicheng] looked amused from Bai Liu’s question, there was a softer glint in his eyes, though the fear seemed permanent. Even when relaxed, [Mu Sicheng]’s eyebrows weren’t quite as lax as what Bai Liu remembered, nor were his eyes steady whenever they made eye contact. He was relaxed, that was true, but it takes years to fade off the fight and flight instincts of prey who have been groomed by their predator.
Bai Liu patiently waited for his answer, clasping his fingers in front of his knees.
[Mu Sicheng] blew air from his mouth to fix his wayward bangs and offhandedly replied, “You’re sitting with me.”
He brought one of his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on it, still looking like an outlaw despite his obvious disability. “That despicable man would never sit with me on the floor.”
Bai Liu turned his head to observe the place they were in, an underground area filled with concrete and dim overhang lights, typical. He looked back at [Mu Sicheng] who was still looking at him amusedly and deigned to give him an answer, “I sit with you on the floor plenty of times.”
This seemed to catch [Mu Sicheng]’s attention as he tilted his head, urging Bai Liu to elaborate. Bai Liu tapped his index finger on his clasped knuckles and hummed, “We also eat hotpot together, we went to the arcade last week at your insistence, though only you and Mu Ke had fun trying to win Jiayi a plushie.”
[Mu Sicheng] interjected, tone sullen, “I hang out with that bastard?”
Bai Liu glanced at him and smirked, “Very much. You’re the best of friends.”
[Mu Sicheng] scoffed, craning his head back, “Now you’re fucking with me.”
Bai Liu answered in perfect tune, “I’m not.”
[Mu Sicheng] stared at Bai Liu for a long time, twisting and turning the newfound information in his mind until his eyebrows furrowed, but the amused smile on his face did not wane.
“So..who won?”
Bai Liu smiled.
—
The next time it happens, it is less bloody.
When Bai Liu opened his eyes, [Liu Jiayi] had her poison aimed directly at him. It was in the same place as before, and he was sitting in the same makeshift throne from before. Only there wasn’t a kneeling [Mu Sicheng], but a [Liu Jiayi] who seemed poised to strike him down if he moved the wrong way.
It should unnerve him. This Liu Jiayi was not a child, the stench of danger was more potent than his meeting with the [Mu Sicheng] of the other worldline. Her hair was cut short, her clothes were worlds apart from Jiayi’s dresses that would engulf her whole frame, and most eye-catching of all, she had a tattoo of a reverse cross on her upper thigh.
“Are you going to kill me?”
[Liu Jiayi] stared at Bai Liu for a moment and suddenly grinned, opening her eyes wide as she looked at Bai Liu in delight. Though it seemed gleeful for all the wrong reasons.
“You’re that kid’s Bai Liu. The one that made a deal with my foolish brother.” It wasn’t a question.
Bai Liu was surprised on the inside and noticeably relaxed, “That’s right. How did you know?”
[Liu Jiayi] tilted her head, the glint in her eyes had not lost their derisive edge, practically oozing mockery. “That bastard stinks of lust. You do too.. but it’s not the same. I took a wild guess. That monkey told me what happened with you.”
That was not the answer Bai Liu had expected. So he was transported to a near-identical timeline from the [Mu Sicheng] he met. This version of [Liu Jiayi] was also aware of the inner dealings he had with her brother. It was clear that it was on his Liu Jiayi’s own volition to reveal such crucial details to the “enemy”.
“Is he alright?” Bai Liu asked. It was something he had continuously pondered on after waking up in his own body. He had been transported in the middle of a… punishment. If that punishment led to death was wholly uncertain to him, until now.
[Liu Jiayi] blinked owlishly at Bai Liu for a good few seconds, all the while Bai Liu stayed calm. The older girl stepped forward and brought the test tube of poison up to nudge against Bai Liu’s temple. “Huh. You’re as that pipsqueak described.” The words were slurred with disbelief, “Disgustingly kind.” Her tone was full of mocking as she spat, “You care.”
Bai Liu stared at [Liu Jiayi] with less of the same intensity and glanced at the imminent threat insistently pushing on his temple, “Jiayi is somewhat of my ward. Mu Sicheng is a friend. By logic of human connection, concern is an obvious byproduct.”
“Logic doesn’t apply to an existence like Bai Liu(6).” [Liu Jiayi] rolled her eyes, “Playing human looks creepy on you.”
Hearing her words, Bai Liu smiled, “That’s quite the compliment. That’s what I was going for.”
[Liu Jiayi] chuckled, she pulled her test tube away and pocketed it, looking at Bai Liu with the same contempt from before. “Does playing creep on my younger self give you enjoyment?”
“Not quite, though Jiayi does enjoy pointing out my oddity and tendencies to deceive. She’s a clever child.” Bai Liu answered in perfect tandem, though he may not have realized it, “She’s smarter than me,” his features had softened when he spoke. It was as if he was looking back on a pleasant memory, lovely enough to bring a smile to his face.
The older [Liu Jiayi]’s smile faltered at seeing Bai Liu’s unexpected expression. It was.. creepy.
“She told me.. you’ve never let her kill.”
Bai Liu nodded. “She’s a child, there are plenty of adults in our guild who can do the dirty work.”
[Liu Jiayi]’s pretense of confidence faltered, she paced back and forth in front of Bai Liu before settling on the wall on the farther left, obviously making space. The air had suddenly felt stifled, as if the honest words of the man in front of her had struck a nerve. She crossed her arms over her chest as she spoke, “Hah. Are our whole lives a gamble of who gets the good cop and who gets the bad cop? It’s seriously pissing me off.”
“And you,” She stared at Bai Liu’s face, “[Mu Sicheng] wasn’t punished. Bai Liu(6) was delighted after he regained control of his body.” Her smile became twisted as she recalled, “That pervert was ecstatic after your visit. You saved that monkey from another torture session he’d be having nightmares from.”
Bai Liu was not very surprised at the revelation, only feeling mild relief that it was as he had suspected. Though the focus of his attention was more on what [Liu Jiayi] had said previously, “Jiayi.”
“Don’t call me that when you’re wearing his skin.”
Bai Liu, calm as ever, was unfazed “I will fix all of this soon.”
“I hate people who give false hope the most.”
“My Jiayi doesn’t hate me.”
“She’s a child. She hasn’t grown out of trusting men so easily.” [Liu Jiayi]’s face went blank, her tone monotone as she continued, “How many of myself will inevitably follow you to my death, Bai Liu? Even if one drop is clean, a whole ocean of my disgusting crimes will still pit me to hell.”
Bai Liu stood up and faced [Liu Jiayi], one of his hands slipped into his pocket and he intentionally pulled something out. The appearance of this object made the older [Liu Jiayi] pause, and if one listened closely, her breathing had accelerated.
“I have a promise to fulfill to a very important acquaintance.”
Bai Liu stared at [Liu Jiayi]’s darkening expression and suddenly smiled. His steps grew brisker as he got closer to the older girl.
His approach should’ve been met with hostility, but [Liu Jiayi] was way too focused on the familiar slip of paper in Bai Liu’s hand.
It was Liu Huai’s soul note. It was truly real.
When Bai Liu was right in front of her, their heights were almost similar. But [Liu Jiayi] was still a little shorter. This detail made Bai Liu smile, the edges tinged with melancholy. He reached out to take [Liu Jiayi]’s hand, who flinched at the sudden contact but immediately relaxed when the familiar feeling of a soul note was pressed into her palm.
She stared at it, captivated by the surrealness of the situation.
Bai Liu stared at her for a moment before raising his hand to pat her on the head.
[Liu Jiayi] snapped her head up, an irritated glint in her eyes. She glared at him. “Get your hands off–”
“Don’t grow up so fast. You’re still a child, too. Let your big brothers handle the rest. Just do what you have to do.”
Bai Liu paused, his gaze travelling down to the excessive inked tattoo on her thigh, “Though I do discourage getting tattoos at a premature age. It’s bad for future job offer interviews.”
[Liu Jiayi] slapped his hand away and turned away from Bai Liu entirely. “Stop acting like an old man and scram.”
Bai Liu: ha. ha.