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funnel-webbed-au · 9 months

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Reverie in Flames

Riley's Notes: Sometimes you wake up one day, and everything's okay when the last time it felt like time was this slow, it wasn't.

It was quite a sight. There wasn't really anything like it. It took Hai'Er's breath away to see the stars, to really get to see them and not have them obscured in any way. The mountain's peak was truly a good vantage point, away from all of the horrendous light pollution that hid the true extent of the stars from view.

He really didn't have any words for it, and his boyfriend could tell. MK just smiled and watched Red Son stare at the sky, at that beautiful band of light and color that seemed to be wrapping around the world. The way Red Son seemed completely enamored with the night sky stole MK's heart all over again. It was that sense of awe that he thought he'd never see from him.

“…is it… supposed to look like this?“ The fire Demon asked quietly, completely and utterly taken by the sight of the stars above the mountain range. If he could just get a telescope - no, he could build one later, with enough research into their construction.

MK chuckled and reached out, resting his hand on Red Son's shoulder. ”This is what it looks like without all the city lights messing it up, awesome, isn't it?“

”Awesome is an understatement…“ Red Son spoke softly, eyes still transfixed on the magnificent array of soft color that illuminated the sky above. It was easy to feel small, knowing how huge those bright, burning orbs of gases were up there.

A soft, drawn-out chirp escaped from the stone monkey at Hai'Er's side, and the fire Demon chuckled in response to it, a fairly gruff sound that would have sounded mocking not even ten years prior. Red Son couldn't help but purr as he took in the stars above. The way some of the lights clustered together really reminded him of his new home, new friends, and maybe even new family.

~ ~ ~

Hai'Er sat up with a start, stifling a gasp of amazement. That dream had been so vivid, so beautiful, and already, he found himself longing for it. It took him scarcely a split second to realize he was sharing a bed with someone, and turned to discover it was none other than MK, his partner.

Maybe it hadn't been a dream at all; it had been a memory. MK was still resting, partially curled up, but not as tightly as usual. It felt like a good sign, one that showed the stone monkey was starting to open up further and fully trust those he held close. It was always a process, really.

The heat from Red Son's body as his heart rate rose caused Qi Xiaotian to stir, and as the stone monkey sat up and stretched, Hai'Er allowed himself to smile, then reached out to gently hold the other's hand.

It drew a wonderful expression on his lover's face; a soft smile coupled with color flooding his cheeks. "Is there something you wanna share, Red?"

The fire Demon shook his head, then rested on of his hands on MK's cheek. His gentle expression was stolen away by anxiety, but at least they'd been together long enough to read each other. The stone monkey already knew.

"I know you wanna kiss me, Red. C'mere, Carmine."

With those words, Red's shoulders fell, and it was there in the calm and quiet of their home a few blocks down from Pigsy's noodle shop that the guarded Demon allowed his guard to slip. His brow softened at the thought that Xiaotian had placed into his mind.

Hai'Er's mind slowed from the cool humidity that clung to MK's skin, reminding him of the peak of a mountain filled with greenery. The scent eased the flames that burned eternally in his heart, making it that much easier for the fire Demon to relax.

It felt like it lasted forever, and yet couldn't last long enough. Red Son's scent soothed MK's mind; it was a pleasant mixture of wood smoke and cinnamon that rarely got old. As quickly as it was gone, the stone monkey missed it... though he knew that it was probably time to get up now.

They both had to work, after all.

As the two got dressed - MK in his usual jacket and jeans, and Red Son in his favorite turtle-necked tank top and red jacket (as well as jeans), they couldn't help but glance back at each other, remembering every moment like this that they'd ever shared... and eagerly awaiting the next.

It felt like the echoes of fallen stars staining the night sky, star showers that happened too often to miss.

#[The Flames of Passion - Carmine - Red Son/Hong Hai'Er]#[the golden apprentice - skylar - mk/qi xiaotian]#[arc two - toxic tides - post-canon]#lmk red son #spicynoodleshipping #lmk mk #lmk qi xiaotian #lmk hong hai'er

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funnel-webbed-au · 10 months

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Movie Night

Nezha sat on the couch while the movie rolled on, almost unable to hear it over the droning sound of the ceiling fan. Frankly, he didn't care too much, either. The film was old and held historical inaccuracies so severe that he couldn't bring himself to give even a fraction of a flying fuck.

But it was the sound of a whip cracking to spur forth the horses that pierced the veil. MK and Mei turned to Nezha, confused as to why he'd suddenly sat up so straight. The way the Deity clenched the couch cushions at his sides so tightly that they expected him tear them rose alarm bells in both of their heads, and the two friends processed them in dramatically different ways.

Maybe the sights and sounds drew his interest, but that panicked bead of sweat on his face couldnt have been good, nor were the way his breaths were so shallow and fast. They were uneven, as if he couldnt breathe at all, and was struggling for air.

MK didn't know much of Nezha's story, and felt it rude to pry. However, if the situation brought this much stress to his friend, he wasn't going to sit idly by. MK reached for the TV remote and pressed pause while Nezha got himself together. The Dragon and the Stone Monkey could only wait, biding their time.

He could almost feel the whip against his skin all over again, those harsh, metallic edges to the segmented metal more than enough to break his skin. His dazed expression didn't do the appalling memories he was left with any justice. Nezha could have sworn he felt his own ichor rolling down his back from the force of the celestial chain whips that had been used to punish him, thoroughly inspired by the same punishments some militaries used.

Some sick part of him missed the harsh metal against his skin, while the rest of his being simply froze, zoning off as the static overwhelmed his senses. It was like his skin was on fire, yet he felt no pain. It was like his eardrums had burst, and yet they didn't bleed.

MK finally took a leap of faith, setting his hand on Nezha's shoulder in an attempt to get his attention. In an instant, the ancient Deity had MK subdued with his armillary sash, wrapped up tightly on the floor. Mei stopped before she could unsheathe her sword, examining the Lotus Deity briefly.

Those panicked breaths had to be indicative of fear.

“Yang Nezha." Mei stated flatly, calling the ancient Deity by his current, legal name. It seemed to snap him out of whatever it was, and he staggered back as mist filled his vivid pink eyes.

"I... I'm sorry, Xiaotian. I do not understand what-" Nezha stopped as MK and Mei both rushed to hug him. The pressure was familiar, something that tore at his heartstrings despite his best efforts to keep himself composed.

Mei reached up to wipe the Deity's tears, then squeezed his cheeks, prompting a noise of protest. "Why didn't you tell us this movie would upset you, dumb-dumb?! I would have changed it to something else! We've all been through enough, especially you." Mei let go and stepped back, rubbing her arm while Nezha processed the entire sequence of events, and the fact that MK was still clinging to him.

When the tremors died down and Nezha's mind calmed, he took a moment to get his bearings. Right, right... he was still in MK's apartment, not on a blood-soaked battlefield he'd been forced to stain further.

"...yeah. I think we should watch something else. For all of our sakes."

"So, what do you want to watch, big guy?" Mei replied, remote in her hand.

Nezha smiled weakly.

This was home, alright.

#[once bitten and twice shy - sydney - nezha]#[arc two - toxic tides - post-canon]#[the golden apprentice - skylar - mk/qi xiaotian]#[the scaled rebel of the west - mei - long xiaojiao]

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