Fuck that reptile so much I genuinely hope he suffers but Gul Dukat got me giggling and kicking my feet. Like don't get it twisted, he sucks! He deserves to rot in hell! But if he came up to me and was said "go in that kitchen and make me a sandwich" I wouldn't hesitate to do so

summary: maybe thinking about you affects them more than they thought? or have they really realized just how much you occupy their minds? who knows, but it is pretty cute to know their reactions to you whenever you may be mentioned in conversation

pairings: childe, diluc, & xiao x gn!reader

style & genre: written; fluff, modern!au

notes: the albedo museum date will have to be rescheduled because i found this in my drafts and never remembered to post it haha. to be honest idk what this was supposed to be exactly so i’ll just say a little slice-of-life genre in school with the boys

and also i am living for the friendship pairings i put here

i am so drained from school and i need one of them irl rn please 🤧

Childe

“I’m telling you I’m fine!” Childe scoffs as his friend insists on shoving him in the direction of the nurse’s office. He hisses when a particularly sharp jab is directed into his side and his friend huffs, clearly satisfied at the reaction and annoyed at Childe’s reluctance to get himself checked.

“Fine, you say. You have to stop picking fights when you know you can avoid them.” Kaeya chuckles, knowing this’ll just go in one ear and out the other with him, but it never hurt to try. Especially with the recent information that allowed the blue-haired student to have the upperhand.

A smirk appears on his face and Childe raises an eyebrow in confusion and wariness. “What?”

Kaeya shrugs, a mischievous grin now overtaking his features as he walks ahead of the other. “I suppose that y/n will be sitting alone in the office, waiting for the bell to ring for their next class.” He doesn’t have to turn around to see Childe stop his tracks as he takes in the information.

“Th... They’re in the nurse’s office?” Childe looks up slowly to see Kaeya tilt his head, “Are you messing with me right now?” Kaeya only laughs and walks away, waving his hand in the air. 

“I mean, I did say you should get yourself checked but if you don’t want to then--” Childe doesn’t hear the rest of his friend’s statement as he limps over to the room where you were waiting.

It wasn’t like you knew he would walk in with “minor” injuries, as he says,  and a bright smile on his face that he only seemed to have whenever he was around you.

Diluc

This is hopeless.

Diluc leans back in his seat during the break they’re given and stares out the window to see you walking with your friends. They must have said something funny to have you laughing, a light look on your face that has his cheeks dusted pink in seconds. 

His ears pick up the scraping of a chair on the floor and he flips his notebook closed to hide the small notes of practice confessions he wrote while he should have been listening in on the lesson. It was none other than Lisa who seemed quite cheerful in contrast to himself.

“Whatcha thinking about?” She nods her head over to his hastily closed notebook as she smiles knowingly at the warmth on his face. Her voice is considerably louder with her next statement that has him nearly shutting her up with his own hands, “Could it be about your dear, sweet y/n?”

Her voice tapers off at the end so the rest of their classmates couldn’t hear the name, but their stares indicated their intrigue. It was very surprising for the ever cold and stoic Diluc Ragnvindr to have a crush on someone. Many have confessed, and all were rejected, and they assumed there would be nothing to be done to win his heart.

That is, unless you were y/n l/n.

His classmates shudder at the glare he gives them and return to their own conversations. He wasn’t mad, just slightly embarassed.

Lisa deems his current state finished for her daily teasing and leans in to give him a word of advice. But really, it was yet another word of truth that he could choose to believe or not.

“I have a feeling that they feel the same about you.” She leaves with a little hint of a smile and Diluc is left to his thoughts once more. He ponders over her words, generally the same ones he hears from her whenever she sees he’s thinking of you. And it’s important to note that Lisa has good intuition.

Maybe his plan to confess wouldn’t be so hopeless after all.

Xiao

To be able to hang out and keep up someone like his closest friend took all Xiao had in himself for social interaction. It wasn’t like he absolutely hated it, but he preferred to not speak to anyone lest they get the wrong idea from his “normal” tone of voice.

Venti shoves another book in his face to look at and he scowls at the title, “How to Date The Person You’ve Been Pining Over For Years Now.” Why was there a book like this in the school library and who the hell decided that this was a good title to go through publication? Now, Xiao would never admit it to being true because he hated how he felt very called out at the moment.

“The books don’t lie, my good friend.” Venti muses, placing the book in his arms before skipping off to avoid it being shoved back at him. Xiao sighs and tries to find its place on the shelf only to realize that he is now left alone in the self-help section. He can’t call out Venti’s name now, assuming that the other had gone far now to seek his own genres he had been looking for. 

Xiao had been teased for this little crush on you for years now, which probably has grown to be a full blown one by now, and he never found the courage to do anything about it. For now though, he was perfectly fine with being able to wave hello to you in the hallways or have a small chat when you would be partnered together for class activities.

Just thinking about you makes him the slightest bit giddy inside.

His wandering thoughts along with finding the book’s place is cut short when the library doors open and you step in. His face lights up for a moment before it is replaced with narrowed eyes when Venti skips up to you. The boy whispers in your ear and you smile, sending Xiao into yet another state of being flustered at the little things you do.

He looks down at the book in his hands and closes his eyes. 

At least Lisa never judged anyone at the book checkout.

marinette's adrien-must-never-find-out list v/s adrien's to-do list.

Written for the @mlwritersguild for the Feb event, for it’s wonderful member @queer-cosette​

I know it took me forever and I’m sorry, I just wanted to do the prompt justice, and involve all the ships you wanted at least a little bit in the plot, so my brain took an eternity to cook up this plot. And despite the time I took, I’m sorry it’s not finished yet, but I’m working on it!!

Hope you like it at least a little bit! 😅

Summary: Adrien is Chat Noir, and he must never find out she had a crippling crush on him when they'd first met; she knows she'll never hear the end of it, stupid, sexy smirk and all that. She's determined.Marinette is Ladybug, and he must find out who the other boy is so he can out-woo him and win his lady's heart. He's determined.Both their lists expand - she has done some pretty embarassing things for the boy and Adrien thinks his classmates are acting extremely suspicious - as the days go by.Their classmates are just along for the ride.

Post-reveal shenanigans, fun and fluffy.

Complete Chapter 1 posted below the cut. Also up on AO3.

Chat Noir is Adrien Agreste.

Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.

Her best friend was the guy she has had a major crush on for quite a long time now.

Super cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.

Her mouthy partner, who had been confident that she would fall for him, especially if his mask came off (ugh!), is the boy she had fallen so in love with that she couldn’t speak to him straight for the first year and a half since she met him…

Not cool. So not cool.

Chat Noir - Adrien Agreste - must never know she had had a crippling crush on him.

He could never know she’s in love with him, period.

She would never hear the end of it.

The Operation: Secret Garden groupchat from three years ago was suddenly active again that night, a flurry of discussions entailing Marinette strictly banning discussion of... Certain topics.

Adrien relives the night over and over again. Marinette is Ladybug Marinette is Ladybug Marinette is Ladybug Marinette is Ladybug Marinette is-

Perfect.

They’d decided on a reveal mutually, that it was time. There had been one too many instances when one of them was caught up in something and could not get to the other; the last straw had been Marinette watching Chat get beaten to a pulp from a classroom with a locked door, and the decision had been made. And then, the moment their transformation had dropped, Marinette had squawked, endearingly reminiscent of the first year he’d known her. He had laughed and pulled her into a hug, and she’d relaxed with a chuckle of disbelief.

“I’m glad it’s you,” they’d said at the same time.

Adrien hasn’t stopped walking on air since. It was a dream come true, literally and figuratively. The truth of the matter was that, Adrien is a romantic at heart, who thoroughly - and frequently - enjoyed daydreaming about various scenarios of getting Ladybug to fall in love with him. Sometimes, it’d be Marinette, and he’d learned to roll with it.

Not anymore though.

He can daydream about both girls without holding back because both the girls were, in fact, one girl.

Wielder of Bad Luck, who? Adrien didn’t know her. ( Well, him. )

Among his various, innumerable scenarios - confessions on Eiffel tower, confession via frosted lettters on a cake, serenading on the Trocadero at 2 a.m, in his lap while he perched on the baton against the moon, no less - his admittedly favourite scenario is one involving Ladybug, where she falls for him once they reveal each other to themselves.

It’s possible now!

He preens.

Arguably, the only flaw is that she already knew him. And… Well, he thinks he’s smart enough now to perceive social cues and his observation of Alya’s extremely feeble attempts at being subtle ( and, to be fair, straight from Marinette’s mouth when he visited her as Chat Noir all those years ago ), lead him to believe that she already likes someone else. Talk about a wrench in his daydream.

He could still try though.

He will, he decides.

Besides, he thinks he needs to size up his competition.

And for that, he has to figure who he is up against.

Two things on his To-Do List. Easy, peasy.

“G’morning, Mari,” he practically sings as she walks into the classroom, early for once.

Her lips twitch. “A good morning to you, Adrien.”

He beams. She beams back. As she walks past him to her seat, he swivels in his position automatically, and rests his chin on her desk just as she sits down.

“You’re here early today,” he observes.

“Very astute,” she says solemnly, laughing a little at his pout as she pulls out a small notebook. “I have to brainstorm some ideas for the Valentine’s Day dance to pitch to the student council. After all class reps pitch theirs, the council will vote!”

He perks up. “I’m sure yours will win, you’re brilliant, m’lady.”

She flushes a deep shade of crimson.

Score.

He’s about to ask something else when Rose and Juleka walk in hand-in-hand. Rose looks a lot more excitable than usual, eyes wide, bouncing on her feet as she grins exceptionally widely at Adrien first and then at Marinette. She holds Marinette’s gaze.

“Hi, Marinette!”

“Hello, Rose,” says Marinette, and she sounds a little wary.

Rose bites her lower lip - boy, must that hurt - and her twinkling eyes flicker between Marinette and Adrien, multiple times.

“Babe,” mutters Juleka chidingly, nudging her girlfriend with her hip.

“Sorry,” sputters Rose, before giggling manically. “It’s just so romantic!”

Marinette groans, and he turns just in time to see her bang her forehead against her desk. Adrien watches as the barest hint of an amused smirk settles itself on Juleka’s face before she pats Marinette’s head gently. Then the pair are walking away to take their seats.

“What was that about?” he asks bewildered.

Marinette looks up, not raising her head completely as she rests her chin on the table and blows at her bangs. “Hell if I know,” she mutters.

Adrien quirks a brow. He knows she’s lying. Curiosity gets the better of him and he decides to investigate. So far on Adrien’s To-Do List:

1. Size up his competition.

2. Woo the hell out of his lady.

3. Investigate Rose’s weird behaviour.

4. And why Marinette’s lying about it.

The rest of their classmates trickle in. Through the day, most of the girls keep catching Marinette’s eye, and some sort of silent communication passes between them that either ends with Marinette blushing or flipping them off.

Curious. Very curious.

Come lunch break, the girls start to crowd her desk, but she declares - very loudly - that she has to work on the Valentine’s Day Dance presentation and flees, leaving in her wake a group of cackling classmates.

His eyes track Marinette’s exit, and he catches Kim’s eyes, only realising then that he had been smiling his Disgusting Moony Grin, as Plagg had dubbed it.

He raises his hand to put the index fingers and thumbs of his hand together to form a heart over one eye and then the other, before waggling his brows at him. Adrien blushes, a sheepish smile on his face as he rubs the back of his head and shrugs in response.

Kim lets out a hoot, and draws everyone’s questioning looks to him.

Adrien flees, face still flaming.

"You saw that right, tell me you saw that?"

Alix snorts. "Kind of hard to miss. I thought the moony eyes were bad before but-"

"So are we going to-"

"-do nothing," interrupts Juleka pointedly. "Because our very good friend Marinette told us to stay out of it!"

"Boo," pouts Alya. "What does she know?"

"I'm sure plenty, given how she was freaking out yesterday," argues Juleka. "We promised."

"You're no fun."

"I am too!" says Juleka indignantly. "Tell 'em, babe!"

"Yeah you are. On our second anniversary, she got me this pretty pink-"

"Rose!" hisses Juleka, face flaming. "No need to tell them that much!"

Rose giggles apologetically and reaches up to kiss her girlfriend in apology.

"I'm filing that away for further investigation for later," says Alya. "But for now, a mission is afoot."

"No there isn't."

"Yes there is. Marinette's going to thank us."

"Marinette's going to kill us."

Everyone obviously has a plan Pt. 3

Hello, I guess for now this is the last part of the story :)

****************************************

'Ehm, well, you see... he... uhm... well...' Marinette stammered on the verge of a small panic attack. Why did that darn cat decide to visit her right now? Doesn't he have anything better to do? Like annoying someone else? Alya opened the small window to let Chat in, only for him to realize his horrible mistake. His escape attempt however was stopped by Alya pulling on his tail, which resulted in him falling inside Mari's room. Marinette could just speechlessly watch her best friend manhandle the boy. If it weren't for her role in the current situation, she might even laugh at the whole scene. As it was Chat was trying to salvage his pride by getting to his feet fairly quickly, but his reputation was beyond repair at this moment. He was lucky enough that Alya didn't have her phone camera on. He could already see her posting the pictures and video on her blog with some hashtag like cat-astrophy or cat fail. 'Ok, would someone please explain what is going on here? Why is Chat here? Wait. Mari, is he the reason why you decided to give up on Adrien?' Alya asked incedulously. 'What? No. I mean- No!' Marinette tried to come up with a coherent sentence, but she failed miserably. 'What can you say in your defence, cat boy?' Alya turned to Chat. 'Why did you come here, of all places in Paris? Any particular reason?' 'I-I-I was on a patrol close by, aaand decided to stop by to visit my princess in her tower,' Chat recovered. 'Your princess?' 'Chat, you're not helping,' Marinette muttered annoyed. 'Marinette has helped me and Ladybug several times in the akuma fights, so I stop by from time to time. Is there anything bad about it?' 'No, but I think my alleged best friend has a lot of explaining to do. And I'm still waiting, girl.' She turned to Marinette again. 'Does he have anything to do with you taking down all of pretty boy's pictures?' 'I-I'm sorry, but I think I should leave. I am obviously interrupting...' Chat started. 'Yes, you should-' Mari started and at the same time Alya said: 'Don't you dare.' Chat felt terrified at this point, not knowing where to look, what to do or what to say. How could he get out of this? Why didn't he just once listen to Plagg telling him to wait a little longer before going to the bakery? Just why? And now he had to suffer consequences of his choice, namely two girls - one looking at him as if she was planning to make him suffer, in a very bloody way, and another that was firing questions at him at a lightning speed. He was doomed. He looked helplessly from one girl to the other, trying to come up with any solution that wouldn't involve physical pain on his side. No such luck. And still he couldn't miss the mentions of his name and pictures, that Marinette said were on her walls because of her interest in fashion. But what did then Alya mean 'give up on him'? He was obviously missing a point here. A very important one. 'So, Marinette? Is the kitty-kat the reason why sunshine boy is out of the picture?' 'No, he isn't.' Marinette shook her head. 'I told you my reasons and I didn't lie.' 'Ok, girl. I believe you. I should go now, I have to babysit the twins. But you are not getting away from me, I expect all the details. And an exclusive interview on your relationship with Paris' cat superhero. Bye, see you tomorrow at school.' Alya waved at the two of them. As soon as the trapdoor closed behind her, Marinette looked at Chat mortified and enraged at the same time. 'What are you doing here?' 'Well, as I said, I was nearby and I thought I would stop by to see how are you doing. In hindsight it might not have been such a great idea.' Chat answered sheepishly. 'Now she thinks we are... we have... we...' 'Are dating?' Chat offered. 'Yes.' Marinette hissed. 'But we aren't, so what is the problem?' he asked. 'The problem is, that Alya tends to come to her own conclusions, sometimes without verifying her facts, just like now. And it is going to be very complicated to convince her of the truth. As if my life wasn't complicated enough.' She sighed and sat on her chaise lounge. 'I'm sorry for causing you problems, princess. I offer my sincere apawlogies.' 'Ugh, not that again,' Marinette groaned. 'Why? Don't you find me amewsing?' His flirty nature came back full force. He flashed her a smirk. 'And what did I hear about you giving up on the Agreste boy? Were you two a couple?' 'That is none of your business, kitty. You know what they say about curiosity and the cat.' 'Come on, Mari, I'm your friend. What happened? You seem a little bit off.' 'You know that I had a crush on this boy for a long time, now you even know his name. Well, apparently, he is in love with someone else. And I found out only after I embarassed myself in front of him and was finally about to confess. So I have thought about it and I have decided to stop pursuing him. We will be just friends and I have to accept that. So that is what I'm going to do.' She smiled at him sadly. To say e was shocked would be an understatement of the century. He couldn't believe his ears. Marinette had a crush on him. Actually, on both of him. She had already confessed her feelings to him as Chat and now she said she wanted to confess to Adrien. What was he supposed to say? How should he act? 'Oh, Mari, I'm so sorry. I... Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?' A lonely tear escaped her eye, but she quickly wiped it away. 'Could you just please help me take down his schedule?' 'His what?!' Did she really have something like that? Marinette went to her table and showed him. His jaw fell to the floor. He has never seen anything so elaborte before. How does she know so much about his life? Who is this girl? 'Ehm... well... that is rather... unexpected and... detailed...' He looked at all of his activities written down in a calendar. There was a lot of them. How did she even know about all of them? 'Yes,' Marinette blushed, 'uhm, you see... I may have went a little bit overboard with this crush thing...' Chat's face visibly reddened. 'You could say that.' 'Can we please just take it down and never speak about it again? Ever?' 'Yes, that might be a good idea.' He stood up and helped her take the last evidence of her (obsession) crush down. 'So,' he started, trying to seem casual, 'are you going to be okay?' 'Yes, I just have to come to terms with my decision, but I think it's the right one, at least for now. He doesn't see me that way, so I'll just be his friend and support him whenever he needs it.' He smiled at her, knowing that he couldn't wish for a better friend than Marinette. How did he even deserve her? He was now, more than ever, determined to make her smile and laugh. But maybe he should leave out any pranks for a while. 'I'm sure he will appreciate that. You truly are amazing, Marinette. You are like an everyday Ladybug. Brave and smart and so kind to others.' He smiled at her softly. She froze at hearing so familiar words. 'What did you just call me?' '... everyday... Ladybug...?' There was a question hanging in the air. A slow realization, followed by widened eyes, and yet another panic attack. 'Mari?' 'You... him... you... how... oh my god... how could I be so blind? Oh my god, oh my god, ohmygod...' All of her interactions with Chat, with Adrien, every moment when Adrien was around and Chat was nowhere to be found, when Chat was there and Adrien was absent. It all made sense now. Then another realization hit her. 'Oh my god! I kissed Adrien Agreste. Several times.' Marinette rambled on and on. 'You what?!' Chat looked just as shocked now. She looked at him, as if she saw him for the first time, as if she just now realized he was in the room with her. She opened her mouth, but there were no more words coming out. Adrien was terrified. What did he just say? What did she just say? Something he said must have done this to her. What is so wrong with calling her everyday Ladybug... only... SHIT! He realized his mistake. Ladybug was going to hang him by his tail from the Eiffel Tower. He would bet his miraculous on that. How could he salvage this? Was there any way to salvation at this point? Maybe if he tried to pretend that it was nothing, maybe just a coincidence... 'Is there something wrong?' He tried to act nonchalantly... and failed miserably when his voice broke at the end of sentence. 'How could I be so blind? I... we... Tikki...' 'Tikki?' Who is Tikki? Where did he hear that name before? ... Oh... Oh, no... Ladybug... Marinette? No, Marinette knows Ladybug in her civil life, that's why she knows the name of her kwami. But... 'Marinette, inhale... exhale... slowly... breathe in... and out...' Third voice belonging to a small red and black creature sounded. At that moment Chat got into the same state as Marinette. The conclusion he came to hit him like a truck. How was this possible? Could he really be so blind? Could she really have been so close to him all this time? 'M'lady?' She looked at him with wide eyes, really seeing him. 'Adrien?' 'Oh my god! I-I-I...' Words abandoned him. His brain left him there, standing, not being able to form any sentence, word, sound. How did this happen? Finally, she broke the silence. 'We weren't supposed to know.' 'Marinette, it was not your fault. Eventually the identities are always revealed. Even though usually it's much later on.' Tikki tried to calm her chosen. 'But what about Hawkmoth? If he finds out...' 'Then we make sure we beat him first.' Chat said. 'We are a team, Bugaboo. No matter what, we always help each other and find each other. Obviously, even out of suit.' He grinned. 'Pound it?' He offered his fist. Marinette looked at him hesitantly. He was waiting patiently, smiling softly at her. She couldn't help herself and smiled back at him. 'Pound it.' 'So... I hear you have a teeny tiny little crush on a certain boy.' Chat started with a teasing smile. 'Stop it. I told you never to speak of it again.' 'Or should I say a major obsession with him?' He couldn't hold back anymore. 'Why didn't you tell me?' His face became serious again. 'I... I was afraid. Everytime I tried to approach you, to talk to you, I would become a complete mess, stuttering, clumsy mess. How could I even want to be with someone so... perfect. Even though, now that I know you are such a dork...' 'Hey! No need to be rude!' Chat crossed his arms. 'Now that I know, who you really are, I think I might reevaluate my previous decision.' She looked at him shyly. 'That would be wise, my princess. Knowing what I know now, it would be most beneficial.' He stepped closer, his fingertips slowly brushing her hand. 'I'm sorry that I didn't see you sooner.' 'Better now than never.' Marinette smiled at him and slowly closed the distance between them. His arm tenderly encircled her waist, pulling her closer towards him. It might have lasted a second, a minute or a century. Time didn't matter anymore. 'Uhm, Chat, Adrien, could you please detransform? I think Plagg might want to gloat about this for a while.' Tikki interrupted their bliss. 'Oh, yes, sure. Sorry. Claws in.' A small black cat-like creature flew out of the ring and instead of Chat Noir Adrien Agreste was standing in her bedroom. Adrien Agreste. In her bedroom. Adrien Agreste is Chat Noir. 'Oh my god!' Marinette exhaled again. 'What am I going to tell Alya?' 'Don't worry, I'm sure that between four of us we can come up with a plan.'

@non-binarycryptid

Thank you for your support. It means a lot :) :-*

The Blood is the Life

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Vampire AU. NieYao and SangYao- everyone is of age. Post sunshot campaign characterizations. Nie Mingjue is captured by the vampire coven of Qishan and turned into a vampire. Meng Yao is his mortal lover, a witch’s son and a witch himself who covets his vampire gift of immortality and Huaisang is the empath prince who observes their relationship, and vies for recognition and affection. Huaisang puts Meng Yao in jail and dreams of burning him because he won’t tell him where Mingjue is. Lan Xichen makes a thirsty appearance.  

Meng Yao smiles. “The Clan leader is too kind to someone like me.”

“Ah! Meng Yao, that's nonsense. Please drink.”

Meng Yao lifts the medicine to his mouth. Compared to yesterday he looks rosy and vibrant. Is this the power of the witch?

“So what happened to my brother? What was this creature inside the hall? And how did you survive? I lost my mind when I saw how much blood you lost.”

Meng Yao touches faintly his throat, where he was bitten. The physician has bandaged him well, not  even a little blood seeps through. Huaisang would like to pluck those bandages away and really look. The dungeon has been on his mind lately. If he secludes Meng Yao there he'll definitely pry answers from him. But it will be quite the effort to place him there and still preserve his meek veneer, which honestly is his most potent charm.

“I know law compels me to answer your questions, Clan Leader, but for now there is a limit to what I can say. There was indeed a creature in the hall, a blood-drinker that had come from the Wen. But as you well know such a creature wouldn't have gone far into our territory with the protective enchantments in place. As to how I survived I used means that are unsavoury to seal its powers. I could be easily condemned for such practices and if even if you forgave me for telling you, others would condemn you for being too lenient.”

“So you are truly a witch, Meng Yao!”

Meng Yao smiles again with some fear that he will be assailed.

“It's not that I wanted to be one. Put yourself in my place. Even if I wanted to, I could not change what I was born into.”

“Is this how you survived then? By means of some other magic?”

“It's easy to staunch a bleeding if one knows where he bleeds from.” Meng Yao says enigmatically.

That's why all these creatures are wretched, Huaisang thinks. Always keeping their silences, protecting their meaningless secrets.

“Meng Yao is precious to me” he says. “He is my brother's favorite. If my brother can't return to me, I would not part with Meng Yao, the only thing he left behind.”

Meng Yao stares at him silently cautiously as if he knows he is being lured into something.

“If Nie Mingjue cannot come back” he says “Meng Yao wouldn't want to stay. I would that I followed him wherever he was.”

Huaisang knows this line upsets him, even though he can't know why. Is it because the thought of such a relation excites him, or because Meng Yao looks so handsome. If his brother truly was kissing and embracing him all along, how lucky he was.

“So he is not dead.” Huaisang says and feels a little peace at that.

“That depends on the young master's definition of death.” Meng Yao forcefully says. Oh he thinks he is being clever.

Huaisang puts down the medicine and opens his fan. It's so hot inside. The physician certainly showed some consideration for poor and delicate Meng Yao who almost bled to death.

“Meng Yao, you know that people speak ill of you.” he cautiously says, as if he regrets it too. “I wouldn't want to be pressured into letting you go after you have shown my brother such devotion and loyalty.”

Meng Yao's eyes betray no fear at these words. In fact he seems a little pleased at how this goes. A faint smile plays at the edges of his lips. He has known cruelty before, this one. Huaisang tries not to look directly at him, because he thinks the way he is now, his mouth looks perfectly kissable.

“Your answers definitely do not satisfy the ears of the court, but I want to protect you. Will you let me protect you, Meng Yao?” he asks.

Meng Yao smiles wide. “If Nie Huaisang accepts my protection, then I accept his.”

“What do you mean by that? Are you referring to the night you subdued this creature? By the way, where is it now, would it be possible for me to see it, or was it perhaps disposed?”

“This creature is possibly where lord Huaisang wants to place me. Somewhere lonely and dark. But I wouldn't advise him to go there during the day. These creatures are quite volatile when they feel threatened.”

He bites his lips, raising his fan to hide his face. It's so difficult confronting someone who is stronger than you. He hates this, hiding behind some painted paper as if it's a barrier that could truly protect him. He folds the fan again and squeezes it between his hands. He is the lord here, Meng Yao is nothing but vermin not fit even for reincarnation.

“Why can't you be honest with me?” he asks softly. “The creature was my brother. You secluded him somewhere and now you are afraid you will be punished for it.”

“Is there any need for honesty when Nie Huaisang knows my mind?” Meng Yao asks.

Before this moment Huaisang hadn't realized that he had permanently lost his brother. He should strike Meng Yao for this. If anything he would have wanted to say goodbye.

“I may not be someone you fear, but do you really have a need to insult me, Meng Yao? I asked for an honest answer and you have mocked me. I start to think my brother didn't show you enough kindness for you to treat me like this.”

He produces the letter his brother wrote, pronouncing him king.

��He was still alive when he wrote this” he says. “All I ask is that I know he lives still.”

“Qinghe is very narrow with its definitions of living. I  for instance do not live, even though I breathe and speak to you.”

“Then it's the same with my brother. He is some other thing now. He drinks the blood of men. He would drink mine too and anyone living and only Meng Yao can subdue him. Someone like you can't understand my grief, if anything it must make you happy that you now share the same twisted life with my noble brother. But even though I find you despicable I will allow you to live, if you take me to him and let me put an end to his suffering.”

Meng Yao balks, his eyes flaring with mad light.

“You would willingly put an end to his life?” he barks and then smiles. “Then maybe I should have not subdued him at all. I should have let him run riot and slaughter you all.”

“But such a thing will surely come to pass if you continue to control him. Meng Yao, now you see I really have to make you my prisoner. You have to gather your things now, because you will be surely moved to the dungeons.” he says with sufficient sorrow. 

He truly feels no pleasure in taunting him, only anguish. But he is the lord here and he wants to show his strength.

Meng Yao's face is angry. So very angry, but he does not protest. Huaisang will have to think of some clever torture if he is to wring the location of his brother from him. Perhaps find that snake skin and burn it before his eyes.

                                                        ….

Lan Xichen Zewu Jun is a renowned cultivator, he does not leave his mountain easily for one thing or the other. But he was his brother's personal friend and his disappearance brings him out of his misty retreat. Huaisang thought would have to beg and beg for a meeting, but all he has to do is send to him the mysterious snake skin and mention that vampires have made their appearance in Qinghe.

When he arrives his eyes betray a sort of guilty concern. “Where is Nie Mingjue?” he asks. “He left Gusu some time ago, it's not possible that he has not arrived.”

“I am afraid there was some personal betrayal” Huaisang mutters with sorrow in his eyes. “His attendant is involved but he won't tell us anything. Only you could wring the truth from this spiteful creature.”

“Creature?” Zewu Jun asks with fear in his eyes.

Huaisang opens his fan to hide his lips as if the words alone would embarass him. “A witch and a witch's son.” he whispers in confidence. “His life was indebted to my brother, but he did not meet this grace with kindness. He has done something to my brother, Zewu Jun, and only you can tell us what.”

Xichen follows him uneasily to the dungeon, the one under the surface of the earth. He fears he will see atrocities here, but Huaisang is not some depraved lord. He has let Meng Yao live with dignity. He has most of his things, and the handsome clothes Nie Mingjue bought for him. He is given meals and wine and no one harasses him. Huaisang has been nothing but magnanimous.

If Meng Yao really possessed the form of a snake, he would have rather crushed its head with his foot. But as long as his form is human and pleasing, one might as well show him a little grace.

As they descend the stairs, a guard holding a lantern before them, Huaisang can already see their prisoner, sitting silently with a crooked smile at the center of his room. He wears a strange white silken robe loosely about his shoulders that brings to mind the movement of a snake. Did his brother really buy such an item for him? Did he enjoy the strange tales told enough to entertain himself with such gifts?

As Zewu Jun approaches the final step in view of the cell, Meng Yao suddenly moves, raising his arms to cover his face. Some tension seems to have taken hold of him and Huaisang immediately wants to know why. Zewu Jun observes this creature from afar with some faint worry, almost as if he recognizes it.

As the guards let them in his cell, opening the heavy barred doors for them, Huaisang sees how Meng Yao struggles to breathe, averting his face even as he hides it behind his long sleeves.

“Zewu Jun is here to see you, A-Yao. Won't you show him your face?” Huaisang says and fans himself slowly. “He is such an asocial creature, except from my brother he has no affection for anyone else.”

Setting down Shoyue and Liebing with a terse air, Zewu Jun sits before this prisoner. Huaisang can't help but hide his face as well, his feelings are running rampant. He would be lying if he said he didn't envy. This man really thinks that he will offer some meaningful resolution to them. Huaisang wishes he could tell him he is just here just to produce a reaction. He is nothing but a soft pink canary to him.

“You can shows us your face. I won't be disturbed if you are disfigured.” Zewu Jun says compassionately.

“Disfigured! Meng Yao is a beauty. That's why he is so difficult. He can't bear any judgements. He thinks he is above us all. Zewu Jun, tell him that you are here for his own good. Everyone is certain he has done something to my brother. With his background how could I not put him in jail?”

Zewu Jun does not deign his antics with a reply, instead he reaches the prisoner, clasping his hands, as if he hopes to make him reveal his face. But Meng Yao's arms shake with resistance.

“Guards, let Zewu Jun see his face.” he says snapping his fan.

It's curious to have such men at his disposal and to be able to motivate them to cruelty with just a few words. Two of them walk into the cell with perfect posture, losing to time to follow his command. Reaching their prisoner, they wrench his arms violently to reveal his face. There is nowhere for Meng Yao to hide now.

He struggles once, trying to flee, but guards hold on to him with bruising force. Zewu Jun looks distraught, but not at the violence performed before him. Even Huaisang feels a little uneasy at that, but that's maybe because he is the perpetrator, he knows how much this must hurt. To be seen despite your wishes.

And he can't help but rasp with a hint of longing when he sees Meng Yao struggle like that. Finally a reaction he caused, a reaction for him.

“Lianfang!” Zewu Jun says with similar longing and Meng Yao cries as if burned. His eyes then become fierce and with a gesture Huaisang doesn't understand he phases through the grasp of his guards and darts through the walls as if he were some immaterial ghost.

Huaisang hasn't felt that kind of excitement in years, if he ever did in his life. A witch. A real witch, who can do extraordinary things. A bird that won't get caught. Everyone flutters about almost shrieking like the birds in his fallen cages, except for him and Zewu Jun. Slanting his eyes, he has seen this expression before, an expression of solemn yearning, only he doesn't know where it was that he saw it before. Was it his brother? Or was it himself in the mirror of his mind.

Whens spirits have calmed, and the fortress has been searched throughly to reveal that Meng Yao is really gone, he finally seats the awestruck Lan Xichen in a pleasant room to have some tea with him.

“You called the creature Lianfang?” he says and his fingers touch the flayed, dried snake skin Xichen has just returned to him. He wonders if he put it in a little brazier among hot coals would Meng Yao shriek and cry in anguish. Would his skin burn and blister like he imagines it to?

Xichen raises his head. “He is not a creature” he says. “He is important to me. Please try not to hurt him if you apprehend him.”

“But Zewu Jun, you saw what he did! He lied to us all along. Pretending to be my brother's soothsayer and advisor, living like a common man, contaminating us all with his essence. If he is not a supernatural demon of some sort, what is he?”

“It's hard to explain and it is even harder to imagine that he caused you real harm. When we saw him in the dungeon he could have hurt us both. He could have injured the guards. But he didn't do any of these things. Are those not enough reasons to assume his innocence.”

“Innocence? Let's not rush to such conclusions, Zewu Jun” Huaisang says placatingly. “I do not know this person as you do. Perhaps if you told me more, I would be better equipped to deal with him, maybe even find my brother.”

Zewu Jun hangs his head at this. “Mingjue never told me he found him. I do not understand why.”

“So this creature is something he took from you?” Huaisang probes. Wouldn't it be the most interesting thing if this Meng Yao seduced powerful men to live in their elegant courts? Maybe this explains Huaisang's uneasy attraction to him after all. A thing akin to a glamour. A cheap trick, easily countered.

“Lianfang left Cloud Recesses for unknown reasons” Xichen whispers as if the memory pains him. “I thought he was happy there. For many nights I searched for him, but my Clan started to look upon it with disdain. I had to stop. I asked lord Mingjue to find him for me.”

“Meng Yao has lived with us for several years. From his reaction it's true that he might be your Lianfang too. But then why wouldn't brother tell you? What exactly does he do? Does he bewitch men?” he asks innocently.

Zewu Jun's eyes shoot up with a cold glare that makes Huaisang shiver. He certainly wouldn't want to antagonize such a man. Lucky Meng Yao to have enthralled not one, but two noble men. Huaisang won't be so easy to swoon for him.

“Ah, regardless, we should search for him. He is after all related to my brother's disappearance. And only a few nights ago, a vampire attacked the castle. Meng Yao is the one who subdued him. He is also our only witness to that and his half-words were disconcerting. This is so distressing.” he whines. “Zewu Jun, if possible please guide me. I can't be really expected to deal with this mess. I have no experience at all.” he says and fans himself furiously, as if the very prospect of mental labor makes him hot.

But on his mind is Meng Yao’s cage. The one he left his ruffled feathers drop. His trove of ritual objects. Maybe he ought to take a look.