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Dan Feng had no explanation to give as he looked at the clothes over the bed: half offended, half dismayed.
Of course he had read about it. He knew those stupid ancient texts backwards even. But in all his years, he never... Did... This!
A-and what would Yingxing say?!?! That he was being ridiculous, of course!! He understood that, in comparison to other vidyadhara, his features are more akin to Long.
And in that sense, akin to a former Aeon. They tend to look far from your ordinary human.
The teasing was fun, but if this got out? He would never be able to live it down.
He had to put it away. Yingxing would come back tired. He was tired! He wanted to cuddle with his husband!! He didn't have time for this stupid bullshit!!!
One moment he was setting down the soft fabrics that would keep them warm, and now it all had a shape where you could curl on it!!
It... It wasn't perfect. A voice absolutely told him inside his head that this was... It... It was a nest.
But he had also accidentally grabbed Yingxing's coat!! It would get wrinkles if he kept it up.
And that was the problem, wasn't it?
He couldn't take it down.
His entire body halted when he raised his hand over the nest so he could tear it down. He tried again and again until he started trembling and sobbing.
Something was wrong!! Something was definitely wrong!!
But he couldn't let anyone see him!! What would he do...?
He just... Curled into the nest. His worries reduced themselves into soft pillowy clouds as they floated away. He purred at the existence of being inside a nest. His nest.
Still shaken up, he wasn't exactly sure when he fell asleep.
Yingxing arrives to... Whatever the fuck is happening on his bed. He is both bewildered and flustered since... He got a couple of words from Baiheng about Dan Feng acting odd when the Swordmaster and the High Elder spared.
"It could be nothing." She said at the time, trying to brush it off as if what she had said about Dan Feng would go through was just something mundane.
And maybe, for foxians that was true. But not human. Well... At least, not after puberty. Except this sounded 10 times more intense.
With what Baiheng had said, he still did his research on how foxians behaved with the symptoms Dan Feng was exhibiting. And boy oh boy... Some forums were... Graphic. The simple idea of Dan Feng sounding so pleading, rubbing on him in all kinds of ways until he took out his claws and tore off his clothes...
Yeah. He would keep an eye on his husband. But he hadn't anticipated things to get this far so quickly!!
He started by taking off his clothes, he needed a shower before he could lay with his beloved. But the clothes... They were dirty and sweaty from his workshop. He knew that Dan Feng looked at him starving each time he clocked out.
Still... He wanted this to be special for his husband.
Even if... He couldn't rationalize it, so he decided to cover Dan Feng with his clothes. He stayed for a moment, hearing the water run and warm up. That lovely face he would want to spoil and kiss... It would be okay. Dan Feng wouldn't have to be in pain as long as he was here.
As he turned to leave, a claw dug into his left arm, making him bite his lip instead of flinching.
"Ying... Xing..." Dan Feng's voice came out low from sleep yet possessiveness. "Bed. Now."
"Ah... I would. But I just came back from work and I can't be all sweaty."
"Bed." Dan Feng repeated, gripping tightly over his flesh.
"My love, the water is running, I have to go." Yingxing explained softly, earning a groan from Dan Feng that he had never heard before.
The High Elder sat on their bed, flushed and with a thin layer of sweat.
His eyes, emerald blue and powerful, set on him like a predator.
"W-what if... We go together?" He offered, trying to not look at the blood dripping into the wooden floor.
"You'll... Take care of me?" Dan Feng asked, sultry and almost shy.
His dick twitched at the view, Lan save him.
"Yes. I'll take very good care of you." He confirmed, trying to convince Dan Feng that he wouldn't be leaving him.
"Good." Dan Feng smiled– his usual smile, letting go of his hand to get out of bed and start to take out his clothes.
If Yingxing had been a stronger man, he would have looked away. Alas, he wasn't. The scales turning teal over his body and then even stretching his body... The look of his plump pectorals made his mouth water.
Dan Feng moved to take his other arm and started to push him inside the bathroom.
"Then take care of me." He invited, once again sultry with a soft smile.
If his husband didn't stop looking at him and talking that way, Yingxing would end up fully hard the moment he stepped under the water...
...
Maybe that was Dan Feng's plan all along.
With Dan Feng breathing heavily, Yingxing could only squeeze the plump of his ass as the white stars dissipated from his vision.
Dan Feng was a greedy lover on the bed, always wanting attention and definitely had a creampie kink. But Yingxing couldn't bring himself to make fun of it while he saw how much effort he did to find ways for his people to repopulate the Loufu.
During the sex, of course he begged to be filled and plugged. He chuckled that perhaps it was because of his preferences.
Now though... He would put them towards his more... Divine side.
It must not be easy to be the descendant of an Aeon and not be able to create. Dan Feng could heal and destroy... But most Aeons could have been involved in creating things on this world, leaving them behind as a symbol of their power and existence.
Dan Feng and his people were living proof of that.
Yet now, on his first heat, Dan Feng had not let go of his dick, his scales growing in number, his horns shining and getting longer along with his teeth.
He looked intimidating. Definitely looking like a god capable of destroying worlds.
Yet, having him whimper and moan his name gave him the power trip of his life.
Dan Feng, begging and crying again and again saying that he wasn't full enough. Saying that he needed to make sure his seed would take because it was perfect because Yingxing was perfect.
He had wanted to cover his face after saying those words, but Dan Feng snarled and started to bite and chew the skin of his neck; licking the blood alongside the other fluids that ran down his skin.
He was Dan Feng's husband, and he knew that his beloved liked having marathon sex.
But it never lasted 3 entire days.
Even after running out of energy, Yingxing either moved to clean Dan Feng while keeping him plugged or thrusted his fingers inside him; promising him that it would help the sperm move faster.
(He had no fucking idea if that was true, but Dan Feng was so desperate for it that he had to keep mumbling white lies to keep him at bay.)
Whoever it was that opened the door once both of them passed out and left them with food deserved a raise. He wouldn't even know what he would do if he entered a room into a scene like this with someone who wasn't even his partner.
Another thing was... The feeding. Dan Feng didn't let him eat from his hands. He had to lean closer and grab the food from the mouth of the High Elder, as the vidyadhara liked his lips, enjoying the blush spreading over his cheeks.
This never happened before.
But all of this made it possible for them to have energy and power through this entire thing. He imagined that, forgetting all restraints, Dan Feng had finally broken and got every need to be full out of his system.
Yingxing thought of being mean. Of holding that precious climax over Dan Feng's head. But he also thought about what would happen if Dan Feng didn't start whining... And he could either start crying, leading him into a meltdown and risk a storm on the Loufu. Or he could get aggressive in not a kinky way and want to bite his head.
So he gave Dan Feng his precious sperm, but not without a little tease.
He moved his head now to lick the sweat and tears from the face of his husband, as the vidyadhara moaned and grinded against his dick that kept spurting inside his pussy.
Dan Feng's assistants had to be putting something on the food to let him last longer. It made sense, in a way they kept serving their master through orgasm after orgasm from his husband.
They were definitely working for a raise.
"Yingxing..." Dan Feng whined, squeezing with his tail the thigh he kept firmly holding on to. "It... It just ke-keeps burning--!! So gooooddd!!"
"My beloved husband... If you keep squeezing and whining like that for my cum... I'm going to take you for a commun whore."
Dan Feng growled, anger in his teary eyes.
"I'm not a whore! I... I just... I... I'm just..." He trailed off, his cheeks burning as he couldn't help but press against his dick further.
Yingxing moved to hold the face of his husband and plant a kiss under his right eye.
"I love you too, baby. Do you still feel empty?" He asked, moving a hand over Dan Feng's belly and gently pressing over the wobbly skin.
Yingxing knew Dan Feng's body, and he knew that wasn't fat.
His husband's breath stuttered before pressing his body closer, head under his neck.
"Better... But... I wouldn't mind if you could... You know..." The vidyadhara trailed off, starting to lift his hips and letting them fall against his pelvis.
The wet sound of their liquids overflowing, not being able to be kept inside Dan Feng's body made him moan.
"You want iiiit~" Dan Feng teased against his ear, biting the flesh softly while his dick twitched.
"You're a menace." He teased back. "If we have children, I'll be hoping that they don't have your level of persuasion."
"Oh, my dear Yingxing. It is not a matter of 'if' but 'when'" Dan Feng sat down, his pussy squeezing his cock, making the blood pumping right into it.
Dan Feng sat down, looking at him from below with a toothy smile. His skin littered with bite marks and other colorful claims on his skin.
"After all... I have a good feeling about these~." The mischievous dragon moved his hand lower, gently squeezing his balls as Yingxing's back arched.
It had been a week since Dan Feng's heat. And he obviously wasn't able to walk or be outside. Yingxing also refused to give a straight answer as to why Dan Feng wasn't with them. His cheeks just burned when Dan Feng's assistants dropped by his workshop to "check on him".
They even requested that a vidyadhara physician see him. He only told them that if they needed to see something about him, there were sure records for when he had to do an exam to enter the High Cloud Quintet.
Were they a little outdated? Sure. But he wasn't just going to get naked! He had never trusted the preceptors, why would he follow their requests? Unless Dan Feng asked it of him, he wouldn't. And he knew that Dan Feng would never do that.
Still, they were persistent over at least leaving him food for his recovery. As if he had been sick or something.
Some took a good look at him and left. There had been even one time where some new intern winked at him. The vidyadhara stared at his ass and for a couple of times, he even thought he would actually try to touch him.
It had been hilarious to see how someone else grabbed him by the ear, spoke something to him and watched his face lose all color. From them on, he never looked directly into his eyes and kept wobbling when delivering food.
He dearly missed his husband, but if he was tired, he couldn't imagine what Dan Feng was going through in his absence.
Two more weeks passed, finally breaking the illusion that things were alright.
The vidyadhara had suddenly stopped checking on him all of a sudden. Not even Jingliu could get information about what was going on inside, only that an emergency protocol had been launched inside Scalegorge Waterscape.
As the High Cloud Quintet, they tried to get some information, since the representative of the vidyadhara had suddenly disappeared. Their only answer was that, while they would keep founding their expeditions, Dan Feng couldn't go with them anymore.
Restlessness became a constant over him. If his hair hadn't already turned silver, then he was sure this would make it.
One week. One week of walking in circles. One week on wanting to throw himself against whatever vidyadhara kept him away from Dan Feng.
He stopped eating all together, suddenly not being able to function anymore.
A doctor had come to see him, and he could only make out that it could be depression, but no one knew what caused such a great reaction.
Until the next night, he was awakened by tiny rocks being thrown at his window.
He came down, opening it and finding a strange box inside.
Whoever threw them didn't seem to have stayed to see his reaction.
He already had a bad feeling as he opened the box and saw a bracer: beautiful in its craft, having pearls and red rope adorning it.
He focused on the black plates holding on to most of the structure. Even him, having worked on the Xianzhou for 60 years, hadn't seen such a thing: firm yet letting light bounce off it.
It was beautiful. It was the best thing Yingxing had ever received, because he knew exactly where it came from.
He closed the window and moved inside, as he did his best to adjust the bracer firmly against his skin.
As he did; he felt his chest lacking air, sweat running down his skin even as he was freshly clean off a bath.
And his name. His name was repeated again and again by the voice of his husband.
Between all the emotions that now set inside him, he almost missed the note. After reading, it was crushed and let fall inside the floor of his home.
Useless words that he didn't need to hear as he started to get dressed.
'Come find me.'
He knew the ways around Dan Feng's house. His husband even gave him a spare key that he always hid in a pocket inside his coat.
This key wasn't supposed to be seen by anyone since it was a master key. It was a safety hazard just waiting to happen.
But Dan Feng went behind the back of the preceptors and got him one.
With the experience of having sneaked around Dan Feng's residence, he avoided patrols who had become heavier on both personnel and weapons.
Yingxing never saw them carry those weapons outside a battlefield.
They were guardian Dan Feng, their High Elder seemingly vulnerable if they were doing this.
Yet, when he came out of the secret passage inside the house; there was no one there.
It was silent. Awful silence that soon became painful groans the further he went.
He pushed down the locked door, sick of anything that would get between him and his husband.
Said husband who kept curling around his nest, groaning in pain.
Alarmed, Yingxing moved, calling his name as he tried to get some kind of information out of him– to understand what was going on.
But the moment that their skin made contact, there was as if an electric shock happened inside his head.
He pulled away, panting and his head fully dizzy as Dan Feng's arm grabbed him and pulled him inside the nest.
Once inside, his limbs grew heavier and heavier, Dan Feng had started purring as he pulled him closer.
"Yingxing, Yingxing." His beloved sobbed, burying his head against his hair. The heel of his feet locked him against his body as his eyes grew heavier.
"Dan Feng." He spoke, feeling as if he was drowning. "What's... Going on...?"
Yet, he only felt Dan Feng's body warmer than usual repeating his name like a prayer, his consciousness slowly slipping away caught by the lack of food, sleep and emotional comfort.
"Yingxing... Yingxing..." Dan Feng kept sobbing, happily pressing his body, his voice being drowned out by the darkness.
"Yingxing... We made it.”
Yingxing's limbs still felt heavier as he slowly blinked into consciousness, the memories even slower as he processed where he was... And the lack of bodies on the bed.
His breathing became laboured as he started to crawl his way into sitting up.
"Yingxing." A voice accompanied by a firm hold on his shoulder.
He turned to the foxian, her features worried as she gently cupped his face looking for any wounds. The familiarity made him gasp in relief.
"Baiheng."
The foxian put her arms over his shoulders, pulling him into a hug as he slowly moved his arms to hug her back.
It had been years since they had such a soft moment between them, with his head leaning on her shoulder.
"Baiheng, where is Dan Feng?" He croaked, dizzy as the foxian sat down beside him on the bed.
She moved away, looking at him with a gaze that he couldn't decipher what it meant.
And then she looked back at the bed.
"So... This is a vidyadhara nest. I... Never saw one before. It's, uh... Quite dark. Dan Feng seems to like dark but, that might be because that's all you wear... Did you help him build it?"
Yingxing blinked, not sure where this was going.
"Not really. Just... Lended the clothes and... Let him do his thing."
"Ah... So I already know who takes the decision on the relationship."
"Baiheng I am not in the mood for jokes." He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying and failing to get a grip on his headache.
"Where.Is.My.Husband?"
Baiheng's eyes widened. Yingxing had never raised his voice at her. Sure, he had sounded irritated while growing up but never like this.
The foxian swallowed and looked away, her hands moving to stroke her tail.
"I— No, wait. I didn't— I-I never—!!!"
"It's okay." She answered softly, still refusing to look at him. "You... You must be going through the same thing that they mentioned... Huh... I never expected vidyadhara traits to be passed down on mortals... But... Dan Feng isn't just any vidyadhara, so... It makes sense.”
Her rambling didn't make any sense as he kept a firmer grasp on reality.
"I... What?" He choked out loud. Because he refused to take out– whatever bottled up feelings he had on her.
"It's uh... Well... When... Two vidyadhara love very much they... Don't have children." She explained.
"But... I've heard things, thanks to the Nameless. That on some planets, scions of Long can... Defy those chances."
Yingxing looked at her as if she had grown an additional head.
"S-so!! When two vidyadharas love very much, and one of them manages to touch over the path of Permanence, they are capable of creating life. Although happening no more than twice in our entire cosmos... It has happened." She turned to see him, her eyes nervous.
Silence.
"There are records! W... Want me to show you the record? We can... See together how this works."
More silence.
"Yingxing?" She tried, growing more restless as color drained from his face.
"Baiheng."
"Yes?"
"Where is Dan Feng?"
"H-he's safe now!! We, uh, barged in after you didn't show up to our morning meeting and found them... Together. Tangled into each other but completely out of it... Almost... Dead. We got a huuuge scare but– it was because you guys had been straining without the other!! The stress was too much and... It left you like that."
"Did this stress..." He couldn't. He couldn't finish the words.
"No!! No, no, Yingxing, no. The babies are perfectly healthy."
Yingxing left out a breath that he was holding since he woke up without his husband.
"But, uh... As you know, since we got involved and... Raised quite a lot of noise... You will now be involved in political parties since you managed to successfully reproduce with the High Elder of the Loufu."
Yingxing stared right at her.
"That's how you talk about them as their future aunt?"
"No!! No, no!! I love them so so much!! I just... Didn't know how much you knew. I thought that you knew enough because of the bracer.”
"The bracer? What does that have to do with me having children?"
Baiheng cleared her throat.
"That's a telepathic bracer. In vidyadhara customs you give it to someone who you consider very very close to."
"You're... Saying that... Dan Feng proposed?!?!?"
"Why are you acting so surprised?!? You managed to miraculously put babies on him!! Any vidyadhara with a sane mind would want you near him now!!"
Besides the burning on his cheeks, he wasn't looking forward to being seen as... Someone that managed to impregnate their leader. He had other accomplishments than being used as a breeder.
"But... This also means that... You'll have to be checked weekly by a doctor to uh... Stay in shape for their leader."
Yingxing squinted his eyes.
"I am not his whore."
"You're no one's whore!!" She raised her hands in surrender. "You've just... Become essential to vidyadhara culture now.
This means that... You'll have to be at the beck and call from Dan Feng... Starting now, you'll be having to work from Scalegorge Waterscape."
"You're kidding me." He hissed, covering his face.
"I-I'm not!! I'm doing my best to break the news to you. H... How are you feeling?"
"Insulted and angry." He gritted his teeth but forced himself to let it go with a sigh. "But I shouldn't be feeling like this when I have other more important news to think of..."
He stared at the door, wooden splinters spreading on the floor.
"Can I see him? Please?" He begged, making the foxian sigh.
"You'll have to be seen by a doctor first. They'll draw blood and... Other fluids... And ask you questions that I won't be there to listen to.
But! After that, you should be able to reunite with him. He... He has been waiting for you." She spoke that last part softly, turning back to stroke her perfectly fluffy tail.
"He's... Happy. Overjoyed even. I have never seen him like this. While all political problems get solved, it is our duty as the High Cloud Quintet to guard this new upcoming future for the vidyadhara.
So you won't be able to push us away that easily."
With a cheeky smile, Yingxing moved to hug her in relief.
"I wouldn't have it any other way.”
It had been far more awkward than Yingxing had imagined. The vidyadhara asked for details and Yingxing was sure that his face would burst into flames.
After he was given a jar to... Give a sample... He could only nod and go to the bathroom.
The things he did for his newfound family...
They not only prodded him physically much more than he was comfortable with, but they asked questions about his past. His parents.
He gave a short answer and couldn't elaborate much since... He refused to. He never went back to his city and he had been the sole survivor before the Borison took over.
That part caught the doctor's attention.
Something about the type of planet the Borison chose to settle on and spread their seed.
"Perhaps you are more exceptional than you think." The man spoke out loud, writing something down without even looking at him.
He knew it was supposed to be a compliment, but it felt more akin to a blade being pressed against his throat.
Given the chance to leave, he took it, fleeing the makeshift nursery to see his husband.
They had soldiers waiting at the door. Vidyadhara that looked at him no more worthy than the sand on their shoes, now lingered over him, as if he was an enigma that they tried to solve.
After they gave him access to the bedroom, Dan Feng jumped on him, hugging and crying against his body.
His sobs and laughter left him trembling like a leaf, even after he held his hands and tried to calm him down.
"Yingxing, you–!! You saved my people." Dan Feng said, his eyes shining more than Yingxing had ever seen in his life.
"Yingxing... Yingxing, you're mine!!" Dan Feng said, pouncing on him once again, taking advantage of a dazzled Yingxing to pin him down.
Still giggling and with cheeks in full blush, Dan Feng pinned him down.
"Okay. Hold still now, I need to work hard on a couple of things before anyone else can see you."
"You need to what–? Wait– Dan Feng!!"
The sound of fabric being torn to shred was replaced by a soft purr.
The dragon ran his claws over the marked skin with calculated eyes.
"Good. It looks good." He praised his own work before moving to his neck and frowning.
Dan Feng hummed, running his claw over the mostly healed skin.
Yingxing knew that gaze. Something deeply upsetting Dan Feng but not wanting to say it.
"Hold still, will you honey?"
That had been the only warning before Dan Feng sunk his teeth into his skin hard deep enough to draw blood.
The emotions inside his head exploded like fireworks. He shouldn't be enjoying being mauled, yet Dan Feng's usual cold hand was running down his chest and going lower.
There was a satisfaction that he knew it couldn't belong to him. Yet, it was so deep and strong that it hit him like strong liquor. He let Dan Feng lick and suck all he wanted before moving into his lips.
The metallic taste was there, but the satisfaction blooming on his chest made it impossible for him to consider it gross or disturbing.
"Mhmm... Good" Satisfied, Dan Feng sat on his lap purring.
"Yingxing... You did such a good job breeding me that you actually got me pregnant." Dan Feng leaned forward, his claws gently caressing his jaw.
"Do you know how difficult that is? Do you know how special you are, my star?" Those words coming along with the warm breath made the hair behind his neck stand on guard.
"Awww... Did I scare you? I'm sorry." Dan Feng cooed, moving back as his hand started to push down his lip.
"Mhmm... I forgot. Human teeth are rather... Dull." Pressing his lips together for a moment before breaking into a smile.
"But don't worry, Yingxing. If you could get me pregnant, I'm sure that you can bite me as much as you'd like until it can stay on my skin."
"What?" Yingxing plainly said.
Yingxing learned a lot during the following hours after he entered that bedroom.
First, it turns out that Dan Feng wasn't just horny... Well. He still was. But there was a motive behind it.
He saw vidyadhara before with bite marks. They had been so deep and visible that he thought that some monster had done it. He supposed that, since he spent most of his time around vidyadhara soldiers, that dedication was reasonable.
It turns out that the monster was actually their beloved. The mark being a visual warning as to not flirt with a vidyadhara who had a partner strong enough to leave such a mark.
This is how Yingxing ended up with one, and how Dan Feng practically begged for him to start using clothes that would display them. He even started to cry and claw at him at the mere thought of him covering it up.
He did get worried about Dan Feng having to bite him again and again to replicate the exact mark, but the High Elder dismissibly shook his wrist assuring him that it would not come off.
...
There is a point where, after doing the impossible, you don't... Doubt certain things anymore.
That's how Yingxing just rolled with it.
Then, there was something called 'scenting'. That was the reason Dan Feng clung to his sweaty clothes.
And that had been the reason as to why his pregnant husband had refused to sleep, assuring him because he smelled of other vidyadhara.
He lacked the ability to smell, but he thought that taking a bath would take it off.
Dan Feng refused, and spent the entire night rubbing their naked bodies so their scents would mingle, with Dan Feng's scent heavy on Yingxing.
Yingxing had no idea this was part of vidyadhara culture, and he was starting to get worried about what else he'd have to do.
But as his savoir, Baiheng offered to take Yingxing to get some fresh air.
It took 30 minutes of constant reassurance and promises for Dan Feng to let him go.
This could be his pregnancy. He wasn't sure how vidyadhara pregnancy worked but he knew there would be changes. And he wanted nothing but be supportive.
He was... Leaning on the older side though and he shouldn't have been able to... Plant his seed so easily.
But maybe there was something about Aeons that Yingxing didn't understand. And he had no intentions of figuring them out now.
"Do I... Really smell different?" He asked, looking down at Dan Feng's shirt tightly hugging his chest.
"You mean like Dan Feng? You absolutely stink of him." Baiheng answered, standing by his side.
"Oh wow, can't wait to walk on the streets with a claim such as this."
"You're smiling, though..." Jing Yuan pointed out, half smiling.
"Gross." Jingliu added, making Baiheng laugh.
"So... How are you fairing with the... Vidyadhara bracer? Is it as strong as they say?" Jing Yuan inquired.
At that, Yingxing closed his eyes and let the sea breeze ruffle his hair.
"I can feel his emotions... Strongly, if that's what you mean. But I assure you, I won't be able to control water or heal anyone."
"But your kids might!" Baiheng chimed in with a smile. "One of them has to like flying a strarskiff. And when that happens, aunty Baiheng will be there to take them off to the stars!! Even rub it to the Nameless how cute of a nephew or niece I have."
"Well... I could present them to Mimi." Jing Yuan thought out loud. "Babies don't usually see lions... And Mimi is very soft and cuddly."
"Yeah, but she has fangs, Jing Yuan!" Baiheng argued.
"And so does Dan Feng! They will be fine... Maybe like her for that."
"You'll need to be careful."
"I will... If... I even end up raising a child--"
"WAAAAAHHHH!!! I'LL BE A DOUBLE AUNTY!!! THIS NIGHT IS THE BEST!!!"
"WHA-WHAT?! NO! NO!! I-I don't think so..."
"AWWWWWW is our precious Jing Yuan thinking of someone special? You can tell me all about it~”
"Your age." Jingliu said, moving to stand closer to him as they looked at the Loufu. "How will you handle it to match Dan Feng's?"
Ah... That. It was a good question. One that he didn't even want to answer.
"I... I guess that... I'll look for someone e—"
"There won't be someone else." Jingliu strained firmly. "You are the only known being able to fertilize the eggs of the High Elder. No one else in the universe is capable of doing that."
Yingxing swallowed.
"Well... Not everyone can get close to them to try."
"Do you seriously keep thinking that this has something to do with genetics?" Jingliu turned, her crimson eyes hard and ruthless, as if he had personally offended her.
“Isn't…” He hesitated. “That's how it works? That's how it works with mortals.”
He saw under the moonlight her eye twitch before tensing her jaw and looking back again to the Loufu.
"No, Yingxing. This isn't just about genes. Just like how your wound won't heal, there has to be a connection, just as the High Elder must be powerful enough to reach into that power and bring beings to life."
"How do you know all of this?" Yingxing asked, slightly disturbed.
"The point is: Dan Feng won't accept anyone but you. You are their only chance to fight extinction. But your time with us is running out.
Choose your fate and deal with the consequences."
"Choose my fate?" He chuckled, his mood souring. "What other fate is there besides dying?! I can only do what's best for Dan Feng. I can only give him as much love as my body will allow me to." His hands shook, his heart racing.
"Dan Feng will handle the rest." He said, his shoulders sinking. "I know he will tell them how much I've loved them... Even if I'm not able to see them grow."
The wind whistled between them, and when Yingxing turned, Jingliu looked at him oddly. Her eyes softened and with resolution.
There was something he didn't know, but when he was about to ask her about it, the alarm rang.
"Oh! Our time has run out. Come on Yingxing!! Let's not let your husband wait too much for you. We know how clingy he can be." Baiheng chuckled while pulling him away.
Jing Yuan shook his head with a smile as he gently pushed his back.
Only Jingliu remained standing, keeping her eyes on him until they disappeared behind the doors that belonged to the High Elder of the Loufu.
The following 6 months were a totally different kind of bliss that neither he nor Dan Feng had known.
Of course they kept his name a secret and gave great honors to Dan Feng for taking such an important step forward and even using his body to further their existence into the Xianzhou Ship.
For weeks, people only talked about how Dan Feng was one of the most admired High Elders that could have lived on.
Dan Feng's belly grew, along with Yingxing's happiness. Even if he knew that it would be brief, he wanted to give Dan Feng sweet memories; such as him kissing his belly and cuddling him all night long.
Dan Feng was tasked with travelling through the Xianzhou Ship to display his pregnancy. To display how lucky the Loufu was and to give the chance to people to actually see a pregnant vidyadhara.
Dan Feng hated leaving, but he asked Dan Feng to say hi to the person that gave him the chance to travel on the Loufu during his trip.
That seemed to have cheered him up.
Yingxing wasn't stupid. He knew that a month-long trip with a heavily pregnant vidyadhara was dangerous, but they had been cornered and forced to split.
From then on, Yingxing was always on edge, feeling Dan Feng's nerves fry at not being able to be next to his husband.
And to top it all off: The Abundance launched an attack.
The vidyadhara had used most of their troupes to guard Dan Feng, which left only the cloud knights to fight.
And after many nights awake thinking of it, Yingxing was getting ready to deploy with Jing Yuan undercover.
"You're making a mistake." Jingliu said, catching him in the act as he was half dressed with the armor of a cloud knight.
"You said it yourself. I don't have much time left. Better to make the most of it." He said, fastening the armor.
"That's not what I meant." She gritted through her teeth. "Yingxing this is stupid. Dan Feng—”
"DAN FENG ISN'T HERE!!" He snapped. "I WANT TO SUPPORT DAN FENG AND MY CHILDREN. BUT WHAT DO THEY WAIT FOR ME TO DO? TO SIT STILL??? LIKE A FUCKING DOLL?!?! I may not understand whatever the hell politics are going on right now but I can't simply stand and allow for Abundance creatures to exist on the same ship as my future children."
"Incredible." Jingliu turned around, her armor clicking as she walked back to him. "Nothing is going to convince you to not go, is it?"
"We're low on soldiers. Do you want me to wait on the battlefield or to wait until they breach the city?" He answered back firmly.
Jingliu shook her head, seemingly tired to try and reason with someone as stubborn as he.
"Dan Feng won't be happy when he finds out." She said, in front of the door.
"Dan Feng won't find out. I am helping him! He won't have to take so much responsibility– He shouldn't in the first place!! He is carrying!!"
Jingliu clicked her tongue.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night."
The door opened and she got out, leaving only him with armor and lacking a weapon... He should really hurry. The last thing he needed was Jing Yuan also finding out that he was doing this.
The battle was bloody as they tried to hold back the Abundance. Rows of soldiers being consumed one after another... It was horrifying. The only reason they hadn't already lost was because Jing Yuan had an actual plan and formation.
Their attacks were swift, but not enough with the numbers. Jing Yuan was considered how they could retreat, the blood splashing on his shoes as he walked through the battlefield was torture.
He found familiar faces on the dirt, their lifeless eyes staring back at him and reminding him of their families as they said their goodbyes.
There were so many that he had started to fear, to see one person that had so much influence into his life, dead and being corroded by the Abundance.
Jing Yuan would never forgive himself for it.
After another choir of men yelled as they fell, Jing Yuan was ready to yell for a retreat.
That was, until the Azure Dragon appeared.
It brought rain, so much rain that it saturated the earth, mixing blood and constricting the air with thunderclouds. His shout as he struck down rows of enemies and then flew over their heads; eyes focused on the earth.
"Dan Feng!!" He yelled, and decided to be stupid: To take off his helmet in the hope to be recognizable.
"DAN FENG!!!" He yelled as loud as he could. "GET OUT!! GO BACK!!"
The monster of the Abundance roared back at the dragon. Their life force was strong as it tried to touch it– to be swiftly ripped apart by the sudden droplets of water causing a short-lived tsunami.
Its blood flew, staining his hair and face, falling with a deafening scream.
"CHARGE!!!" He yelled, seizing the opportunity of victory. His cloud knights shouted, responding to his orders as they moved forward.
The Azure Dragon growled before its paws actually made contact with the earth, its yell familiar and harrowing to Jing Yuan, making him stumble for a moment.
Strong Abundance beings exploded as the droplets bursted with strength, after that, the dragon rose back and fled.
Only leaving behind stormy clouds, water droplets angrily colliding with his hair and cleaning up the blood and gore from his armor.
Yingxing had faced many close deaths. Since he saw his parents die in front of his eyes, then having to flee and sneak into an unknown ship into another ship where he had no one to rely on.
He believed that with those experiences and the ones on the battlefield alongside the High Cloud Quintet nothing else could make him as scared as to lose the ones that he loved before his eyes.
That is, before a huge dragon made eye contact with him and immediately kidnapped him from the battlefield and into the home of his husband.
They had been ushered inside while the storm kept raging on outside the house.
And he finally understood why people said that Dan Feng was the closest of their people to Long, a missing Aeon.
He had seen his ruthlessness crushing enemy lines, the bold moves he performed with his spear and the way he used water in ways that could chill anyone to the bone.
But the moment that dragon actually caught him, Yingxing felt electricity run all over his body from head to toe. He had been too afraid of moving, or even breathing while being carried by such a powerful being that had destroyed beings as far as the eye could see from the Abundance by just roaring.
He tried to ease his breathing, as the chestplate barely clung to his body. The lower part had been washed away but his helmet remained, looking at the naked back of the vidyadhara.
Yingxing had to say something– anything, at this point!!
"You." Dan Feng's voice came out, as if two people were speaking at the same time instead of one. It made each individual hair from behind his neck stand, the bite mark that had never healed felt new and blazing over his skin.
"Is it really you? Did you actually decide to throw yourself against our enemies... While I was GONE?!" Dan Feng roared, turning his face. Parts of his skin were covered by scales while his pupils were slits indignantly pinning him in place.
"ANSWER ME!!!"
He wished!! He really really wished he could speak!!
But instead, his entire body was paralyzed by fear. That had been the closest he had made contact with an Aeon and his heart kept beating against his ribcage.
"You– Damned human." Dan Feng cursed, moving towards him.
He looked beautiful. He looked terrifying.
The remaining water that should be running down his skin levitated from his anger, until he stood in front of Yingxing and threw away the helmet.
Both of them looked at each other as Dan Feng heaved.
"I could... I could have lost you!!! YOU STUPID MORON!!!"
Dan Feng threw himself at him, starting to tear down metal armor, clothes– anything in between his claws turned into ribbons.
Until, he reached Yingxing's skin. He dug his nails over the skin, breathing heavily at each individual scar and cut over his skin.
There was nothing presently broken, but he was still too ashamed to speak. He couldn't even be confident that his voice wouldn't tremble and further worry Dan Feng.
Dan Feng growled. But the sound came out more similar from the beast that had reduced a beast of the Abundance into a dying and yelling monster.
When the High Elder pushed him into the bed, Yingxing was helpless to fall into the cold nest of their absence.
Dan Feng then laid over him; his tail turning firmly over his waist, his hands resting over each shoulder and his pregnant belly against his stomach.
Yingxing's heart kept running, fear shooting up inside his brain as he felt how each portion of skin against his own seemed to be making him tremble.
It was a low humming like sound, far from a purr and more like a low motor.
But he wasn't stupid. He felt the strength beneath each muscle and he remembered how easily Dan Feng could think about it, and the blood would seize to flow through his veins.
They spent minutes like this, the pouring rain shaking the windows.
And just when he thought he could say something? He looked down and into Dan Feng's predatory look.
He felt so small: a simple star looking into the void of a black hole that would soon consume it and crush it. Bending it into any shake it wanted.
That's exactly how he felt looking straight into Dan Feng's eyes.
And because his luck seemed to especially suck today: Dan Feng raised enough to be nose to nose.
He moved a single hand, pressing the nail of his thumb over his lip until blood bursted out. And like an actual hunter, his pupils dilated for a second.
He leaned down, and started sucking and drinking the blood that turned his own lips red like a sick lipstick.
"You're... You're real." He panted against his mouth. "You're alive... You're with me."
When no more blood poured out of the wound, Dan Feng opened another one. And another. And another. And another.
Yingxing only saw the lights dim inside the room as Dan Feng remained on top of his body, successfully caging him in such an effortless fashion.
He wasn't sure how long it had been, but he had finally been able to hug back Dan Feng's body before falling into a deep sleep.
Yingxing was on house arrest. Did he deserve it? Yes.
But he would have rather been told that instead of finding out by the way the vidyadhara inside the house looked at him each time he moved. He could feel their eyes on the back of his neck as he stayed on Dan Feng's study, reading.
He wasn't doing anything!!
But the news of what must have happened spread fast. It wasn't as if Dan Feng wanted to pretend either. His patience had finally run out, and he refused to leave his nest and refused to leave Yingxing out of his reach.
Even if the vidyadhara didn't let him touch him. Only Dan Feng could initiate contact.
That still didn't stop him from apologizing again and again as the pregnancy reached a point where he was impressed by how Dan Feng was carrying their babies.
A part of him felt guilty since he technically had put a clutch inside of him.
But the fact that Dan Feng couldn't do certain things gave him the chance to redeem himself, such as taking scrolls for him or helping him up or down the stairs.
He had started to massage his muscles when they seemed to swollen, and Dan Feng had let him.
Now, as Dan Feng was softly resting against his chest, Yingxing said the words he had been repeating at least once a day for weeks:
"I'm sorry. I was a fool and shouldn't have done that."
Dan Feng hummed in acknowledgement, but that didn't mean he accepted the apology.
He gently took Dan Feng's claws and massaged each knuckle, gently stretching each finger with care and reverence.
With only the periodical flop of Dan Feng's tail on the bed, there weren't any more words exchanged between them.
"I'm sorry, Dan Feng. I really fucked up." He said, sinking his head over Dan Feng's shoulder. "I should have considered how important I am to you and your people. You guys don't have the same luxury other species have."
"Yingxing." Dan Feng said, tensing.
"I just really can't bare how you would have reacted if you'd find me hurt or worst–”
"Yingxing." Dan Feng chastised.
"I don't want to leave you. I swear that you're the only one for me, and nothing will change that. Not even lifetimes. But I just don't know how to always be there for you with me being–"
"Yingxing!!" Dan Feng yelled, pulling at his hair.
"Hey I really am doing my be—...
Dan Feng. Did you bring water into the bed?"
"N-no. No, no I didn't. Ah. Ah fuck."
"I'll go look for someone." Yingxing was fast as the water seemed to have broken.
But even during childbirth, Dan Feng was faster by digging his nails into his forearm.
"NO! N-no... AGH... N-no... You. Please. Only you. I want you."
"Dan Feng, you can't just expect me to just look at you giving birth!! Your species doesn't even–"
"LISTEN TO ME!!" That same voice boomed over the room, sparkles dancing over his skin.
"You. I only want you here with me– I... I can do this. Trust me, Yingxing." Dan Feng pleaded.
And while Yingxing wasn't as stupid as to not have noticed the birthing classes Dan Feng was having, he still had a hard time doing what Dan Feng told him to.
"Okay. Okay, alright. I'm here. I won't go anywhere, you're safe with me."
"Yingxing." Dan Feng sobbed, squeezing his hand hard. "It hurts! It hurts so much!!"
"I'm here for whatever you need me to." He comforted, pushing aside the fear chewing his mind.
That day was filled with yelling, and no vidyadhara had dared to enter the room as their leader's voice grew raw.
Dan Feng kept weeping, even when holding the eggs into his arms, but for another reason entirely.
"They're so pretty. Yingxing I love them" Dan Feng said gently rubbing his face over the teal shell of one of the eggs.
"Come closer, I want them to know you."
Yingxing didn't know how any of this worked. The eggs had already been quite big. Not as big as the ones on Scalegorge Waterscape, but still a considerable size.
Dan Feng kept cooing, inviting him into his nest and always keeping him near him and the babies.
They talked and talked until both of them fell asleep guarding each side of the nest.
Then, in the middle of a quiet night, a high pitched yell broke the silence. The sound of eggshells falling, soon the only voice being joined by another and another and another.
Until an entire choir of voices was born under the blanket of the artificial night sky and between two parents that would love their children with more of their life.
"And that's how we managed to obtain the syrup. You just need to put it inside a drink with heavy flavors and he won't notice a thing.
...
Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Because you just told me that the Preceptors and every political party have agreed to killing my husband??????" Dan Feng screeched in horror at Jingliu who clicked her tongue and ran a hand over her hair.
"This is why I invited you over. So we can discuss this and put the issue to rest."
Dan Feng turned to stare daggers at her.
"Okay. Wrong choice of words. I apologize."
Dan Feng sighed, looking for the one chair he liked the most over all the ones Jingliu had inside her house. Once he found it, he flopped over it and groaned.
This couldn't be happening. Kill Yingxing so he could be brought back to life as an immortal being???? Dan Feng would still mourn him!!!
"I see that... Your emotions are still..."
"I gave birth a month ago." He turned to look at her. He still wasn't able to properly cross his legs after the childbirth but his body healed quickly.
"I am fully aware. That's why this needs to happen before Baiheng throws you a party."
"Cancel the entire party all together then! Do you have a single simple idea of what you're asking me to do?!?"
Jingliu pressed her lips into a thin line.
"You think that I don't?! You think that this conversation is easy for me?! It isn't. But I'm doing it for the betterment of the Xianzhou."
"Oh you've got to be kidding me."
"I am!"
"You didn't even like him near me at first!!"
"Well... I changed my mind."
"Because he can impregnate me?"
"At least he has something others don't..."
"Fuck you." He bit back. The aggression felt good on his tongue, but what he would have to do would haunt him for the rest of his existence.
"Jingliu. Don't make me do this." He begged, feeling broken at the idea of even seconds with Yingxing dead before him.
"I'm sorry Dan Feng. I understand that you don't want him to go through this as a mortal. But my hands are tied when there is a unanimous decision."
"And one that you agree on." He hurls back at her.
"As long as it benefits our future, I'll make sure it happens."
"For fuck's sake Jingliu." Dan Feng covered his face, wishing the earth could swallow him right now.
"Dan Feng. We both know that time is our enemy." She spoke, leaning closer. "I've moved all the strings that I could, asked every favour, just so you could be there taking care of him and not any other vidyadhara."
"If another vidyadhara dared to, they would be found dead in a ditch." Dan Feng growled.
"Dan Feng, focus." Jingliu reprimanded, moving her hand to take out a cylindrical glass, almost filled with some kind of viscous liquid, into his hands. "It must be you."
Dan Feng looked at the options– no. His only option.
It rested heavy on his hand. But who knew what else would happen if he refused.
"Come with me to the house." He spoke, his voice lacking any emotions. "Take the kids away while I do this. And tell the Preceptors that it is happening tonight so any help that you may need they must be there for you."
"They will also be there for you but. More like. Keeping an eye on you rather than helping you."
"Yeah, I know, I get it." He said, deciding to put away the liquid and leaned against the couch.
Their big fight before the birth of their children still remained an open wound. But murder was far from the fucking solution!!!
But each time that he thought he had it solved, he found a failure and he had to start over.
There would be no going back now; Yingxing would die tonight. By his hand.
Yingxing never thought of himself as a good caretaker. Sure, he could keep Yunli entertained, even make her some toys.
But seeing his babies was on a whole entire level.
There weren't many moments that he had alone with them, but Dan Feng had decided to go out on a walk. His voice had been tense, so Yingxing knew better than to press as to why it had been so late at night.
But he supposed he understood. He had fed the children with his own body (something that vidyadhara didn't seem to do), a side effect from having been impregnated by a human, they called it.
Yet, his gaze softened when Dan Feng pushed their faces against his nipple and watched them drink. Some even had started to purr, which had scared him at first, but Dan Feng assured him that it had been good.
Now, full of milk and fuzzy over their night time, Yingxing was rocking the only boy from the clutch. It had been surprising that out of 5 entire eggs only one had hatched as a male.
But there could also be other reasons such as the temperature of the eggs that seemingly could decide their gender.
It was all speculation, taken from ancient texts, so no one had any idea if that happened because of vidyadhara biology, human biology or both.
It didn't matter to him. As long as they could be safe, he didn't care.
"I wonder how much you'll remember me when you grow up." Yingxing murmured, as the baby pulled at his silver hair.
"Ah. Even if it is difficult, just know that through these delicate bones, I will lull you as much as I can." He pressed his lips over the baby's forehead and then gently put him down with his sleeping sisters.
Dan Feng and him were still thinking of names. The Preceptors of course wanted to name a couple, so instead of enjoying the moment; Dan Feng and him were keeping at bay those old lizards.
It soured the experience... One that he might not have many to enjoy.
"Shhhh. Don't fuzz. I'm still here." He said, extending his hand and letting the baby move it to his mouth. He even gave a couple of kicks while his tail flopped between his sisters.
As expected, the baby soon grew tired and started to relax his jaw. His blinking became slower until he was weakly keeping his hand by sinking his tiiiiny claws.
It was adorable. Yingxing had helplessly fallen in love with being a father.
It was still embarrassing to admit. How his heart skipped a beat at the idea of having more babies, because that's what everyone was talking about.
Even the physician who had seen him weekly, announced that his diet would change so he could satisfy their High Elder during his next heat.
It wasn't scheduled for a couple of months, but they kept insisting that he needed to be prepared.
He knew that part of the reason was his age, but he just wanted a damned moment to be with his children.
As he was trying to process all of this, the bedroom door of the nursery opened ajar, the figure of the High Elder standing there; quietly looking at Yingxing leaning over the crib.
The heavy silence made him question what was holding Dan Feng back. Had he experienced a bad day and didn't want to say it in front of their children?
That could be arranged.
He quietly moved away and exited the room, closing the door and then turning to Dan Feng.
"What's wrong?" He blinked, at the expression of the High Elder as he had asked. "Dan Feng?"
"Drink with me." Dan Feng moved to hold both of his hands.
Yingxing blinked, taken off guard.
"I can't. The physician–"
"Fuck him." Dan Feng hissed, squeezing his hands. "Please. Let's drink together under the moonlight. Before I had my heat. Before I... Changed both of our lives forever.
Just. One more time. Please?"
Yingxing sighed, clearly a weak man.
"The children–"
"I asked Jingliu to come over. She'll take them with the milk that I've prepared. They'll have a sleepover with their aunts!”
"I... I guess that would be the best." He agreed quietly, avoiding his gaze. "I do want them to meet them. They're our friends."
"Exactly." Dan Feng agreed, rubbing his hand. "They need a break from politics and just need to be babies."
"And, I take it that you wish to be alone with me then." Yingxing swallowed, as Dan Feng's gaze for a moment flickered darkly.
"Is that so bad?" He murmured, his lips close to their joined hands. "So much has been going on and– We finally get a chance to be alone. To drink alone. I... I miss you, Yingxing."
Dan Feng looked up, his eyes glassy, making Yingxing pull him closer.
"It's okay. I get it. You also need my attention, it seems." He chuckled, as Dan Feng gripped his clothes.
"It will be fun." He promised. "We didn't even celebrate our engagement... We deserve it, at least."
Yingxing hummed, petting Dan Feng's hair.
"Then, as my wife, would you like me to carry you to our bedroom?" Yingxing teased with a smile, making Dan Feng hide his face against his shoulder.
"Please." He whimpered.
Yingxing wasn't sure why Dan Feng seemed so emotional. Maybe the hormones were really doing things to his head right now.
But he also wanted to apologize for everything.
That's how he lifted Dan Feng and kissed his head until they reached their room.
The doors opened to greet the couple and closed behind them.
"The lock." Dan Feng whimpered.
"But... We'll be alone. Won't we?"
"No one should interrupt us."
Yingxing flushed, but considered it fair after everyone tried to peek into their sexual life.
He moved his hand to lock the door and then gently set down his husband. He started kissing his face, then his body before he was gently pushed away.
"Let me pour the drinks." Dan Feng said, excusing himself to look for a bottle and cups.
Yingxing hummed, loosening a couple of buttons from his shirt as he moved to open the windows. The air was fresh and the moonlight poured into the bedroom.
"As you wish." He coily replied, sitting down and enjoying the full moon basking over the night sky.
Dan Feng bit his lip until it bled, doing his best to pour a foreign drink with enough of a honey color so that the syrup wouldn't be weird. He knew that Yingxing hadn't really tried drinks from other corners of the galaxy, so he was glad that the Sky-Faring Commission was so generous during his trips over the Xianzhou.
He poured it into a long glass, poured the liquor and brought with him honey that he had in his pantry.
When Yingxing saw him, he raised an eyebrow.
"It's special!" He said, clapping his hands as he looked at each glass and then back at Yingxing.
"It's a bottle bought on Penacony, called 'Asdana's White Oak'. I've heard that many space rangers favour it."
"Space Rangers... Is that so?" Yingxing said, looking at his glass. But before he could take a closer look at the syrup at the bottom, Dan Feng moved to grab the glass and pour honey over it.
"I've heard it's better with honey." He added, quickly mixing the liquid and putting down the cup to do the same with his.
Once everything was done, he put both hands over his thighs as he remained on his knees, waiting for Yingxing to grab his glass.
"Dan Feng, before we start... I must ask you once more that you forgive me."
Dan Feng's heart was stuck on his throat, the guilt starting to shake him to his core.
"Yingxing. You have apologized enough." He forced the words out, trembling.
This only made Yingxing take his hand.
"I am really sorry. I worried you were sick and... I can't think of a world where we couldn't have managed to see our babies."
"Me neither." Dan Feng answered, shaking from head to toe because of the nerves.
"Dan Feng." Yingxing's pleading voice came as he pulled him closer.
"Everyone is wrong. I am not the special person that they think I am... You are. You are an extraordinary partner who I won't leave."
Yeah... He wouldn't be leaving…
"Until the day I die, I will help you raise our kids. I will leave letters so you can read one for each birthday. You'll never be alone."
Dan Feng pushed down a sob, having to force himself away and grab his drink.
"I can't do this sober. I'm sorry."
"That's okay my love. I understand." Yingxing gently rubbed his cheek, taking his glass and gently clicking them.
"For your future." Yingxing wished, and sipped his drink.
Dan Feng's tears fell over his glass, swallowing each and every horrible emotion that dug into his mind.
"For my future..." He sobbed and sipped down the liquid in one go.
Hours had passed, and Jingliu knew his desperate Dan Feng was. So the chances of running away with Yingxing were null. And if he tried to resist, Dan Feng would make him drink the subtract.
It was as soon as the rays of light graced the Loufu that her phone buzzed. She had been up the entire night as a guard while Jing Yuan and Baiheng spent time with the babies. But in reality, she was expecting to hear from Dan Feng.
There was no one else but her to help him if things went South, so she waited and waited for news.
She moved outside of the house, walking over the grass and dew barefoot as she picked out the phone.
"Dan Feng." She answered.
"Jingliu." Dan Feng's breath came out heavy, his voice wavering as he sobbed on the other side of the line. "Where did you get the syrup?"
Jingliu swallowed, her words solid as ice as she answered.
"It was given to me by the officials from the Alchemy Commission. As I've said before, the syrup, while mixed with sugar to work as a reactive, is based on vidyadhara potions to maintain the age of the patient."
She stopped, but only Dan Feng was panting on the other side of the line.
"Stop lying to me Jingliu." He spat out in anger and anguish. "Where did this actually come from?!"
Jingliu frowned. She knew that Dan Feng would become unstable as he killed Yingxing, but there was something else to it.
"Dan Feng. What went wrong? Are you in danger?" She spoke, already going back inside to take off her sleeping clothes.
"No, no. FUCK I wish I was the one in danger!" He sobbed.
"I'm going there."
"No. You won't." He ordered, voice cold as the ice of her sword. "You'll go to the Alchemy Commission and confiscate all that they have."
"Pardon?"
"The disciples of Sanctus Medicus got in."
And the line went flat.
Jingliu got dressed and took Baiheng's strarskiff as she drove there.
Waiting for her was Dan Feng's personal vidyadhara army, fighting the last few spies as they tried to reprimand them.
It took everything inside Jingliu for her to not kill them right then and there.
The squad moved fast, leaving only a couple of vidyadhara to inspect inside one of the buildings so as to not raise suspicion of danger.
The scent of herbs felt like a punch on the gut. Mostly because these were foreign herbs; the wide number sent a chill down her spine.
As she watched silently, one of the soldiers came back with a report: There had been testing reactions over the blood sells to see which one would give the best results.
Most of them were marked as failures or needed improvement.
They hadn't found a match for the blood samples, but after they told her that it was always over that same sample... She didn't needed confirmation.
"As far as we can see, their attempt all resulted in failure. None of the samples gathered from the Abundance were compatible or hit the goal."
"Which was?" She asked, crossing her arms.
"To control and constantly renew the blood cells. Maintaining them on their prime and avoiding aging."
Jingliu wanted to throw up.
"What about the suspects?"
"Were moving them to an unspecified location so that we may interrogate them."
"I'll do the interrogation." She announced, not accepting a refusal. "Take me where they are, and I'll take from them anything they have in a matter of hours."
The vidyadhara looked at his papers and then back at the swordchampion of the Loufu.
"Yes. Come with me, please." The vidyadhara nodded and walked her outside.
She could feel a thin layer of ice forming at the palm of her hand as reality set in: They had been played.
Yingxing stirred awake by shallow sobbings against his ear.
"Ying... Yingxing. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Everything is my fault." Dan Feng whimpered as he held a death grip on his body.
As he regained control of his limbs, he slowly moved a hand to caress his husband's cheek.
"It's alright my love. Nothing bad is going to happen to me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Dan Feng froze. His hands then moving back to firmly press on each side of his head.
"Yingxing?" The High Elder whimpered, red rimmed eyes as he blinked away the tears.
"Who else?" He answered with a smirk, pushing down the nausea before Dan Feng threw himself at his neck and shook with sobbings from head to toe.
"Yingxing! Yingxing! Ying... Yingxing!!" His voice broken in sobs clung to him, salty tears pressed against his lips.
"Dan Feng. You're scaring me. What's going on?" He blinked, the memories of last night coming back fuzzy; how they had drunk and cuddled together under the moonlight.
"Dan Feng. Where are our kids?" Yingxing said, trying to rid himself of the heavy dragon that pushed his body down against the mattress.
"T-they are fine! T-they are!! I promise!!"
But seeing him so inconsolable didn't made the dread go away.
"Dan Feng, let me get up." He tried asking, and to his surprise, Dan Heng locked his limbs over his body.
"N-no." He heaved.
"What did you said?" Yingxing asked, not having believed his ears.
"I won't let you get out of this bed." Dan Feng stated, which led to them wrestling on the bed.
But as he tossed down Dan Feng into the mattress, he saw it: ivory blue strands of hair, mingling into red at the tips.
His heart suddenly was bursting inside his chest, as he stupidly stared at his hair.
Dan Feng recovered, tipping his body and pressing it into the bed.
He had thought that... It was a trick of the light. That it was Dan Feng's hair. But after what he saw, it had been undeniably his.
"Dan Feng." He spoke, his voice trembling. "What did you do? What did you do to me?!?"
Caught like a deer in the headlights, Dan Feng's chest trembled.
"Yingxing. Let me explain." He started, while at the same time Yingxing felt cold vines starting to climb over his limbs.
"You don't want to explain yourself, YOU JUST WANT TO RUN AWAY!! DAN FENG LET ME GO!!" He trashed around, but he had been firmly pinned on the bed.
Dan Feng slowly moved out, his body trembling; using the same clothes as last night.
"You'll be fine." He said, sounding more to himself than Yingxing. "I won't let anyone hurt you and-- things will keep going as we were. We'll keep growing our family, no matter what anyone says."
"Do you actually think that we can still be a couple as you hold me down like this?" He snarled at the High Elder.
Dan Feng paled, but quickly recovered as he crossed his arms.
"Sleep on it." He coldly told Yingxing before everything suddenly went black with a hit over his neck.
Two months had passed. Two months as Yingxing had been restrained and forced into a different facility.
Two months where the vidyadhara were tilting on a war against the entire ship because they were desperate to keep him alive as their only chance for survival.
Yingxing lost all autonomy and rights as a human being the moment he had been fused with what was found to be a fruit from the tree of the Abundance.
They spent weeks looking for exact traces as to what could have caused this while Dan Feng handled being a single parent, losing his husband and fighting for what remained of him.
The first week that Dan Feng had wanted to speak with Yingxing, the man threatened murder. Which was painful to watch.
Even if it hadn't been her fault, Jingliu felt very responsible for pressuring Dan Feng. The Preceptors pushed all blame over their High Elder, and told him that he would be pardoned if he 'repeated his miracle.' In other words; Dan Feng could either have more children or he was as good as dead to them.
Even with a guillotine hanging over his neck, after Yingxing refused any approach towards him, Dan Feng slowly... Dimmed, like a light. His eyes started to be hollow, even when playing with his children.
Yet, when asked about what he would do regarding his heat, he ordered for things to go as they had planned for before.
Disturbing Jingliu enough to have confronted the man.
"I will free him." He assured her. "I won't force myself into him... Not again. If he ends up killing me, at least he would have his deserved vengeance."
Baiheng never stopped visiting Yingxing. She spent every minute where she was allowed to be near him trying to cheer him up.
After two weeks, they let her in. And besides the fury in Yingxing's eyes, the flames went out as she moved to hug him.
People were already preparing for the worst, as they looked at Yingxing's pulse. But seeing him sob and soften up while Baiheng kept him company, made it better.
Jing Yuan wanted to go, but because of his military position, he would have easily been fired for corruption.
Jingliu could only stay on the other side of the glass during visitation hours. Sometimes she swore that Yingxing knew that she was there, looking at him in disgust... And how couldn't she? He was an abomination... That she had helped to create. That the system who promised a couple a 'happily ever after' would be taking away their children as soon as Dan Feng was out of the picture.
Their plans became evident the more weeks passed: They said that his blood was nasty and it would corrupt the bloodline. They tried to even drag Baiheng in as some kind of lover because Yingxing was happy to see her.
Jingliu had to step forward and attest their years of friendship for the gossip to end.
It still hit Dan Feng like a truck. The idea of his soulmate leaving him for another. She saw how it broke him inside.
Refusing to see his friends kill each other, she decided to talk to Yingxing.
"I've been waiting." Yingxing mumbled, sitting on the floor of the white room. It was so bright and harrowing.
"Have you finally decided to kill me?"
"That wouldn't be possible." She answered out loud, just so no one would come and kick her out suddenly.
Yingxing tilted his head. Crimson red eyes giving her a knowing look.
They both knew that was a lie and that she could easily end his life right here, right now.
And perhaps, that would be the most merciful thing to do.
But she refused. For now.
"Do you know what will happen tomorrow?"
"Is the sun still shining outside? Is the water still wet?" Yingxing chuckled darkly. "I do."
"Then you must know what's at stake here: the future of a species. And you have the chance to save it."
"SAVE IT?! SAVE IT LIKE YOU SAVED ME–"
He was cut short as Jingliu closed her hand around his neck.
She could hear the people running down to kick her out as soon as possible for messing with their little experiment.
"Your children's lives depend on what will happen tomorrow." She whispered only for him to hear and then let him fall into the ground.
"Their blood is in your hands." She delivered the last blow and turned back to leave. The door was already open as guards came after her, dragging her out, but she could only hear Yingxing's coughing over their voices.
It took him time and money to move the strings around. He lied to people, even showcasing his strength just so they would leave Yingxing inside his house.
It hadn't been that difficult thanks to him taking the form of the Azure Dragon a couple of months ago; he just needed to make everyone else believe that he had shaken off his grief and would do anything on his power to continue the vidyadhara bloodline.
After gaining trust through credits, associates and favors, he now had Yingxing sleeping on their bed. Since to make things easier, they had just given him sedatives until everything was ready.
He kept his clothes on and never touched the ones on Yingxing. Now as he wasn't that deep into his grief, he could see the lack of wrinkles on his face.
He looked maybe 30 or 40 years younger. Definitely in his late youth as he fought alongside the Quintet.
Dan Feng almost felt nervous when seeing his beautiful face again after months, his heart beating loudly against his ears. He wanted to hold Yingxing and praise him. He wanted to speak about how much he loved him. How painfully sorry he was.
But as he heard him groan on the bed, he knew his time was up.
"Dan Feng." Yingxing sighed tiredly. "So you've dragged me here again."
His eyes, now crimson, set on his own.
Yingxing started to chuckle, his laughter for the first time sounding rough against his ears.
"Well, would you look at that! You're flushing from heat to toe, holding your little spear as if it's going to hold me back from tearing your heart out."
Dan Feng swallowed, slowly walking closer to the bed. His heat was tearing his mind apart, alongside the bracer being back on his husband, his instincts just wanted to let the man do whatever he wanted with Dan Feng.
And Dan Feng wasn't going to fight it. His resolve was sure.
Maybe that's why Yingxing frowned when Dan Feng let his spear hit the floor. Maybe the look of mystery on his face as his knees hit the mattress was enough.
He wouldn't put on a fight.
So when Yingxing's body moved to put him in a headlock, Dan Feng just let it happen.
His body betrayed him as he started sobbing, Yingxing's palm firmly on the side of his head.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Yingxing. I betrayed your trust and basically killed you. I... I won't oppose you as you carry on what you must b-but just know that... I love you. I'll always love yo–AHG!!"
He choked, as that arm strangled his neck. He forced his body to not trash as his tears kept flowing, his mind a disarray of 'I love you's and his own failure as a husband.
He had started to feel his drool dripping down his mouth before he was violently let go of and thrown against the bed.
The black dots danced before his unfocused eyes before he could see Yingxing's face firmly observing him. Besides that, he felt a peculiar pull through their connection on the bracer.
"So you love me? Even after being turned into this kind of monster?! A monster of the Abundance!!" Yingxing raised his voice at him.
Because only weak coughs came out of his throat, Dan Feng nodded, pushing his thoughts through the bracer: "Always. You won't stop being Yingxing. And I won't stop loving you."
Dan Feng yearned to touch Yingxing further, but he had to urge him to leave. To at least give him the chance to leave.
"No way." The man growled over him, seemingly knowing what was going on inside his head. "What about our kids? What about you?!"
His kids would stay with Jingliu and Baiheng. They would flee on a strarskiff to another planet to be raised with love. As for him? His life didn't make sense without Yingxing. For weeks he had felt empty and without a purpose. Why would he fear torture? Why would he fear death? His life would be meaningless anyway.
And in a twist of fate that Dan Feng didn't see coming, Yingxing prevented him from catching his breath as he moved to kiss him.
"No. I won't leave you. I refuse to leave you and our family behind."
Dan Feng wanted to cry, his Yingxing being too good for him, but only broken whines and sounds came out of him.
"I'm sorry Dan Feng. I'm sorry." Yingxing whispered against his swollen lips. "You never intended for me to become this. I promise that I will link our fates. I promise that I will keep my promise to you– whatever the cost."
"Ying... Xing..." Dan Feng sighed teary eyed. This was too good to be true. He had been dreaming.
Just like in a dream, Yingxing felt desperate as he pulled down his pants and underwear. Then, he pressed soft kisses and bites, making him moan and whimper while trying to grind against his lips.
But as both hands firmly held back his thighs, Yingxing kept looking at him and drinking the view. Dan Feng now realized that he felt as excited as he did when he saw him squirm.
"I'll prove it to you, my beloved. That you are far from dreaming." Yingxing leaned down to his clit before ruthlessly sucking on it.
Dan Feng yelled, his claws sinking over Yingxing's head as the man slid his tongue in between his chubby lips. He felt that greedy tongue lap as the sweat and slick rapidly flooded his mouth, the slurping sounds making heat rise up until his ears.
It had been so long... Too long until he had felt his husband love him.
And with all the stress, fear and anxiety... How was he supposed to not fall apart at the hands of this man?