Chapter Text
'And I lament
for I stared into an abyss and found within it breathless madness
eyes most adoring upon me.'
The door banged as someone threw themselves against it. Yingxing's voice rang, shouting Dan Feng's name. Asking him to open the door and let him in. Haoli's eyes shook, wanting to look back to the source of his budding obsession. But to look away from Dan Feng right now would mean he lost, so he kept his eyes locked. “High Elder, I hope you'll forgive this humble one someday. But I intend to steal your intended as long as he's unmated.”
The door to the locker room banged open.
In the time it took for Yingxing to burst into the room, Dan Feng had flash-forward, clasping around Haoli's neck in a strangling hold. Eyes glowing with rage and fangs bared in subtle snarl at the younger Vidyadhara. Haoli struggled, feet off the ground, desperately clawing at the High Elder's covered arms, drawing blood in his feeble attempts to fight him off. The dragon only tightened his grip in response, his voice a low growl. “Forgiveness was lost the moment you thought you could challenge me. You will pay for your insolence.”
“Dan Feng!” Yingxing, his brave, foolish, beautiful Yingxing threw himself forward. The craftsman, mortal and fragile in body in ways that Dan Feng would never fully understand, wedging himself between the two obsessed dragons. Oblivious, perhaps, to the nature of their obsession. But even so he stood like a shining star between them, hair whipping around his shoulders like the night sky, eyes burning with righteous fury. He gripped Dan Feng's hands in a desperate attempt to peel them away from the tender flesh beneath. “Let him go before you do something foolish.”
“Stay out of this, Yingxing.” Even if Yingxing couldn't have possibly known what had just transpired his interference stung. Needling at his instincts and leaving him with the want to snap his jaws in warning. Yingxing had washed himself off a little, it seemed, but not enough to completely erase that other Vidyadhara's stench. He still carried the aroma of an affair, and it made his pupils nearly dilate with bloodlust. The High Elder didn't budge under the struggle, not an inch, even in the face of Yingxing's beautiful protective rage. Nothing short of drawing Haoli's blood would quell his temper now. “This is a vidyadhara matter.”
“It looks like you're about to strangle another vidyadhara.” Yingxing did not let go. He'd always been a stubborn man, he'd had to be, being a short-life species on a long-life species' world. “Which, I remind you, is your people's greatest crime.”
The craftsman squeezed himself between Dan Feng and Haoli more fully, using all his strength to slowly peel back a single finger. It was an impressive feat by any standard, but it would not be enough, and he knew it. So Yingxing turned to him, changing his tactics with eyes blazing. “And in my forge, Dan Feng. If you've got that bad of an issue with my employee, you can take it out on me.”
A tense silence fell over the locker room as indigo hued eyes glared into glowing aquamarine.
It hurt, it hurt more than he cared to admit that Yingxing, whether unknowingly or not, chose to defend Haoli. Haoli, a competitor who dared covet the craftsman for himself when Dan Feng had laid claim to him years ago. For as gallant and protective as he looked, smelling the way he did, defending the little upstart the way he was, made his dragon heart fill with a deep sense of betrayal.
Why? Why? I saw you first, you've been responding so well to my courtship! I was going to put an end to our friendship and ask you to be mine this very night! How could you abandon me like this?! He wanted to cry, he wanted to scream, but he knew these thoughts were irrational, a result of trying to stave off instinctual heartbreak, so he mercilessly shuddered them away to focus back on his obsession.
Willingly or not, he was the source of the conflict, and now he wasn't letting Dan Feng finish it. Surely, he must know how foolish this endeavor is. The craftsman was skilled, incredibly skilled, but he would not win against Dan Feng. Especially not when the High Elder was as enraged as he was now. But the look on the man’s face told him everything he needed to know; Yingxing would not back down, regardless of whether he won or lost.
How frustrating.
“Have it your way, then.” Dan Feng snapped coolly. The High Elder, even in his rage, respected Yingxing's workspace too much to fight in it. It was his territory, and regardless of the challenge that was issued to him by a foolish brat, he would allow Yingxing, and Yingxing alone, this leniency.
With a final, fierce glare to Haoli, one that indicated his complete and utter contempt for the other Vidyadhara, he let go of the slim throat and sent the younger dragon crashing to the ground, gasping desperately for breath. Not wishing to waste more time on the upstart, he turned to face Yingxing fully, sparing the man none of his rage. “Know that I will not go easy on you. Not after what this brat has done.”
“The brat will apologize for whatever he did.” Yingxing promised as though he had any idea the depts of this vidyadhara's depravity. The craftsman crossed his arms over his chest, completely oblivious to the fact Haoli had been watching Yingxing as though he'd been the god that hand painted the stars into the sky. Or he had been, until the declaration made him grimace a bit. Dan Feng took comfort in the fact that Haoli, at least, was not getting what he wanted from the situation either. “Now, do you want to take this outside? Or are we brawling in the baths?”
In truth he would like nothing more than to brawl in a bath. Perhaps then he would clean Yingxing of Haoli's stain. Yingxing had no idea how appealing such an offer would be over the alternative.
“Come on, Dan Feng.” The master craftsman tempted, turning his gaze down to Haoli, which only served to make Dan Feng's anger sharper and harder. But Yingxing quickly turned back to him with a click of his tongue. “You get to pick the field.”
As much as he so desperately wanted to fight right here, right now, he knew himself too well. He would go too wild in his haste to rid Yingxing of the other Vidyadhara's scent and damage the locker room. Harming Yingxing in the process. For all that this workshop was gifted to him, it was still owned by the Artisanship Commission. Any damages would be taken out of Yingxing's paycheck, the paycheck Yingxing had earned himself for all his hard work. Dan Feng would not forgive himself if his intended lost even a cent of what was rightfully his because of him.
Dan Feng glowers at Haoli, once again blaming him for this entire situation.
With the tilt of his head, he indicated toward to door. “Outside. I will not damage your space.”
“Let's go then.” Yingxing rubbed his tempting little neck, cracking something there. Dan Feng huffed, turning on his heel to march out of the room. His mood is foul, and it seems every one of Yingxing's other workers were aware of it. They'd already cleared out the workshop by now, possibly before Yingxing had even managed to open the door.
It's just as well. Perhaps he would have dueled with Haoli in front of them, with hopes the humiliation would teach the young vidyadhara a lesson. But there's no point in humiliating Yingxing in front of his workers. Even as unhappy as he is with the man at the moment, he knows how devastating that would be to a man that had hard won every shred of respect he’d been granted over long, grueling years as a short life among the longer lived.
Still, even if they had stayed to witness this, he would not have gone easy on Yingxing.
The Furnace Master followed closely behind the High Elder, silent as a shadow. Together they wordlessly exited the workroom, their footstep’s echoes the only sounds shared between them. Not the comfortable silence of their moonlit nights, but a thick and heavy thing that threatened to strangle them. Dan Feng resents it bitterly. Just as much as he resents the third set of footsteps he hears trailing behind them.
Had Haoli not taken the boon Yingxing so selflessly bought him?
A fool to the end, it seems.
With a mood that could not be worsened, Dan Feng leads Yingxing out to the nearest courtyard in the artistic commission, an area meant for the workers to meet for breaks and lunch. One that now sat emptied due to a sudden onset of heavy rain.
It did not rain on Luofu. Not outside of scheduled settings that were broadcasted weekly.
Everyone in Luofu, then, knows of his rage.
“Doesn't matter." Yingxing sighed upon observing the rain, stepping out into the celestial showers created by the vidyadhara's wrath. Within mere moments he was already drenched. Weighed down by the fat droplets. Under such conditions he would be even more helpless than before. No one could fight the Imbibitor Lunae like this, surrounded by his own element. But Yingxing merely turned to him, beckoning forward. Either he truly did not expect Dan Feng to kill him, or he was very much more confident than even Dan Feng could believe. “Do I have time to grab a practice sword, or is this going to be a round of fisticuffs?”
“I did not bring my spear, nor will I sully my hands with another.” It was true, Dan Feng had not bothered to bring Cloud Piercer with him. He'd left it at the palace, letting it dry after a nice workout and thorough polishing. He didn't think he would need it for what was supposed to be just a check-in and invitation. This night was supposed to be a wonderful night he'd been planning for months, and now it had all been ruined.
Idly, he shifts himself into a martial arts stance, the Water Dragon Style the Luofu Vidyadhara were known for. Heavy rain weighed down his many layers, but that was fine. Water was his element. “Hand to hand combat it will be.”
It is an extra cruelty to settle on such a thing, he recalls only after Yingxing stands across from him and falls into his own stance, the Flame Lotus Style favored by Master Huaiyan. It is not that Yingxing is a bad fighter in hand-to-hand combat. But he is always notably lacking there compared to his skills with a weapon. Put simply, hand-to-hand is his weak point in combat.
The man is already exhausted from a full day's work, facing a vidyadhara High Elder in a rage, in the rain, and now using his least effective personal form of combat.
Dan Feng would feel remorse if Yingxing were not championing Haoli.
He hardens his heart and prepares for brutality instead.
There is no need for them to declare a start. The two of them are more than familiar with one other and share spars too often to need it. Their eyes meet, three breaths pass, a pause, and then they are both moving. Yingxing to the left, Dan Feng to the right. They circle for only a moment before both launch forward towards one another. Dan Feng, normally a more aggressive fighter, does not hold back his rage. His strikes are quick and powerful, rushing like a raging tide. Yingxing, a defensive fighter by practice if not nature, was forced into a series of blocks as he raised his fists and to block Dan Feng's own ruthless assault.
Flame Lotus Style never suited Yingxing, Dan Feng muses as he whips his fist into the man's stomach. It winds the craftsman, who doubled over from the force. The vidyadhara brought his fist back down to knock him across the cheek, but to his surprise the man had been bluffing, sacrificing his cheek to manage his own harsh blow by kneeing the vidyadhara in the stomach.
He may not be suited for Flame Lotus Style, but he certainly made up for it with the brutality with which he took his opportunities.
Dan Feng rounded back with a backhand, knocking Yingxing backwards with a slap so loud it could be heard over the rain.
It was, perhaps, wrong of Dan Feng to begin to enjoy this. Trading blow after brutal blow with Yingxing, bruising one another as they danced around in the rain, damp locks lashing like whips against one another’s skin. But he was. He was enjoying this, even alongside his rage. It could not be helped violence was his nature, and what was this defiance if not proof of his devotion?
Yingxing was at a disadvantage, with no hope of winning. Yet, even as he was slowly but surely losing steam, he was holding his own and looking glorious while doing so. Water dripped from his bare torso, caressing and defining muscles hours of swordplay and working the forge had carved into his body. Navy blue hair hung over his beautiful eyes, sticking to his skin in a way the Vidyadhara's eyes found so artful. It was a delicious sight, one that made ideas float to his mind, whispering to him the delights that could be indulged in once he had won this courting challenge. (It is not a courting challenge, but there’s a beast within him, nestled somewhere beneath the ichor of memory, and it wants. And no human heart could tell the beast otherwise, for there was no reasoning with a dragon that so strongly coveted what it had made its hoard.)
But best of all was his smell.
The rain had cleansed Yingxing of any interfering scents, and now his scent is solely and purely of himself. The sharp tang of iron, the sweetness of magnolias, and the sharp warmth of anise all washed themselves alongside fresh rain. It was marvelous. The High Elder had missed it so. The scent of his obsession did wonders to improve his mood.
It was easy to lose himself in the fight instead of the rage now. The rain lessened with his mood, and yet it had yet to die. Good, he thinks. Perhaps all of Luofu knows he has raged beyond reason this day, but he has Yingxing here standing under it, long hair falling lose from his bun as Dan Feng delivers a strike across his jaw. The navy strands fall free down his back, spreading the art down his body and blanketing him.
Yingxing, Yingxing, Yingxing.
The man of his obsessions brought a blow down that may very well bruise the Vidyadhara tomorrow. And yet he forgives this if only this once. This was battle, after all. In its purest and most raw form. A primal thing of messy cracks against skin and brutal blows. Each punch and kick bringing with it the violence of beasts. Blood mixes with rain, and mixes with mud. Yingxing is a beautiful sight with split lips that gather thick crimson droplets onto pink flesh. The thin line of red falling down the length of his chin before it, too, is purified.
Dan Feng wants to devour him whole.
Perhaps out of his own eagerness and want, Dan Feng aims to end the battle quickly to quench that hunger. With a feint to the left, the High Elder strikes a blow to Yingxing's side. It makes the mortal stumble, caught off balance, which is quickly taken advantage of to sweep his legs out from under him to send the craftsman crashing into the ground on his back with a pained grunt. In a flash, Dan Feng was over Yingxing, knees on either side of the man's narrow hips, pinning him down by his wrists with both hands. Dark, inky black strands, wet with rain, fell over them like a curtain, shielding them from the outside world. With a subtle smirk, The High Elder glances down at Yingxing, giving the barest hint of fang at seeing the mortal flushed and panting underneath him. “Do you yield?”
“Depends.” The man beneath him grunts, a pained thing. Yingxing's hair is splayed beautifully around his head, twisted with stone and loose grass and some mud. He's gasping for breath, panting and pink lipped beneath Dan Feng's hold. The bruises on his face ruin his perfect skin, but Dan Feng can't help but stare at it. Even now he's beautiful. Even spitting blood from his lips he's beautiful. “You get it all out of your system yet?”
“Hmm~” Honestly, he was about to say yes. Because Yingxing looked beautiful his utter defeat. Like temptation given form, straight out of Dan Feng's secret, longing dreams. This is what Dan Feng wanted to see, every night, for the rest of this mortal's life. The scent of Yingxing drifted up to him at this proximity, and it was purely him, the iron, the anise, the magnolias, and now hints of Dan Feng. It was wonderful, intoxicating, and the High Elder almost lost himself in it...
Until a splash nearby caught his attention.
Head lifting slowly, almost lazily, aquamarine eyes locked onto sage green.
Haoli was still there and had been watching the bout with his hands wringing his uniform. He’d seen how Dan Feng had pinned Yingxing to the ground, over top of him as he splayed the mortal out like a fine meal. His gaze was a mix of obsession and deep, deep envy, his pleasure at having the artisan defend him gone at the sight of another dragon touching the man he wanted. Good, it was what he deserved, but it wasn't enough to make him back down. Oh no, Dan Feng needed to properly reprimand this child so that he would never even think of stealing what belonged to the High Elder ever again.
Dan Feng's gaze fell back down Yingxing's bruised and bloodied face, trailing down his jawline to his lily-white neck like a siren's call.
He knew just how to do it, too. He would humiliate this child and claim what was his all at once.
What a selfish thing you do, High Elder.
“Not quite...” With his plan in mind, Dan Feng takes advantage of Yingxing's exhausted state to maneuver him into a better position. The High Elder tilted the man's head to the side by pulling his long, gorgeous hair, twisting the strands within his fingers. Yingxing lets out a confused sounding grunt, but it went ignored as Dan Feng's eyes caught Haoli's sea green across the courtyard, the younger vidyadhara's gaze going wide with horrified realization. Foolish, the child still had not left? Did he not realize what the High Elder intended to do? Dan Feng would have him watch, then. Have him know just how far out of his league he dared to aim. One did not challenge the Son of the Permanence, the Azure Dragon, Imbibitor Lunae, and escape unscathed. Dan Feng could not touch Haoli, but he would deliver a blow far more painful than his claws could ever have. “Just one more blow~”
Leaning down, he gently kissed the junction where Yingxing's neck met shoulder, indulging for a moment to lick a stripe to taste the sweat there. The mortal under him jolted, muttering something that the High Elder could not quite make out under the blood roaring in his ears. Once he'd gotten his taste Dan Feng allowed his lips to curl back to reveal four, razor sharp fangs leaking thick venom from the tips.
Those fangs quickly, and without any more warning, sank into the pale flesh of Yingxing's neck.
All the while, Dan Feng's gaze was locked with the Vidyadhara's on the other side of the courtyard.
“Ah!” Yingxing's voice rang beautifully, the sound perfect against the pounding rain and the heavy rasping of his breath. His whole body jolted, reacting instinctively against the assault on the vital area. The desperate movements only manage to sink the fangs in deeper, driving more harsh bites deep enough into the flesh that it may scar. “D-Dan Feng wh-what are you...?”
The way Yingxing squirmed against him was obscene. The man beneath him couldn't know, but it was. The body writhed, rain leaving his skin wet and damp, desperate gasps leaving him all too rapidly. Dan Feng was very aware what they must look like, had planned on it even. But the beauty of it he hadn't been prepared for. Perhaps if this were any other situation, or if his nerves had not been frayed and worn, Dan Feng would let him go. But the High Elder's very soul has been rendered raw this day. And he was already lost in the taste of his obsession. The sweet tang of his skin, the softness of his flesh, the iron of his blood. Yingxing tasted as warm as he'd always imagined, the blood strong enough to satisfy a primal hunger that burned in him for centuries. “A-Ah!”
“D-Dan Feng.” Yingxing grunted, his body unconsciously arching his neck in a way that made tasting him easier. His hands tugged less viciously, losing his strength as his body shivered beneath the beating rain and Dan Feng's vicious hold. The vidyadhara pressed his nose to his skin, breathing him in, wanting to catalog and forever remember this moment and...
And...
Oh.
What was this?
His love smelt of burning desire.
Dan Feng's pupils dilated in want as the sweet tang of precum reached his nose. Yingxing was aroused by the vidyadhara's fangs in his neck. The knowledge made him moan against the flesh, deep and incredibly satisfied. His jealousy was finally sated, because now he knew, knew for certain that his want was reciprocated. That all those nights drinking under the moonlight he hadn't been imagining the smoldering looks the mortal would give him, the faint whiffs of desire he'd catch when the dragon shed his coat when he got too warm.
The revelation was made all the sweeter when he glanced up and met Haoli's eyes once again and, oh, what a look it was that greeted him.
There were tears in those eyes, sage green watery with an open expression of envy, heartbreak and disbelief plain on his face, his fingers tangled so tightly in his uniform the fabric was ripping. Dan Feng had laid the most intimate claim a Vidyadhara could right in front of his competitors’ eyes, and Yingxing had accepted it right in front of them. Gone limp and grown aroused by it. The High Elder may as well have deflowered the craftsman right there with how heavily they both smelled of one another and arousal.
A quiet sob left the younger vidyadhara. Finally, burning from the obvious claim, the boy turned his gaze to the ground, trembling. Unable to face such an obscene scene anymore.
Dan Feng had won.
Hmph, so much for stealing~ Where had all that brazen bravery gone?
Accomplished, the High Elder did not stop the purr rumbling in his chest from building up and becoming audible. With a final, harsh suck against Yingxing's neck, Dan Feng released the man from his fangs, licking up the blood that flowed, before releasing his intended's wrists to sit up. It was perhaps a little petty, and below him, but he made sure he brushed Yingxing's lap as he rolled off him. He had been obscene enough in public as it was, there was no need to take it further than this, let alone in Yingxing's own workplace.
Aside from propriety, he wanted the mortal to stew for a while, just as a mild bit of punishment for his defiance. Yingxing, ignorant or not, had stood up to a dragon who threatened to steal him away from Dan Feng, all while smelling like he'd had an affair. It was his just desserts, though the man looked good enough to be a dessert himself from how he was splayed out on the ground, red faced and panting with a sizable bulge forming in his trousers.
“Hmm~ A good match.” He shot his intended a small smirk, pride and a hint of his own desire shining in his reptilian eyes. “We need not proceed any further. I have calmed.”
“W-Wanna explain what that was about?” His love hissed through clenched teeth. He reached under himself, new bruises circling his wrists, pushing himself up with a flinch. Yingxing, even sitting up, looks utterly debauched. It was almost absurd how he looked with bruises of hand marks all over his body and a bite on his neck. Only wet navy hair shielded the rest of his upper body from the world, and somehow the tease was worse.
Yingxing reached for the bite, still raw and bleeding on the delicate expanse of his neck. The craftsman hissed when his fingers grazed it, immediately dropping the offending limb from the now delicate skin. It was already blooming into a deep purple bruise that swelled noticeably. Covering it would be uncomfortable and impossible. And even if he did hide it with a high collar the scent that would be leaking from it would be noticeable to anyone with sharpened senses. The thought built a deep sense of satisfaction in him.
Dan Feng did not bother to look away to see if Haoli was still watching. Now that Yingxing had been so utterly claimed there was no need. The younger dragon was no longer and threat and was not worth his time when Yingxing was right here painting such a tantalizing scene.
The man in question was still glaring up at him with a haze over him with a new frustration added to his old ones. Dan Feng watched the craftsman cross one leg over his lap in an utterly fruitless and desperate attempt to try and hide how affected he was by what had just transpired between them. Once Yingxing thought he hid himself, he turned his indigo eyes up to Dan Feng's own sharp gaze with a red-faced glare. His poor little mate, he thought with no small amount of satisfaction, left needy and wanting but trying his best to hide it. “You'd think someone pissed in your dinner.”
He supposes they had, in a way. He'd had reservations.
“Cultural dispute. I was challenged, and the brat resorted to underhanded tactics instead of facing me head on.” It was not a perfect summarization of what had taken place, but that was essentially the gist of it. Dan Feng wasn't interested in revisiting the conflict any more than that, because what dragon would waste more breath on a rival they'd already defeated? “No need to worry, the matter has been thoroughly resolved.”
Holding up two fingers and ignoring Yingxing's puzzled look, the High Elder summons cloudhymn magic to his hands. Unlike their fight moments before, the vidyadhara's touch was nothing but tender and gentle as he traced over the mortal's body with his fingertips. Slowly but surely healing and erasing every bruise and injury on his hands and torso, before moving up to his face to heal his split lips and black eyes. It wouldn't do to leave his love so injured, after all. Dragons often fight with their beloved as a prelude to mating, but as a doctor he wouldn't stand for leaving Yingxing too injured to even walk.
Purposefully, he does not heal the bite on the artisan's neck.
“Thank you...” Yingxing reached up to touch his face, testing to be sure that the black eye was gone. He rolled his hand over his cheeks, eventually reaching the bite mark. Yingxing paused, his eyes flicking up to meet the vidyahara’s. “Dan Feng…”
A scuffling sounds from behind them.
The vidyadhara's gaze flicked upwards, finding Haoli still lingering like a desperate hatchling. He had found himself a corner out of the rain, curling defensively against the groove in an attempt to hide his humiliation from the world. It was a sad sight, and perhaps if the situation weren't self-inflicted Dan Feng would coax him out and try to soothe his ills.
He doesn't.
“Ugh, I'll get him to apologize to you for...whatever this was.” Yingxing pushed himself up with a groan. Dan Feng wasted no time on the matter, and he would very much like it if his intended mate did not either. “Listen, I'm sorr-“
Dan Feng presses himself into the craftsman's space, refusing to let such words leave his lips. Yingxing would make his reparations to him, but not this way. The High Elder had other plans for his disobedient mate. Things that did not need witnesses.
“None of that.” The dragon murmurs, a finger on placed upon Yingxing's lips to silence him. Though the fault of the circumstance technically lay with him, the craftsman was unaware that he'd been caught between two feuding dragons. He would still be properly punished, of course, but Dan Feng would show some mercy in light of his victimhood. It meant that the High Elder would have to readjust his plans for the night, but it was of no consequence.
With a hum, he locks the mortals’ eyes with his own reptilian gaze and gives him a simple command. “If you truly feel such remorse, meet me for dinner at the mansion later tonight.”
Dinner was initially supposed to be at Yingxing's favorite restaurant, but that was no longer an option. Dan Feng's robes were ruined, Yingxing’s body would be unfit for the public until the venom now running through his veins took. And honestly? The vidyadhara was in no mood to entertain the presence of other people. Inviting Yingxing into his own home would allow a more private and intimate setting, where he had complete control of the environment that made up his domain. He could clean himself, dismiss the servants, and have all Yingxing's favorites delivered so they could eat out in the water garden, under the moonlight.
It was potentially even more perfect than his initial plans. Christening their relationship in Dan Feng's own den, where Yingxing would spend the rest of his days cohabitating and being coveted by him? It was too delicious of an idea to pass up.
As a bonus? Haoli would know just how hopeless his pursuit was. He was listening to everything, breaking his own heart more than necessary simply by refusing to leave.
“Dinner?” Yingxing asked incredulously, his fingers unconsciously reaching for the neck wound. He rubbed it lightly, reminding himself of its existence and what had just transpired between them. Dark brows knitted together, wild thoughts running through the other's mind. What conclusions he was drawing didn't matter; Dan Feng already knew how this was going to end. “You came in here to kick my ass and now you're inviting me to dinner?”
He's going to say yes, Dan Feng already knows it. Yingxing has never once denied a dinner invitation from him, and he most certainly isn't going to say no when he just fought down arousal. So why is he playing this game? Playing hard to get like he isn't already going to be in Dan Feng's bed tonight?
Ah, but it is Yingxing. Of course he was going to play at anger, his own pride was on the line.
“You were only beaten because you stepped in between two feuding dragons.” Dan Feng reminds him dryly, taking back his hand to idly examine his teal colored claws. The High Elder knew well the matters of pride, so he would indulge his intended mildly in that regard. If only because he's so adored by the dragon in front of him. Truly, there was little he wouldn't do for Yingxing, and the man must know that. He'd almost killed another vidyadhara for him, after all. “But, yes, dinner. I expect to see you there as soon as you are done here.”
“Fine, I'll be there.” Yingxing crossed his arms over his chest, still somewhat bemused by the situation, but still the man that had seldom denied Dan Feng anything of his asking. Still, he scolded somewhat, rubbing his shoulder as if Dan Feng hadn't just healed it. “Better be good food too. I'm talking more peppers than you can stand.”
“Of course.” Dan Feng murmured, and just to be petty within Haoli's eyesight, he reached forward and ran his hand down Yingxing's arm. Caressing the muscled flesh and rubbing his scent on his skin. It was an unnecessary action, after the bite, but the choke he picked up on the other side of the courtyard made it all the more satisfying. Aquamarine eyes gazed upward to meet indigo, and they flicker with a look that is all at once fond and satisfied. “As unreasonably spiced as you prefer.”
“You owe me so many explanations.” Yingxing scolded, trying to tug his arm free of the hold. Dan Feng let him free, patient if only because he knows that this time Yingxing will come to him in his own home. Freed of Haoli's scent and smelling of Dan Feng. He would have to walk through the commission like this. He would walk the streets past Cloud Knights and civilians wearing Dan Feng's bite on his neck and his scent leaking from his pores. Private as he liked to consider himself, the appeal of such a thought was strong. No one would ever make the mistake of thinking Yingxing was unclaimed after tonight. No one. “Is that really why you came here? To invite me to dinner?”
“That was my initial plan, yes." Dan Feng confirmed, having no reason to lie. The plan had rapidly changed, but the core invitation remained intact. Crossing his arms over his chest, the High Elder flicks his gaze to the side, coldly acknowledging Haoli was still there. Really, had the boy nothing better to do than further break his own heart? Even he had to applaud the tenacity, foolish as it was. “Derailments aside.”
“I'm not cooking it for you.” The craftsman warned him with a rolling tilt to his voice, still trying to come off as displeased. It was supposed to be reprimanding, but Dan Feng found himself rather pleased by the choice of wording. It was true, sometimes Yingxing did happen to cook for him when he visited the palace. Particularly if the others were there. It was never something Dan Feng or the others had demanded of him, but he naturally fell into the role through his own volition. It was not something Dan Feng had even considered bringing into his plans for tonight, it still is not truth be told, but it's a subtle reminder of what an excellent and doting man Yingxing can be. “Not after you gave me a black eye.”
“Even I'm not that unreasonable.” Yingxing may be getting punished tonight, but he was going to be equally doted on, too. Especially when he was all but confirming to anyone listening in how close they were, unintentionally driving the knife in deeper and twisting it. No one had any chance of stealing Yingxing from him, not after all the time and work Dan Feng had put into building a solid relationship with him. Skipping steps and just spreading your scent so recklessly all over someone was not a proper way to secure a mate. The High Elder had far more to offer as a mate for Yingxing, and anyone who saw them interacting now would know it. “I'm ordering in from Spices Supreme.”
That actually made Yingxing pause from his outrage. There was a spark of excitement in his eyes, and a small smile slowly painting his lips. Just as planned, Dan Feng muses. Spices Supreme is normally outside of Yingxing's budget expenses, and it's the only restaurant in town that makes the food as hot as he likes it without over spicing and "killing the flavors". In Dan Feng's opinion everything Yingxing ate was like that, but he never begrudged the man that. “Ah, no wonder you wanted to invite me. Well, I cannot say no to such an invitation.”
“Good~ I will see you tonight, then.” The purr in Dan Feng's voice was almost too obvious. Just as planned, bumps in the road aside. With an elegant turn, Dan Feng's makes to leave, long, wet hair clinging to his figure so becomingly, like a serpent who only rose out of the water. His eyes catch the figure who remained huddled in the courtyard, and he can't help but smirk. Haoli, pitiful Haoli, who looked at him in envy and heartbreak, leaning against the side of one of the buildings and just barely holding himself together. That's right, the High Elder thought, He's willingly coming back to my den tonight, where he'll be in my bed, where he'll be ravaged once more. I leave you here, alone with him, because I'm more than certain that it's me he's crawling to. Not you. Never you.
It's with those final thoughts that he breaks their gazes and strides away, calling out over his shoulder to his intended with an afterthought. “Try not to be too late and keep me waiting, Yingxing~”
“"Try not to work too late" he says, like my workroom isn't a mess,” Was all he heard from Yingxing before he passed through the archway of the courtyard and disappeared into the commission halls. The High Elder lingered for only a moment behind the door, listening to make sure nothing untoward happened between his mate and the interloper, but he sensed nothing. No rise of power, no sounds of attack, no desperate pleas. Deciding he'd done enough; Dan Feng continued his path down the hallway. There was much for him to do yet, and with his plans changed he would need to make haste to prepare his home.
So much more to do now. He'd have to order the maids to set out the good china and prepare his chambers. The robe was beyond saving, but he's sure he can find something more than fitting for the occasion. No, it would be the sheets that were the more pressing matter. The food and wine will carry itself, as will Dan Feng's body, but he will not bed his mate on anything less than the finest of silks.
Yes, there is much to do.
But that was alright, Yingxing will be cleaning that workroom for some hours yet.
Extra:
r/AmITheAsshole for nearly killing another vidyadhara for claiming he was going to steal my man?
I'm a vidyadhara (M600) and I've been seeing my partner (short-life) for ten years now. Recently, I've begun leaving my scent on him to mark my claim on him and signify to other vidyadhara (and foxians) our courting. I am quite happy with my partner, and every day he breaths new life into what was once a stagnant and meaningless existence. I do not know what I would do without him. And though he's short-life and our time together will be fleeting, I know they will be the best years of my existence. It is a serious matter, I know, but I have plans to initiate a bite soon.
Unfortunately, my partner also works a labor intensive position at his career, and frequently sweats heavily. This is an appealing prospect to me normally, but today it proved detrimental to my mental well being.
Today I had plans to invite my partner to a special dinner and bring up the topic of marriage. But when I arrived to his workplace I discovered he was covered in another's sent. So strongly, in fact, that my first thought was that he must be having an affair.
Of course this was a foolish notion I immediately did away with. My partner is not the man who would string someone along. Nor was he the sort of man to have an affair at work. He is too dedicated to his work to ever try such a thing. And, what's more, he has several foxians and vidyadhara that work with him and would notice.
That is when I immediately reassess the situation. My partner was sweat covered and carried a towel around his neck. I quickly deduce that the scent is coming from there and snatch it away from him. My partner, it should be noted, embroiders his name on his towels to prevent theft. So I know it is his towel, but it does not smell of him.
Someone had used his towel either without permission and scented him, or they had done it on purpose.
Of course, my partner, being short-life, is oblivious to this. Nor did I have the heart to immediately make a scene. I rationalized that it could have been another short life species or a Xianzhou Native. But quick interrogation quickly lead to me confirming that it was, in fact, another vidyadhara.
I tracked down the vidyadhara in question and scolded him, then demanded an apology and that he back away from my partner. The vidyadhara in question (m300) had the audacity to argue with me about the flaws in our relationship and how he would be a better mate for my partner. I scolded him again, and kept my temper. But then the brat had the audacity to look me in the eye and say "Forgive me, but I intended to steal your mate."
I will admit, it was unbecoming of me, but I immediately set to strangle him.
Of course my partner heard this commotion by now and ran in on the scene. He, not understanding the situation, immediately rushed to interfere, jumping between me and the other vidyadhara. I tried to remain calm, truly I did, but my partner was unknowingly protecting my competition.
I recongize, with hindsight, he was likely protecting me from being sentenced to a hatching rebirth or the shackling prison, but at the time it did not feel that way. And, once again, I will admit to losing my temper in the situation. So when he said I could "take my issues up with him" I accepted and we ended up in something of a brawl.
I will not go into more detail, but it was something of a harsh battle and the other vidyadhara watched the entire thing. Which spurred on the fight. It wasn't emotional blows, and my partner, while not angry enough to end things, is perhaps rightly upset with me.
I plan to explain the situation when he comes to dinner tonight, but I felt I should seek advice and organize my thoughts, and this seemed a safe place.
Edit. Thank you everyone for your various perspectives. I thank you all for your insight and advice. Though I do feel I must clarify that my partner is the other viydadhara's employer and not his underling or peer.
Edit: There has been a recent demand for an updated report of the situation, so I decided to fulfill your requests.
I am now mated. Our wedding ceremony is being planned.
My partner took pity on the young vidyadhara because of his age, but he will be transferred elsewhere in their workplace. No charges otherwise.
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r/Say~Please~ NTA. I'd have killed him and partner both.
r/Scale-Diver NTA Who the FUCK says that to another Vidyadhara???? Also, super sketch that he pulled that without your partner even knowing.
r/FoxianGoddess YTA. You should have explained to partner what was going on instead of beating him up.
r/Diamond*Dust NTA. Sketch that partner didn't ask why you were strangling the other guy.
r/RollingInTheDeep Some of you non-Vidyadhara need to back tf off. Hand to Hand combat is the way a lot of our people resolve personal conflicts. His partner wouldn't have offered otherwise. Anyway, NTA. Sounds like some dumb kid decided to skip all courting steps and act like they were an item with their coworker.
r/TeaPotButtercup I'm gonna go with a sound ESH. You shouldn't have beaten up your partner and should have explained yourself. Your partner should have asked what happened, and that other Vidyadhara shouldn't have rubbed their scent on a taken man and provoked your territorial instincts.
r/Hunter&Bow Some of you guys need to back off partner. I think you're all forgetting that the man walked in on his partner strangling another guy. I wouldn't be asking questions immediately either.
r/LockingDown$$ NTA. You guys are also overlooking that these two were apparently scenting look enough to seriously consider marriage. Meaning that other vidyadhara should have known the coworker was seeing someone.
r/ShacklerStarskiff NTA. Just as context for those reading the comments, scenting is the one if the LAST stages of Vidyadhara courting and you need permission from the other party to do so. The OP and his partner could very easily take this Vidyadhara to the legal system and file for a restraining order because scenting without permission counts as sexual harassment.
r/EsspressoYourself NTA. Agreeing with commenter above. It's actually a serious enough offense that the vidyadhara could be fined as well. I would suggest going to the Realm-Keeping Commission or the workplace employer and filing a claim OP.
r/JadeShatteringLotus OP, you should maybe consider getting counseling for your husband as well. He may not understand now what happened, but it may hit him later that he was technically molested in the workplace by someone that could be his superior.
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r/SongLotusCakeEnthusiast. With the new context from OP after edit my vote is still NTA. That Vidyadhara deserved to get fired. Even if they're your boss, making up on them is not okay.
r/BeanSodaForMen Bold of other vidyadhara to hit on his boss.
r/@shuyen NTA. It sounds like the partner was doing the responsible thing defending the other vidyadhara. But in such a situation you cannot be expected to keep your instincts in check.
r/777777 ETA. Still think it's sus that partner apparently didn't notice. Are short-life noses that bad?
r/MedicinalCoral As someone who has medically treated Short Lifers, they are that bad. They can't smell deeper than surface level, and the scent of individuals is beyond them. NTA
r/GenerallyFlowery You can't leave us hanging OP, it's been three days. Please update!
r/StarTaroBubbleBitch Okay but like how awful could this have gone for the short life partner? Imagine if OP hadn't shown up? It's hard enough for immigrants to get a business license in the Xianzhou, imagine if even a rumor spread a short life business man was shacking with an employee while engaged. Socially, he woulda been eaten alive.
r/Fishx Oh man, you're right! That short lifer would have gotten so fired.