Chapter Text
Mu Qing sighed, burying his face closer against Feng Xin’s chest, desperately chasing the comfortable sleepiness he had been experiencing just a few minutes prior. It was too early to get up, but for whatever reason, he was wide awake.
After another minute of that, he opened his eyes, staring up at Feng Xin’s face. His eyes were pressed lightly closed, his mouth every so slightly open as he slept.
A small smile pulled at his lips as he reached out, laying his hand against the side of his face, gently rubbing his thumb across his cheek. He didn’t think he’d ever fully admit it out loud, but he loved when he would come spend the night like this. He loved waking up to his strong arms wrapped around his waist, to his serene face just inches away. Why had he even let that not happen for the first 800 years they had known each other? He hadn’t had any idea what he had been missing out on.
He leaned forward, pressing gentle lips against his forehead.
Feng Xin shifted in his sleep. “Mu Qing…” he mumbled, reaching out and pulling his head down to rest on his shoulder.
He didn’t complain, just buried his face back against the crook of his neck, relishing in the closeness.
After a few minutes though, he began to get bored. He was awake, so he wanted something to do.
There was only one real thing he could think of doing that would allow him to stay wrapped up in Feng Xin’s arms - going through prayers.
Normally, he delegated the initial overviews to his junior officials. They would go through them and determine if they were to be taken seriously or not, and, if they were, which ones needed his direct attention versus which ones they could take care of themselves. When he had extra time though, he would usually go through some himself. He imagined that it made them happy to have slightly less work to do when he did it too.
Doing it like this, he couldn’t necessarily delegate things out, but anything that he could take care of without physically going out and doing it, he could finish.
He spent a little while going through everything, dismissing prayers that he could do nothing about. Some people prayed to him for the oddest of things sometimes (seriously, what was he supposed to do about the girl wanting her crush to talk to her or the slightly worse fishing conditions in a rural town this year - he was a martial god.)
After a while though, one specific prayer caught his attention, standing out from the rest by the sound of the voice of a small child.
Umm, my mommy said that if you ask a god for something that they might give it to you, so I wanted to ask for help finding her and daddy. Oh, and also for help keeping the dogs away. They’re scary.
He frowned when he heard that. A small child whose parents were missing. It made something tug at his chest. He wanted to go help them immediately. And really, what was stopping him? He couldn’t sleep, he might as well go do something to help.
He checked where the prayer had come from - a small temple of his in the town of Yiling - then got to work extracting himself out of bed without waking up Feng Xin.
He managed to get up, then lit a single candle to give himself some light, heading over to his wardrobe to change.
He was just pulling on his outer robe when there was a creaking sound from the bed. He turned just in time to see Feng Xin sit up, rubbing his eyes.
“Mu Qing? Where are you going?”
He turned his attention to the mirror beside his wardrobe, fixing his hair. “I have a prayer I want to go deal with.”
“Right now? It’s not even dawn.”
He shrugged. “I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep, so I’m doing something.”
The bed creaked and he watched in the mirror as Feng Xin walked up behind him, not hesitating as he wrapped his arms around him, burying his face against his shoulder.
“Come back to bed with me.” His voice was still heavy with sleep and it made something jump in his stomach.
“I’m already ready to go.”
Feng Xin groaned, squeezing him tightly.
He held back the laughter that was building up in his throat, instead lightly smacking his arm. “Come on, let me go.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Go back to bed. I’ll be back in a little bit.”
Feng Xin lifted his head, staring at him for a few seconds before changing his grip, lifting him up off the ground, making Mu Qing let out a startled noise.
“Hey! Put me down!”
“No,” he said as he walked back to the bed, collapsing down onto it while keeping his grip locked around him.
He struggled against him. “Feng Xin, I swear if you don’t let me go… You’re not sleeping here anymore if you don’t.”
“You like it when I sleep here too much.”
“Yeah? Do you want to test that?”
Feng Xin let out a sigh, releasing his arms from around him.
Mu Qing quickly sat up, wiping at his clothes, getting out the imaginary wrinkles he had gotten in them.
He looked down to see Feng Xin staring up at him, looking at him with such a pathetic expression that it almost made Mu Qing feel bad. Almost.
He sighed, leaning forward, pressing a soft kiss against his forehead, tucking a strand of loose hair behind his ear. “I’ll be back in a little bit. You’ll be fine.”
Feng Xin let out a breath. “Fine. Just be safe, okay?”
He nodded. “Don’t worry.”
He stood, heading for the door. This would be easy. Just help this kid find his parents - or someone to take care of him - and then he’d be back, probably before most people were even awake yet.
He made his way out of his palace, going and descending into the mortal realm.
Once he got to Yiling, his first stop was the small temple the prayer had come from. He was always very particular about his temples, and this one was no exception, everything inside prim and proper.
It was entirely devoid of people though. That made sense, as it was so early in the morning, but it did make it harder to find the child who had prayed to him.
Not knowing what else to do, he exited the temple, beginning to walk through the city. Dawn was just beginning to break, the sounds of people beginning to wake up and start moving around as they started their day breaking through the quiet. He avoided all the areas beginning to be inundated with people, instead making his way to the areas where a child might hide - alleyways and deserted side streets.
Before too long, he heard something that made him perk up. A crashing sound followed by the deep and guttural noise of a growling dog. The child in the prayer had mentioned something about dogs, hadn’t they? This was very well a sign that he had found them.
He quickly made his way toward the sound, finding his way into a dead-end alleyway.
Two dogs were gathered around a small figure huddled against the wall at the end, growling as they stepped forward. The figure was, without a doubt, a child with greasy long black hair covering his face, almost unbelievably tiny as he curled in on himself, torn clothes covered in grime and dirt. He would bet this was the kid who had sent him the prayer.
Mu Qing strode forward, his gaze falling on the dogs, putting everything he had into making his animosity toward them known, anger curling in his chest at the thought of them attacking this poor child. As if they had sensed him coming toward them, the dogs turned. One look at him and one of them let out a pitiful whimper, tucking its tail between its legs.
Mu Qing ignored it, moving past it and toward the child. As soon as he had pushed past them, there was the sound of paws thumping across dirt as they turned and ran.
He paid it no mind, instead crouching down several feet away from the child. Now that he was closer, he could see that he was shaking, clutching something tightly to his chest with dirt covered hands.
Mu Qing held out his hand toward him as if he were a stray cat, keeping his voice as gentle as he could make it. “Hey, it's okay. They're gone now.”
The boy slowly lifted his head, tear stains visible on his cheeks from where they had run through the grime. He peeked behind him as if trying to determine whether or not he was telling the truth about the dogs before turning back to him, his expression suddenly widening in awe.
“You chased them off?”
“I did.”
He sat fully up, a bright smile forming on his face. “Wow. They never leave no matter what. You're super cool, gege.”
Something warm pulled at his chest. It had been a long time since anyone had called him that - especially with such reverence in their voice. Maybe not since he had taken care of the neighborhood children in Xianle all those centuries ago.
He didn't bother to hide the small smile on his face as he reached out a little further, watching for any signs of tension as he laid his hand on his shoulder. He didn't seem upset at it though - quite the opposite actually - as he pushed himself forward until he wound up directly in front of him, barely managing to not fall over as he did so.
Mu Qing placed both hands on his shoulders, holding him steady as he spoke. “Do you know where your parents are?” He already knew the answer to that question, but he needed to suss out if the kid was actually an orphan or if his parents had just wandered somewhere and abandoned their child here.
The kid bit his lip before shaking his head. “Mommy and Daddy said to stay here and that they would be back soon. They said they were going on a… a…” He paused as if he couldn’t remember the word. “A Night Hunt!”
It wasn't looking good for this kid's parents then. If they had gone on a Night Hunt, that meant that they were cultivators. And if they weren't back yet, they might have bitten off more than they could chew on fighting a ghost or a monster.
“How long have they been gone?”
“Don't know,” the kid said. “A while.”
He was just going to work off of the assumption that they were dead then. That meant that he needed to find out any information he could about this kid. Maybe he had relatives that would be willing to take him in.
“What's your name?”
The kid looked momentarily stumped by the question. “Wei… uhh… Ying.”
Mu Qing blinked. Did this kid not even know his own name? He wasn’t going to push him on it though.
“Okay, A-Ying, do you know any other people aside from your parents?”
He tilted his head. “I know you?”
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He had forgotten how cute little kids could be. He wanted to protect this one.
“You do, yeah.”
Wei Ying smiled brightly at him before something shy crossed over his face. He unclenched the hand that was still pressed up against his chest, presenting the contents to him. A squished and half-eaten steamed bun was in his palm, practically covered in dirt. “Umm, and thank you for helping me, gege, you can have this.”
He stared at the steamed bun for a few seconds. The idea of touching it was honestly a little bit disgusting to him, but still, this was the treasure he had been keeping safe from those dogs, and he was offering it to him.
He shook his head. “Why don't you hang on to it? I have plenty of food at home.”
He looked hesitant, but still carefully tucked it away, hiding it in the fabric of his clothes.
Mu Qing examined him for a few seconds. He was now going to go off of the assumption that he was an orphan and that he didn’t have any other adults in his life that he could go to. Of course, it wasn’t impossible that he might be able to find someone, but for now, this kid needed help.
First things first, he should get him something to eat that wasn’t a dirty old steamed bun.
“How about we go get something for breakfast?”
Wei Ying tilted his head. “Can we?”
Mu Qing nodded. “Of course. I bet that you’re hungry, aren’t you?”
He nodded slowly before breaking into a wide smile. “Okay, thank you, gege.”
A smile tugged at his lips as he reached out, grabbing him under his arms, and lifting him up as he stood. “You’re very welcome.”
Wei Ying didn’t hesitate to make himself comfortable in his arms, adjusting himself to lay his head against his shoulder, bringing a hand up to clutch at the fabric at the front of his robes. Holding him like this was most likely going to end up dirtying his clothes, but that problem fell to the back of his mind. This task was far more important.
Now that he was in his arms, he could tell just how light he was. He had initially assumed that, based on his size, the child was around five or six, but considering the ribs he could now feel clearly outlined, even through a layer of cloth, there was a very real possibility he was older, just small for his age. He really needed to eat.
He started heading back out of the alley before he realized a problem. Dawn had just barely broken - there was no way any restaurants would be open yet in this small town - not to mention, the child was dirty enough that he wasn’t confident anywhere would want him inside even if they were open. He needed a bath and a proper meal.
After considering it for a few seconds, he resolutely came up with a plan, heading back in the direction of the temple. “We’re going to go to my house, all right?”
While he didn’t think that he would get in trouble, per se bringing a mortal up to Heaven, it wasn’t something done very often and would definitely be frowned upon. Even so, he couldn’t bring himself entirely to care - not when this kid needed help. Besides, how many people would even notice his presence there?
Wei Ying nodded against him. “Okay.”
Mu Qing frowned. “If anyone tries to get you to go with them in the future, you have to tell them no, okay?”
“Why?”
“Because some people will do bad things to you.”
“But you’re good, aren’t you, gege?”
He laid a hand on his back. “Yes, so it’s fine to come with me, but you have to be careful with who you trust.”
“Okay, I will.”
“Good.”
They got back to the temple and still, no one was there. That was a good thing. He found a door, quickly drawing out an array that would take them back to Heaven - specifically into his Palace. Wei Ying watched him curiously the entire time, but didn’t speak. If his parents were cultivators, he had probably witnessed them drawing things like this before.
In just a few minutes, he was finished, activating the array and stepping through the doorway.
They arrived in a very familiar place - the kitchen of his palace. Most people still wouldn’t be awake yet, so there was none of the hustle and bustle he was used to - that was good though. Too much of that would most likely spook the poor child.
He was already looking around in bewilderment, eyes blown wide. “Gege, how did you do that? Are you magic?”
He suppressed a laugh. “Something like that.” He brought him over to the small table in the corner, depositing him in a chair. “Stay here and I’ll make you something.”
Wei Ying nodded, still looking around at everything in obvious curiosity.
Mu Qing walked over to the stove, considering what to make, before pulling down a few ingredients to make congee. He didn’t know the last time he had eaten, so preparing him something that would be easy to digest would be imperative.
He got the rice started before working on chopping up a few vegetables. He would boil them to make them soft and easy to eat.
He was just finishing up cutting them when the door to the kitchen opened, a familiar voice speaking. “Mu Qing? You’re back? What are you doing?”
“Cooking,” he said, adding the chopped vegetables to the pot. He turned around to see Feng Xin standing in the doorway, looking at him in apparent confusion.
“Why are you…” his gaze swept over the room before landing on Wei Ying, his brow furrowing. “What’s with the kid?”
A wide smile crossed Wei Ying’s face. “I’m Wei Ying!” He said helpfully.
“He’s Wei Ying,” Mu Qing said, turning back to clean the knife he had been using.
Feng Xin kept speaking behind him. “Okay… but why is he here?”
“Gege’s making me food,” Wei Ying answered for him.
There was the sound of footsteps and then a chair scraping across the floor. “Is he now?”
“Mmhm. It smells really good. Gege’s really cool. He even scared the dogs away.”
Mu Qing turned back around to see Feng Xin, now seated across from Wei Ying, with a confused smile on his face. “He is pretty cool, yeah.”
Mu Qing walked over, sitting down beside Wei Ying, laying a protective hand on his shoulder.
Feng Xin furrowed his brow. “Is this the prayer you went out to answer?”
He leaned back in the chair, crossing his legs. “Yes.”
“Why did you bring him back here?”
He met his gaze levelly. “Is there a problem with that?”
“Well… no, I guess. I just don’t know why.”
Mu Qing shrugged. “He needed food and a bath, both of which I can provide for him here. That’s all.”
He still seemed slightly confused, but nodded anyway. “All right I guess. Is there anything I can help with?”
He forced back a smile. He loved that he was always willing to help, even if he didn’t quite know the full story. “Not really.”
Wei Ying took advantage of the slight lull in conversation that followed. “What’s your name? Do you live here too?”
When Feng Xin turned to look at Wei Ying, there was a slight smile on his lips. It was hard not to be drawn in by the child’s eagerness. “I’m Feng Xin. And no, I just spent the night last night.”
“Like a sleepover? Where do you live then?”
“Something like that. And not very far.”
He seemed to consider that before speaking again. “So you and gege are friends?”
“Well… not exactly...”
Wei Ying frowned at that. “Why aren’t you friends?”
Mu Qing sighed. Why had he said it like that?
Feng Xin looked at him. “We are friends, but… we’re more than that too.”
Despite himself, Mu Qing’s chest felt warm whenever he acknowledged the fact that he considered him a friend. He didn’t like talking about it though.
Wei Ying nodded, almost knowingly. “Oh, like best friends then.”
Mu Qing just wanted this conversation to be over. He didn’t exactly want to explain the concept of two men being together to this kid right now. “Yes, like best friends.”
Feng Xin frowned, opening his mouth to say something, but Mu Qing glared at him, effectively shutting him up.
He stood. “I’m going to go check on the food.”
He walked back over to the stove, sighing to himself as Feng Xin got up and followed him, standing right behind him as he checked on the meal.
“So what exactly is going on?” Feng Xin asked, keeping his voice quiet.
Mu Qing answered back, matching his volume. “I got a prayer from a child asking for help, so I went to answer it. As far as I can tell, he’s an orphan.”
“Does he not have any other family he can go to?”
“Not that he told me, but I’m going to look into it more.”
Feng Xin nodded before crossing his arms. “Is there a reason you brought him back here though?”
“Was I just supposed to leave him?”
“Well, no, but I don’t think most people would take too kindly to having him here.”
“Then that’s their problem. I’m not leaving a child to fend for themselves when I have the full capability to help them.”
Feng Xin’s gaze softened. “Yeah… I get it. I’m here to help if you need it though.”
He nodded. He had to admit that it felt nice that he was worrying about him. That he was concerned with what others might think of him - something that he was usually very keyed into, but in this situation, couldn’t bring himself to care about. It was nice to have someone like that.
By then, the congee was done cooking. “Can you get me a bowl then?”
Feng Xin nodded, going to where the bowls were and getting one down for him while he stirred the food. When he got the bowl, he filled it before bringing it over to the table where Wei Ying was still sitting, watching them.
He sat down next to him, placing the bowl down between them. He hesitated before giving him the spoon though.
Not only was the food extremely hot, but he didn’t want him to eat too fast and risk throwing up if he hadn’t eaten for a while, so instead, he scooped up a spoonful, blowing on it to cool it down a bit before holding it out to him.
Wei Ying looked at the spoon then up at him. “I know how to eat by myself.”
“I know that you do, but it’s hot and I don’t want you to burn yourself.”
He seemed to consider that for a moment before leaning forward and taking the bite of food. Instantly, his face lit up. “It’s really good!” His mouth was still full.
“I’m glad to hear that, but it’s impolite to speak with your mouth full, okay?”
He quickly closed his mouth, chewing and swallowing. “Sorry.”
Mu Qing got another spoonful of the congee, blowing on it. “It’s all right. It’s important to know proper manners though.”
Wei Ying nodded as he was fed the next spoonful.
They continued on like that until the bowl was empty.
“Was that enough? Do you want any more?” Mu Qing asked, wiping a grain of rice gently off the edge of Wei Ying’s mouth with his thumb.
Wei Ying hesitated, looking at the empty bowl before looking back at him, shaking his head.
Mu Qing frowned. Was he too scared to ask for any more? It seemed from his reaction that he was still hungry, but didn’t want to ask.
Really, he understood that reaction though. It reminded him of when he’d been a child, his mother working hard to put enough food on the table, oftentimes not eating enough herself to make sure that he was provided for. Once he had realized that, he had given her similar reactions, not wanting to be a burden or take too much.
Before he could say anything though, Feng Xin, who had been sitting across from them the whole time, small smile on his face, stood up, grabbing the bowl. “It’s okay. There’s plenty of food. You can have it.”
Mu Qing’s chest was pleasantly warm at the action.
“But… don’t you need to eat too?”
“We’ll eat later. Like I said, there’s plenty,” Feng Xin said.
“I can really have more?”
Mu Qing laid his hand on his shoulder, giving him a comforting smile. “Of course you can. While you’re here, you can have as much as you want. You just have to ask.”
“Then… can I have more, please?”
Feng Xin was already on his way back from the stove, where he had gotten him another serving over their conversation. He placed it down on the table. “Here.”
Wei Ying smiled brightly at them. “Thank you!”
Mu Qing hummed as he picked the spoon back up. He was glad to be able to do something to help this child.