Chapter Text
"Dan Feng is charged with unpardonable sins. As the Luofu General, I hereby sentence him to molten rebirth and eternal banishment." The voice in Dan Heng's dreams sounded sad as they spoke those words.
"But Dan Feng is with child. Something as rare and a miracle as this should be taken into consideration."
"You are right. A Vidyadhara currently being pregnant is impossible, but it is hope for our kind. We cannot risk something happening to the fetus."
"Dan Feng's sentence will only be eternal banishment. Any objections, General?"
"No," the owner of the sad voice answered. "I don't."
"If your people knew you had brought me here, there would be great unrest."
"They'll never know. Be quiet, Yingxing. I'll give you two hours. Research what you can, then we'll be even. Remember, two hours."
"Even? You want to make us even because I did the impossible and impregnated a Vidyadhara? Haha."
"Yingxing …" the owner of the voice sighed. "Two hours, that's it."
"I'm a short life species, do you think two hours isn't enough? It'll be done."
"Hmph."
"Yingyue-Jun, are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm fine, Jingliu."
"You fainted during our sparring session, threw up in Baiheng's starskiff and threw up on Jing Yuan. You can't fool me, Yingyue-Jun."
"I caught the bug that's been going around, that is it."
"You growled at Yingxing not to touch you."
"I wasn't in the mood …"
" After you begged him to, uh …"
"After you begged him to fuck you!"
"Baiheng … Urgh. Go to the alchemy commission and get them to check you."
"I told you, I'm fine —"
"You made Yingxing cry."
"Argh, fine. I'll go."
"Good. Baiheng, get your Starskiff ready."
"Eh? What if he throws up in it again? I only just got it cleaned!"
"We'll pick Yingxing up on the way. He's been worrying himself sick."
"Impossible …"
"Is he OK, doctor?"
"Yingxing, I've told you many times, I'm fine —"
"Yingyue-Jun, you're pregnant."
"A-Feng is pregnant? How? Eh?! Yingxing just fainted!"
"This life … being the High Elder, I don't want it."
"I've researched a lot when you took me into Scalegorge Waterscape, but I haven't found much. Only …"
"What did you find?"
"Yinyue, I might have found a way to revive the original Yinyue, but …"
"Let's do it."
"It comes with great risk though."
"Yingxing, if I can run away with you and the little one, I'll take any risk."
"Son of Permanence, do you really think you can have your happily ever after?"
"Of course, we've agreed …"
"But your beloved husband is a short life species. He barely has ten years left. Do you really want your baby to be without their father?"
"Argh, get out of my head."
"Let's make a deal, Son of Permanence. I'll make your beloved Yingxing immortal, and you give yourself over to me. Does that sound fair?"
'NO! This body belongs to Yingxing only."
"Oh, but it doesn't. Life is growing inside, so it belongs to the Abundance."
"Yingxing …"
Months before ~
"Jing Yuan, I told you not to touch anything!" Yingxing scolded as he slapped Jing Yuan's hand, who had been reaching out to touch one of the curios Yingxing was currently making.
Jing Yuan grabbed the wrist of the hand Yingxing had slapped. "Ow! I only wanted to see what it is!"
"You can see it without touching it! Jiejie, that goes for you too!" Yingxing lunged to pull Baiheng away from the recurve bow she was reaching out for.
"But Xingxing! That bow is for me, I can tell!"
"Who said it was for you?"
"I'm the only one out of us who uses one. Process of elimination, you know?"
"Well it isn't finished yet … Jingliu, the no touching rule also applies to you!"
Jingliu, who had been reaching out to feel the blade of a long black sword, jumped away from it as if she had been burnt. She stepped away from the sword, holding her hands out in front of her. Yingxing sighed, palming his forehead. Why did he have to have friends with sticky hands? He didn't want to ban them from his forge …
"Yingxing?"
"Yes, my beloved?" Yingxing answered, turning to where Dan Feng's voice came from.
"What's this?"
Yingxing's eyes almost popped out of his head when Dan Feng pulled a sheet off of something in the corner. It was a bench, the bottom wider than the top, the end spit in the middle for someone to stand between.
"Baobei, no!" Yingxing all but screamed. He lunged forward, grabbed the sheet from Dan Feng's hands and hastily threw it back over the chair. "That's for yours and my eyes only!"
Yingxing picked Dan Feng up bridal style and carried him away from the object. He narrowed his eyes when he saw the others had each picked something up, examining the objects.
"All of you, out."
The other three trudged out of the forge with their tails between their legs (Baiheng literally), Yingxing following them, still carrying Dan Feng in his arms.
"Yingxing, you can put me down now," Dan Feng whispered. He looked around, making sure no one was around to witness the great Vidyadhara High Elder, Yingyue-Jun being carried around by a short life species like a princess. "I can walk on my own."
"But Princess, what if you wander back into the forge and touch things?" Yingxing pouted.
Dan Feng was not impressed. "No I won't."
"You always sneak out to visit me when I'm working," Yingxing added. He pressed a gentle kiss on Dan Feng's forehead. "Sometimes I wonder if you love my forge more than me."
Dan Feng scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous."
"Hmm." Yingxing pressed another kiss on Dan Feng's face, this time his cheek. "You sure love my co— oof. "
Yingxing’s sentence was cut off by a dragon tail whipping him in the face. It was soft enough not to hurt, but hard enough to stop Yingxing mid sentence. Yingxing laughed at the glare Dan Feng was giving him. It was more cute than terrifying.
"Sorry love," Yingxing laughed, pressing another kiss on Dan Feng's cheek. "Will you forgive me?"
"No," Dan Feng immediately answered. "You're sleeping in the garden tonight."
"No problem, I'll have the best view of the moon."
"You're not supposed to be enjoying it."
"Anything moon related, I'll enjoy."
"Hmph."
Yingxing laughed at Dan Feng's facial expression and kissed him again, this time on the lips.
"Ew, get a room you two!" Baiheng shouted, Jing Yuan making fake gagging noises beside her.
Yingxing reluctantly pulled away from Dan Feng and shot Jing Yuan a heavy glare. He finally put Dan Feng back on his feet and stomped toward Jing Yuan.
"Listen here you brat," Yingxing hissed, poking the other man in the chest. "When you get yourself a boyfriend or girlfriend, I'll pretend to be disgusted when you get intimate with each other. See how you like it."
"Well I won't," Jing Yuan answered. The two started bickering, as they always do.
"Yeah, you won't be getting a boyfriend or girlfriend, brat. Only cats."
"I meant I won't be gross in public. And I'm not a brat, I'm seventy years old."
"Once a brat, always a brat."
"Now listen here, old man."
Jingliu punched them both on the head, sending them both crashing to the ground. She glared down at them, hands on her hips. She looked like a mother disciplining her kids.
"Stop acting like children, you two."
Baiheng noticed Dan Feng looking pale beside her. She frowned at him with concern. "A-Feng, are you OK?"
"I'm just feeling nauseous, it'll pass," he answered. Baiheng rubbed his back, trying to make him feel better.
"Do you want me to take you home? My starskiff isn't far from here."
Yingxing, hearing that his husband suddenly wasn't feeling well, jumped to his feet. He rushed to Dan Feng's other side, his hand joining Baiheng's to rub his back. Jing Yuan came to stand in front of the dragon, bending forward slightly to get a better look at his face.
"You look pale … did Yingxing's cooking give you food poisoning again?"
Yingxing shot him a glare, which Jing Yuan ignored. Jing Yuan felt Dan Feng's forehead, and frowned when he didn't feel anything. "You don't have a fever."
"Jing Yuan," Dan Feng gulped. His face was turning green.
"Hm?"
"I'm sorry," was all Dan Feng said before he promptly threw up all over Jing Yuan's boots.