Work Text:
---
The only sounds out of a very agitated martial god’s room were low whines and distressed growls. Mu Qing’s heat was approaching, and he was pissed.
Pissed at the fact that his second gender had to be an omega.
In a world where most of the martial gods in the heavens were alphas, he had to get that gender that was obviously at a disadvantage as a martial god. But being an omega didn’t hold the god back from training twice as hard as the others, only to remotely have the same physical skills and ability to keep up with the other martial gods.
With his excessive training, he was also able to hide the fact that he was an omega. Through scent blockers, he was also able to pass as a beta. Being a beta as a martial god is rare, but not entirely impossible like being an omega.
There are only two persons that knew Mu Qing was an omega. The first one is Ling Wen, because she was the one who keeps account of the second genders, and the second one is Xie Lian.
It was not like the god was keen on telling more people than necessary, so he wasn’t planning on telling his highness. But Ling Wen recommended he should ask a fellow omega how he could deal with his heat, unless he wanted to lose control and let everyone know he was an omega. So he had no other choice besides trusting his highness to keep his secret safe.
For Mu Qing, someone else knowing his true gender was his biggest fear. It would give the others only more fuel to talk about how Mu Qing didn’t deserve to ascend. They were already mad about the fact that a mere servant had the ability to ascend while other more blessed people were not able to.
And all that, apparently, just because of the kindness of his highness. If they knew that besides someone being able to ascend as a servant, there was also the possibility that an omega was able to become a martial god, all hell would break free.
The sheer disgust at his omega was nothing new for him. But he could handle it.
After all, he had to live as an omega for over 800 years.
He had to come to terms with handling his omega’s pathetic tantrums over the years, and with the help of suppressants, he could even manage getting through his heat without needing an alpha that was all over his place.
But of course, fate had to meddle in his nonexistent peaceful life.
Another whine escaped his lips as he was frantically rearranging his nest for the tenth time in the span of five minutes. Something in the nest was ticking his omega off. Or rather, the fact of what was not there.
“Stupid omega,” he huffed as he threw some of the clothes out of the nest. “What’s your problem now? Was it not enough that I allow you to have a heat every three months instead of completely suppressing it? Now you are not even happy with that?” Mu Qing mumbled angrily to himself.
He didn’t know why he was bothering to talk to his omega. It’s not like it could talk back to him. He just found it easier to get his anger out on his omega than to admit that maybe his mood was not solely because of his omega’s tantrum.
After all, it was his nonexistent ability to shut out a specific alpha’s pheromones that got him into this situation.
It all began three months ago when he and Feng Xin had to go on another mission together. If it had been a normal mission in the mortal realm, it would’ve been a matter of maybe a couple of hours. It still would’ve cost him serious patience to deal with that stupid idiot, but it wouldn’t have taken that long.
However, this time the mission took them to Ghost City.
---
“Can you move your stupid ass any slower?” an agitated Mu Qing snapped as he realized Feng Xin was walking way back behind him. “No wonder all the missions assigned to the Nan Yang Palace take forever to finish,” Mu Qing continued his rant. “But can’t blame them if this is how their general works,” he added, taunting.
“What are you so cranky for today?” Feng Xin asked as he finally caught up to a very angry Mu Qing. “Worse than usual. We’ve been barely down here for an incense; no need to attack me with your words,” Feng Xin added as he lazily draped his arm around Mu Qing’s shoulders.
Mu Qing instantly backed away.
“Don’t fucking touch me,” he spat out, disgusted.
It was only a fleeting moment of body contact, but he already felt the alpha’s pheromones in his nose, making him dizzy. Feng Xin scoffed. “Why are you acting like I’m some kind of plague? It’s not like I never touched you.”
“Just because we spar doesn’t mean you have to get your filthy hands on me whenever you want,” Mu Qing retorted.
When they were sparring, the alpha’s pheromones were mostly covered with a layer of sweat.
So Mu Qing didn’t have to deal with the alpha’s scent, that his omega apparently reacted more sensitively to than to others. Especially now, because his heat was nearing, he felt the alpha’s scent fogging his senses, making it hard for him to focus on his surroundings.
That’s when it happened.
Mu Qing had continued on his way to the lair where the supposed ghost was hiding, who was abducting travelers who were nearing Ghost City.
Feng Xin strolled behind him, muttering something to himself that sounded very much like, “Conceited asshole.”
Mu Qing was already on edge because of his upcoming heat and the effect Feng Xin’s pheromones had on him. Hearing this insult was the final bomb to tick him off.
He spun back, summoning a ball of spiritual energy, ready to shoot the other god preferably back to the heavens so he didn’t have to deal with his bullshit anymore.
However, because his senses lacked critical thinking in this moment, his ankle twisted mid-spin, sending him tumbling down into a pond under Feng Xin’s panicked calling of his name, that just had to appear the moment Mu Qing lost his footing.
The next thing he felt was ice-cold water, slowly seeping into his bones, piercing his skin. Luckily, the cold water cleared his senses so that he could quickly gather his strength to swim up to the surface.
“Grab my hand, you idiot,” Feng Xin said as Mu Qing’s head broke out. The coldness of the water was weighing his muscles down, so Mu Qing had no other choice than to grab Feng Xin’s hand if he didn’t want to sink back in.
Once the omega touched the ground, he immediately scrambled back to get some space between him and the other god. “
How about thanking me instead of acting like I pushed you in the goddamn pond myself,” Feng Xin said, pissed.
“Why the hell should I thank you?” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “If you had just stopped acting like an asshole for a moment, I wouldn’t have lost my concentration.”
Feng Xin’s eyes snapped wide open. “What the fuck do you mean you lost your concentration? You’re a god. A martial god. What could’ve possibly made you lose your concentration that much that you forget your surroundings?”
Mu Qing opened his mouth to snap back, but the words quickly stuck in his throat.
“Because your—” Without missing a beat, he quickly stood up and turned his back to Feng Xin. “
We’re wasting time here,” he muttered before walking away.
But Feng Xin was faster.
He quickly shot forward, grabbing Mu Qing’s wrist. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going? Finish your sentence,” he demanded, his grip on Mu Qing’s wrist almost bruising.
Mu Qing had enough. With a strong shove, he pushed Feng Xin away, sending him flying a few meters back.
“Are you that stupid? What can’t you understand about the simple sentence ‘don’t touch me’?” Mu Qing’s voice went sharp.
He could already feel the alpha’s pheromones making their way to his brain. Without waiting for Feng Xin’s answer, he turned back and continued walking the path to the lair.
He didn’t need that idiot to deal with a ghost. He was only wasting time dealing with him, losing time to get back to the heavens before his heat would hit, even though it should only be due in three days.
Feng Xin must’ve realized he wouldn’t get a thing out of the god. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t even know why I’m bothering to have a reasonable conversation with him,” he muttered to himself before standing up and following the other.
For a couple of minutes, Feng Xin trailed behind him, but something made him fasten his pace so that he was now walking right next to Mu Qing. “Fine. Have it your way. But do you want to freeze to death?” Feng Xin asked as he was already removing his outer robes.
Mu Qing stopped dead in his tracks as he realized what Feng Xin was doing. He blinked slowly. “What do you think you’re trying to do?”
“What does it look like?” Feng Xin asked as he threw his outer robes around Mu Qing’s shoulders. The moment the fabric touched his skin, Mu Qing froze.
One, because of the warmth radiating from the fabric. Until now, he hadn’t realized his body was shaking from the cold. But the moment the fabric was around him, he felt his body warming up. Second, because the alpha’s scent immediately covered him.
He had to bite his tongue to stop his omega from whimpering.
Snap out of it. Don’t act like a fucking fool, he thought before he gathered all of his willpower to snatch the outer robe from his shoulders.
“Did I tell you I need your help? Don’t overestimate yourself, Nan Yang,” Mu Qing said, his voice an octave lower.
Luckily, Feng Xin had put up with Mu Qing for long enough to know exactly how the other thinks.
“I didn’t do it for you. You freezing is holding up your ability to work efficiently. Didn’t you say how ineffective the palace of Nan Yang is just earlier? Right now, it doesn’t look like the palace of Xuan Zhen is that effective either.”
That made Mu Qing stop the hand that was about to throw the robe back. Feng Xin was right. His ability to think was already reduced because of his upcoming heat. Him freezing only added more weight onto his brain.
How could he have possibly mocked Feng Xin for working inefficiently when he was doing the same without looking like a complete fool?
He withdrew his outstretched hand, threw the robe back on, and continued walking.
—-
For the rest of the mission, he was exposed to the alpha’s scent. Just because of this one moment, his omega thought it had found their alpha and was now desperately trying to get their scent back. Especially now, in his heat, it needed that scent more than anything to calm down. Back then, Mu Qing didn’t realize that just that small amount of exposure to the scent of an alpha would make an unmated omega lose their head.
If he’d known that, he would’ve never let the robe touch his skin for a minute longer. He was at a loss for words. His omega was being unbearable, and on top of the cramps in his stomach, he felt like he was going to lose his mind.
“Fuck it,” the god mumbled before throwing his outer robes on and placing a new scent blocker on his scent gland before he hurried out of his palace.
When his omega would only calm down with Feng Xin’s scent, then he would give it to it. He had tried to suppress the need for the past few days. He was simply tired and agitated to think clearly.
He would only quickly enter Nan Yang’s palace under the pretense of delivering Feng Xin the scroll that documented their last mission together for him to sign. From Ling Wen, he found out that the god was on a mission and would not be back for a couple of days.
He would just snatch a piece of clothing to keep his omega satisfied till this heat was over. What would happen for the next heat was a matter for another day.
He pushed open the doors to the palace before confidently entering the entrance hall.
One of his deputy officers saw him and hurried to him. “General Xuan Zhen, how can I help you?”
“Your general needs to sign the scrolls from our last mission,” Mu Qing answered.
“General Nan Yang is currently in the mortal realms. But I can hand it over to him once he’s back.”
“No need for that. I know where his office is. I’ll deliver it myself,” Mu Qing said flatly, already on his way to the god’s private chambers.
The deputy officer just let the general do what he wanted. Everyone in this palace knew how futile it was to talk with him. Besides, it’s not like he’s a stranger. The two generals may be acting like they hate each other, but everyone besides them already knew that there was something more behind all the barking.
How was that? The line between hate and love is thin?
Once Mu Qing was inside Feng Xin’s room, the pheromones of the alpha hit him so strongly that his knees almost gave out. “Why the hell does his scent have to be as intrusive as his stupid personality?” Mu Qing whimpered as he made his way to the closet, his body shaking.
He ripped open the closet door, but instead of meeting an organized closet like his own, the moment he opened the door, a batch of clothes fell on top of him.
Mu Qing stared at the clothes on the ground, unblinking.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he mumbled, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“This, tha—” He stopped trying.
He furiously picked some random pieces of clothing up before he stuffed the clothes back into the closet. Now the only things left on the floor were an outer robe and a thin yellow band which the god used to tie his hair with.
It wasn’t much, and as Mu Qing picked up the things, he realized they were not even remotely smelling as strong of the alpha’s pheromones as the outer robe he gave Mu Qing that day, nor like Feng Xin’s room itself.
Still, for now, it needed to suffice. He buried his nose into the outer robe, a quiet whimper leaving his mouth. At the same time, an amount of shame crawled up his spine. He immediately threw the two pieces of clothing on the ground, making his omega flinch.
He couldn’t believe what he was doing. How low his omega made him sink. This was not his alpha. It was not even his friend. Feng Xin was just a constant variable in his life that refused to vanish.
No matter how many years or centuries it had been since they first met, his stupid voice was always in Mu Qing’s head like a shadow trailing behind him. Only now did he realize how often his thoughts were set on the archer, even in situations where he wasn’t present.
If there was a fight with a ghost, his first thought would be: What would Feng Xin do? If people didn’t understand his intention, he would ask himself: What would Feng Xin say to get his point across?
Unlike him, Feng Xin was rather emotional in his thinking. He was not afraid of showing his emotions nor his intentions.
He was everything Mu Qing wasn’t. Maybe that’s why everything he did pissed Mu Qing off like no one ever could. Maybe that’s why his omega was set on the others scent.
Or am I just using my omega as an excuse?
The thought crossed Mu Qing’s mind before he could even stop it, making his body flinch.
He shook his head, as if to get rid of the thought. No, there was no way that Mu Qing could like Feng Xin if it wasn’t for his omega. In that moment, a conversation with Xie Lian passed through his mind, making the blood drain from his face.
“Your Highness, may I ask you how you realized Crimson Rain Sought Flower was your destined mate?”
It was one of the afternoons where the two omegas met for Mu Qing to obtain more information about his second gender without alerting the heavens. If he would ever search for answers anywhere besides Ghost City, the news would reach the heavens in the blink of an eye.
He couldn’t afford rumors. Every rumor about him was instantly seen as fact rather than a spineless accusation. That’s why he turned to his highness to ask the question that had been bothering him since the day he found out he was an omega, and also the question whose answer he feared the most.
Xie Lian let out an embarrassed chuckle. “Oh, it wasn’t that hard. I figured it out the moment San Lang’s scent hit my nose.”
Mu Qing furrowed his brows. “How did you distinguish that his scent was the one from your mate? How were you sure that not another alpha was your mate?”
Xie Lian had a fond smile on his face, as if he was reminiscing about their first meeting.
“The scent of your mate will always be the one your omega reacts the strongest to. It doesn’t matter how much pheromones an alpha releases. If it’s not your mate, you barely react if you take suppressants. Their scent will also always linger in your nose even if they’re not present. And if you want to be a hundred percent sure, just look out for which alpha’s scent your omega is the calmest when their scent is near.”
Mu Qing scoffed at the response. “So in the end, we are just slaves to our omegas in us? It’s their choice to choose a mate. It doesn’t matter what I want.” Mu Qing stood up to leave.
The more he heard about being an omega, the more he despised his omega.
At Mu Qing’s response, Xie Lian had to start laughing uncontrollably.
“What’s so funny, Your Highness?” Mu Qing asked, jaw clenched. It took Xie Lian a while to calm down before he could answer Mu Qing.
“Mu Qing, your second gender is not a stranger. It’s a part of you,” Xie Lian started to talk as if he were talking about the weather.
“The assessment from your second gender to the choice of your mate is based on what you need, what you miss in your life. It’s not something to control you. It’s simply a chance to give you what you missed as a mortal. If you’re an omega, then that means you yearn for the fact to be loved to the point where you can let yourself go and trust your counterpart to protect you unconditionally. It doesn’t mean you are weak. It just means that in your life as a mortal, you hadn’t the chance to let yourself be vulnerable without feeling fear of breaking. So whatever your omega feels are your hidden feelings and desires.”
—-
The room started to spin, and the pheromones around Mu Qing started to feel intoxicating.
Back then, he never really took Xie Lian’s words into account. He thought he was just spewing nonsense simply because Hua Cheng was his mate. Even without second genders and mates, everyone knew His Highness and Crimson Rain Sought Flower were meant to be together.
Nor death nor fate could tear them apart.
But now everything made sense. Realization after realization started to hit him all at once.
The only pheromones he ever reacted to were Feng Xin’s. Even though he had been taking suppressants from the day he presented, without a break, only the archer’s scent agitated his omega.
During missions, if the situation got dire and he felt like panicking, it was Feng Xin’s scent that calmed him down instantly. No wonder there was a faint smell of wood and maple trees lingering in his nose wherever he went.
That was Feng Xin’s scent.
"So whatever your omega feels are your hidden feelings and desires."
He felt his chest tighten as his breathing grew shallow.
He stumbled to the door. He needed to get out of this room. Preferably out of the Heavenly Capital. Just somewhere where he would never see Feng Xin again until his feelings faded.
The moment he opened the door, he closed it again. “What the fuck?” Feng Xin groaned painfully as the door closed right onto his forehead.
Mu Qing leaned his whole body weight against the door to prevent the other from entering his room. Panic washed over his body as he felt his omega whining inside him, furious at him for stopping their mate from entering the room.
“Just shut the hell up,” he choked out to his omega as he desperately tried to stabilize his breathing. To his luck—or misfortune—Feng Xin’s scent in the room was slowly calming him down, only adding more fuel to the fire.
“Mu Qing, open the goddamn door. What the fuck are you trying to do?”
“What are you even doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be on a mission?” Mu Qing cried out.
“What am I doing here? As far as I can remember, this is my palace,” Feng Xin scoffed. “What the fuck are you doing in my room is the question,” he added, disbelief lacing his voice. “Now open the door, you idiot.”
Mu Qing was trapped. There was no way he could stay here forever.
Jumping out of the window was an even dumber idea. How could he possibly explain that?
If he just opened the door and said something, that idiot would probably believe him—as stupid as he is. He took one last deep breath, calming his body down before opening the door.
Feng Xin stepped back as the door opened, crossing his arms, his eyebrows raised. Mu Qing cleared his throat before he opened his mouth.
“I just delivered the scrolls from our last mission. Sign them and deliver them to Ling Wen,” Mu Qing said stiffly as he moved past Feng Xin to leave.
In that moment, Feng Xin’s eyebrows furrowed as he sniffed the air. His hands shot out, grabbing Mu Qing’s wrist. “Why the fuck is my scent on you?” he growled as he pushed Mu Qing back until his back was pressed against the wall next to the door.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Mu Qing said as he was about to push Feng Xin back. But Feng Xin had already known what he would do.
Before Mu Qing could react, Feng Xin grabbed his hands and pinned them above his head. Feng Xin’s sun-kissed eyes pierced into him, searching for answers. Instead of questioning Mu Qing, he leaned closer until his nose was near Mu Qing’s scent glands.
His whole body tensed. Feng Xin was so close that Mu Qing could feel his breath against his neck, making the hair on the back of his neck stand up. There was no way he could smell that Mu Qing was an omega. His scent blockers were still on.
The only thing Feng Xin could smell was his own scent on Mu Qing, because Mu Qing, the idiot, had pressed his nose into Feng Xin’s robe earlier. Feng Xin seemed to catch on to that as well.
He let go of Mu Qing’s hands and stormed into his room. Mu Qing followed him, confused.
“What are yo—” He froze mid-sentence.
Feng Xin stood in the middle of the room, staring at something on the ground.
The outer robe and the piece of Feng Xin’s hairband that Mu Qing had thrown away when he realized what he was doing. Mu Qing was fucked, and he knew it. One didn’t have to be a genius to put two and two together.
He slowly backed away.
The air in the room seemed to have gotten a lot heavier. Whether that was because of the pheromones Feng Xin’s alpha was producing or because of the sour scent Mu Qing’s omega was releasing was unknown.
“Don’t you fucking dare leave the room now,” Feng Xin’s voice cut through the air, making Mu Qing freeze. His omega almost whimpered at the sound of the alpha’s emotionally overloaded voice.
Not knowing whether the other was angry or not made Mu Qing’s stomach recoil.
“You’re not a beta, right?” Feng Xin asked quietly, his back still turned to Mu Qing.
It felt like Mu Qing was stripped of his clothes.
The secret he had kept for almost 800 years—the secret he had sworn to never let anyone know, especially not Feng Xin—was out. He couldn’t even deny it. No matter how dense Feng Xin could be sometimes, he was not a martial god for nothing. He was a fighter. Someone who had to be able to analyze everything in order to come out alive after a fight.
It was only a matter of time until he would catch on. But Mu Qing had never thought it would be like this.
Getting exposed without a way out.
After not hearing an answer for a while, the god turned to face Mu Qing.
At the sight of the other, he swallowed his anger. Mu Qing’s head was bowed, his eyes locked on the ground. His fists were clenched at his sides, yet they couldn’t hide the trembling of his fingers.
Feng Xin let out a heavy sigh before slowly approaching him. Mu Qing instantly backed away without lifting his head. Still, it didn’t hinder Feng Xin from continuing until Mu Qing’s back was once again pressed against the wall. Feng Xin stood only inches away, close enough that Mu Qing could hear the faint sound of his far-too-fast heartbeat.
“Mu Qing, look at me,” Feng Xin said, his voice gentler now. Mu Qing made no attempt to do so, his gaze stubbornly locked onto the floor.
“God, you’re so fucking stubborn,” Feng Xin muttered as he grabbed Mu Qing’s chin and gently lifted his face. “Why didn’t you ever tell me you’re an omega?”
Even though Mu Qing knew Feng Xin had figured it out, he still flinched at hearing it.
“Is your trust in me that low?” Feng Xin added, though his voice lacked sharpness. At the sound of the alpha’s hurt voice, Mu Qing’s omega whined, and he nearly did too. He needed to pull himself together.
Just because Feng Xin knew he was an omega didn’t change anything. He wasn’t going to act like the god was his mate. Mu Qing shoved Feng Xin back. “What do you expect me to say?” Mu Qing snapped.
“You think I’m going to open up my heart to you now just because you know my secret? You knowing that I’m an omega changes nothing. No need to pity me or act like I might break at any moment.” His voice came out colder than he intended. “I’m not some pathetic person who needs your help,” he whispered at the end.
The moment he finished speaking, Mu Qing realized his mistake. He had just answered Feng Xin’s question about why he hadn’t told him he was an omega.
“Mu Qing, I would have never acted like you were beneath me even if I had known you were an omega. I know you better than anyone else in the world. I know how strong you are. You being an omega doesn’t change a thing. It’s even more impressive that you’re here where you are today as an omega. Despite the fact that omegas are biologically weaker, you achieved things not even alphas would. Think about the times we sparred together. You were never close to losing to me. Not even for one second.”
Feng Xin’s words felt like a mirror—a mirror that showed him the things his mind had refused to believe for 800 years.
That maybe being an omega didn’t mean being weaker. Maybe His Highness was right after all. Maybe him being an omega had everything to do with the fact that he yearned for the kind of love only someone who truly understood him could give.
That person was standing right in front of him. His omega finally seemed at ease with the fact that he had accepted Feng Xin as his mate, and the tension in his body eased, making his knees give in.
Before he could hit the ground, a pair of strong arms circled around his waist, catching him before he was pressed against a warm chest. Feng Xin buried his nose in the crook of Mu Qing’s neck, near his scent gland, but he quickly lifted his head, huffing.
“You still have your scent blockers on,” he whispered. “Can I remove them?”
Mu Qing nodded without hesitation. The moment the scent blocker came off, a tender smell of cherry blossoms wafted through the room. Feng Xin immediately buried his nose in the crook of the omega’s neck again, this time inhaling him deeply.
Only now did Mu Qing realize something. He gently pushed Feng Xin back.
“You knew,” he said quietly. “Not that I was an omega, but that I was your mate,” Mu Qing added.
Feng Xin hummed, pulling the omega back against his chest. “Would you please stop pushing me away every time I try to get close to you?”
“Since when? And how?” Mu Qing asked, ignoring the other’s whines as he pushed him away again so he could look him in the eyes. He needed to see them to make his brain believe the words.
Feng Xin only sighed before answering. “I’ll answer you under one condition.”
Mu Qing rolled his eyes. “Whatever, just say it.”
“I’m going to hug you, and you can’t leave until I say so.”
Heat instantly shot to his ears.
“What kind of stupid condition is that?” Mu Qing stammered.
“You want an answer or not?” Feng Xin asked, smirking.
“Fine. Do whatever you want.” Feng Xin’s eyes immediately started to glow. “Great. I’ll say everything,” he said as he grabbed Mu Qing’s hands and led them to the bed before letting himself fall back, pulling a perplexed Mu Qing down with him.
“What the hell? What are you doing?”
“The condition never said whether it happens while I tell you or after. So just lie still and listen,” the god whispered before wrapping his arms around the other’s waist and pulling him nearly on top of him, so that Mu Qing’s head rested on his chest.
“That you were my mate—I knew since I got assigned my second gender once I ascended,” Feng Xin started, running his hands through the omega’s hair.
“But I always had my scent blocker on. There was no way for you to catch my scent,” Mu Qing whispered as he let his body relax against the god’s chest.
“One doesn’t necessarily need to know the other’s scent to know if they’re their mate or not. Sometimes it’s something stronger than scent, leading them to their mate,” Feng Xin whispered back. “Sometimes it’s the heart that decides who their mate is. Mine had decided it was you long before we ascended and got our second genders.”
Mu Qing felt his heart skip, but a small part of him still told him this was all a dream.
“What if your alpha chose another mate?” Mu Qing asked, bracing himself to hear that he had only been a second choice.
“It wouldn’t have mattered. I was going to make you mine, no matter what fate said.”
Mu Qing didn’t need to hear an “I love you” or anything else. Feng Xin’s voice carried so much love, and the sound of his far-too-fast heartbeat spoke more words than a simple confession ever could. Mu Qing buried his face in Feng Xin’s neck, hiding his flustered expression. “Didn’t know you were capable of getting flustered,” Feng Xin said, smirking.
“Shut up, or I’ll leave,” Mu Qing muttered, making an attempt to get up.
The grip around Mu Qing’s waist instantly tightened. “No way. I’m not going to let you go ever,” Feng Xin exclaimed. “I waited 800 years for this moment. I would be an idiot to fuck this up,” he added, mumbling.
“Yeah, you would be,” Mu Qing said before hesitantly grabbing the other’s hands, intertwining their fingers. “Why didn’t you tell me you were my mate?”
Feng Xin let out a dry laugh, playing with the omega’s fingers. “You really think you would’ve believed me if I told you? You would’ve thought I was just saying that to mess with you. I knew you had to find it out on your own to even have the slightest chance that you would accept me.” He paused before adding, “But I never thought it would take you fucking 800 years. And then you say I’m the dense one,” he finished, chuckling.
Mu Qing felt something warm bubble in his stomach. Is this the feeling of being seen?
Feng Xin was right.
He would’ve never come to terms with Feng Xin being his mate and would never have accepted him if he hadn’t figured it out himself. For that, he had to trust his omega—a part of himself he had despised until this very moment. For a while, neither of them said anything.
They needed the silence to process the fact that they had found their heart’s counterpart after eight full centuries. Feng Xin was the first to break it.
“What were you actually doing in my room? Were you really trying to steal my clothes?”
Mu Qing instantly broke away from their interlaced fingers, moving away from the god.
“What the hell? I was not stealing,” he exclaimed.
“Yeah?” Feng Xin asked, raising his eyebrows as he sat up, leaning his back against the headboard with his arms crossed.
“Yeah,” Mu Qing huffed. “I was just borrowing. I would’ve given it back.”
“Like you gave me back my robe I lent you that day?”
Heat shot to Mu Qing’s face. “Fuck off,” he stammered as he scrambled away, intending to leave the bed. Before he could even take a step out, he was pulled back. This time, his back was pressed against the archer’s chest as he sat between the other’s legs, Feng Xin’s arms automatically wrapping around his waist.
“I told you I’m not letting you go anymore. Especially now that you’re carrying my scent,” Feng Xin whispered as he rested his head on Mu Qing’s shoulder.
“Stupid idiot,” Mu Qing mumbled, but he instantly melted into the embrace.
“You were trying to get my clothes for your nest?” Mu Qing hummed, too embarrassed to give a verbal answer.
A fond smile spread across Feng Xin’s face as he leaned closer, his mouth brushing over Mu Qing’s ear. “From now on, you don’t have to hide. If you want my clothes, I’ll gladly give them to you. Nothing makes me happier than knowing my omega wants my clothes in their nest,” he whispered into Mu Qing’s ear, pressing a soft kiss to the omega’s scent glands.
Mu Qing gave up hiding his flustered face. Instead, he leaned further into Feng Xin’s chest, letting the other’s scent calm his senses, drawing a content purr from the omega as drowsiness slowly took over him.
“Sleep well, my love,” Feng Xin whispered as he leaned down to press a soft kiss to the omega’s forehead. “I’m not going to let you slip away anymore.” With that whispered promise, the archer soon drifted off to sleep, holding his world tightly in his hands.
For 800 years, Mu Qing had yearned to be cared for without the fear of being too much.
He had yearned to be held like he was someone’s entire world. He had yearned for the feeling of being loved without boundaries.
Not knowing that the person who could give him all of that had always been by his side, following him into immortality without the intention of ever leaving him alone.
Fate had bound them together, even in a life beyond mortality.
---