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When it came to the Ghost Realm, you couldn't find a single place more eccentric and enigmatic than Ghost City. If benevolence belonged to the gods and humility was a virtue of heroes, then Ghost City was as extravagant as sin itself. As a hub of trading and gambling, it was the number one most prosperous place in all of hell, offering its own unique economy, even within hell. It was home to a slew of ghostly denizens and monstrous dwellers, and the endless market street attracted those who'd passed on from all around, including those from the heavens.
When he'd first come to reside in Ghost City, Yin Yu truly didn't know what to make of it. He couldn't say it hadn't matched his expectations, for he'd never really given the matter much thought before. Going from a traditional, albeit unorthodox, sect to the Heavenly Court, he'd always been surrounded by the rule of law and a strict adherence to order. The scarlet hue, shadowy alcoves, and chaotic mongering of Ghost City was such a divergence from the polished life he'd always known that he couldn't help but wonder how such a place was even possible.
He wished he could say that he felt like he didn't belong here—that he was as out of place as a butterfly trapped deep underground—but that would be a redundant statement. It would be giving special feelings to a single place when he'd feel this way regardless of where he went. He didn't belong in heaven anymore than he did in hell.
The only question was, which did he deserve...?
“Eh? That much!? That's robbery! These are hardly worth the dirt on my shoes!”
“If the dirt on your shoes is all you have to barter with, then get lost! I have no use for beggars here!”
It really shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that Ghost City, located in the Ghost Realm, was primarily inhabited by spirits of the dead. Nevertheless, for every five ghosts you'd meet, you'd encounter at least one demon alongside them. With a human body and the heads of... well, anything, really... they weren't exactly known for being reasonable. They were, however, known for causing trouble.
As he strolled the endless market street, weaving in and out of the thick crowd, Yin Yu came up on a large demon with the head and body of what must be an eel. Flapping its stubby arms about, it was yelling at a ghost standing beside a large curio cart. They looked like they were one second away from a brawl.
With a sigh, he approached the cart.
“Look at this materiel! Trash! And for such a price!? Ghost Money doesn't burn itself, y'know!”
“How is that any concern of mine!? Scram. I don't bargain!”
“What seems to be the problem here?”
It really was a special talent to sneak up on a ghost. It took much skill in the art of stealth, or, in Yin Yu's case, virtually no presence whatsoever. He could tie a bell around his neck and he'd still go by unnoticed. He knew; he'd tried it. At the sudden, quiet arrival of a newcomer, the ghost merchant startled, glancing around for who'd spoken. As for the demon, it turned its whole body and blinked a liquid black eye at Yin Yu.
“XiaXianYue!”
They both exclaimed in unison, one sounding relieved, the other sounding irritated. “XiaXianYue!” the ghost merchant repeated. “This demon insists on arguing over prices after I told him countless times I don't haggle! It's shameless!”
Yin Yu glanced at the demon. “Is that true?”
“XiaXianYue, look at these ghost masks! This craftsmanship is poor! Why should I pay such a price!?”
Upon closer inspection, Yin Yu found that the indicated masks were indeed of poor quality. The paint was dull and the carvings crude. His immediate thought was: what would a demon without a proper face want with a face mask? That, however, was beside the point, as well as not being part of his job.
The job being to keep the peace in a place of pure chaos.
“I cannot dictate a merchant's price,” he said to the demon. “Regardless of poor quality goods. If you believe you're being scammed, you'll have to petition the issue with Hua Chengzhu. But I must warn you that I doubt he'll be pleased if such a trivial matter is brought to his attention.”
Neither ghost nor demon seemed particularly happy with this response. The demon for not getting his way, and the ghost for the indirect slight. However, all it took was one mention of the City's Master and the animosity between them vanished like a flame flickering out.
“Pahhh, whatever!” the demon huffed. “This isn't worth my time!”
Though the fear of his master was reflected in the way the denizens of Ghost City treated him, that didn't extend to the same respect. As the demon stormed off back into the crowd, he shouldered Yin Yu quite hard, knocking him off balance and causing his own mask to slip down his face.
With a sigh, he removed it, making to retie it around his head. Before he could disappear behind it, however, he caught a glimpse of himself in a dirty mirror poking out of the ghost's curio cart.
Perfectly unremarkable. That's what he'd always been destined to be. That reflected in his everything, but none more so than his face. He wasn't bad-looking—he wasn't hideously ugly or possessed any undesirable features—but he wasn't particularly handsome either. He was simply average, his face as common and bland as a single stone on a rocky mountainside.
This theme had followed him even into his short-lived godhood. He wasn't weak, but his limits were evident. He wasn't disliked, but his company wasn't sought after. He'd been worshiped, but he'd never been a contender during the Mid Autumn Festival. His ascension wasn't particularly noteworthy, and even his banishment was looked at as a footnote in the story of other, far more interesting gods.
He was remarkably unremarkable.
“Oi, if you're gonna stare at yourself in it, then you better buy it!” the ghost merchant snapped. “Otherwise, beat it! Stop scaring off my customers!”
Yin Yu pulled his mask back over his face and was back on his way through the ghastly market, keeping to the quiet shadows as he made his rounds.
If he couldn't be remarkable, then he at least wanted to be kind.
If he wouldn't be remembered for his great deeds and high status, then he at least wanted to be remembered for his virtue and character. He didn't need to be revered, he didn't even need to be worshiped, he simply wanted to live peacefully and with dignity. He hadn't even managed that.
He was raised to believe ascension was the ultimate goal, and he'd been banished.
He couldn't say if he truly hated Quan Yizhen or not. The feeling of bitter resentment had festered inside him for such a long time that he didn't know what or who it was directed at anymore. Did he resent Quan Yizhen for surpassing and humiliating him, even if it was unintentional? Did he resent Jun Yu for allowing the entire heavenly court to believe he'd intentionally used the Brocade Immortal, even though he hadn't? Did he resent Jian Yu for setting off the events that led to his banishment, even if he'd tried to take responsibility for it?
It wasn't fair to blame anyone else for his own inadequacy. It was his, and he'd be the one to shoulder it. His own actions brought about his downfall. Surrounding circumstance and outside interference might've set the stage, but it was his own words that damned him in the end. He couldn't blame anyone but himself.
Logic and reason weren't always present when emotions were at play. He knew that better than anyone. He didn't know if he hated Quan Yizhen, or if he was simply shamed and embarrassed. He didn't think it mattered. The past was the past, and he wished to leave it there. He couldn't change it, so he preferred to avoid it. All of it.
Over the usual chatter and noise of the always-busy market street, Yin Yu thought he could hear the sound of cheering. As he drew nearer, he could indeed hear the sound of cheering, the crowd concentrating and circling around something in the middle of the street. This wouldn't have been unusual if he were closer to the Gambler's Den, but that was long back the way he'd came.
“It's one of him and three of you! Get him!”
“Don't just stand there, tackle him!”
“Ha! You call that a punch!? My mother hits—!”
Crunch!
“Ouch, that's gotta hurt.”
“Grab his other arm!”
“You! Grab his legs!”
If the goading and jeering was anything to go off of, then there was clearly a fight going on. Yin Yu sighed. When he needed to remain discreet, his ability to blend into the scenery was admittedly a very useful tool. When he needed to act as an authority figure, however, it was nothing if not bothersome.
“Could you step aside?” he said, trying to push his way through the crowd. “Out of the way. Please move, I need to get in.”
Those who did bother to look at him recognized his station and quickly stepped aside. Those who didn't bother to look paid him no heed. Working his way through the crowd wasn't an easy task.
“Oi, quit shoving!”
“Step aside, please. I need to—“
Crack!
Just as he'd made it through the crowd, breaking into the open center where the fight was taking place, someone returned his gentle nudge out of the way with an elbow slam to the side of his head, making him stumble and nearly knocking him off his feet.
“Watch where you're—! Oh, XiaXianYue! I didn't realize it was you!”
Yin Yu's vision spun, stars dancing in his eyes. His head was aching now, and when his sight cleared, the first thing he saw was the shattered pieces of his mask on the ground. Wonderful... It wasn't expensive or particularly valuable, but it did make handling ghosts and demons far easier. The plain white and woeful smile was haunting and left far more of an impression than his actual face did. He already didn't command respect, expecting hordes of ghosts and demons to take him seriously without it was like asking a fish to fly. The man who tried was not only foolish, but obtuse, as well.
Whatever, it didn't matter. He could worry about that later. Right now, he needed to—
“Shixiong...? Shixiong...!? Shixiong...!!!”
Yin Yu turned on his heel and bolted.
It was practically an instinctual reaction. The moment he heard that voice, recognized that tone, his body kicked into action before his mind could even catch up. He didn't need to see what was happening. He didn't need to try and stop the fight. He could guess what it was about. All he needed to do was run, and that's exactly what he did, racing back into the crowd.
“Hey! Where do you think you're going!?”
“Don't let him escape! Stop him!”
“Catch him! Quick!”
“Shixiong! Shixiong!! Shixiong!!!”
He didn't think, he didn't stop to consider. Listening to nothing but a mad urge to get away, Yin Yu ducked under an arm, squeezed past a group, dodged a moving cart, slipped through an alley, and generally did all that he could to escape, all while hearing that voice calling behind him. It never seemed to get further, no matter how hard he ran, but it wasn't getting closer either.
“Shixiong, wait up! Shixiong, stop! Shixiong! Shixiong!”
He ran and ran, ignoring the growing stitch in his chest. He ran and he ran, too scared to look behind him. He ran and he ran, running until he couldn't run anymore. He came to a screeching halt, icy panic gripping his chest.
Before him, a crowd of people was gathered, thicker than the one who gathered to watch the fight, but not quite as noisy. He looked from one side to the other. Standing on tiptoe and fighting for a chance to see, the crowd was like a blockade, giving whatever was in the center a wide, respectful berth. He couldn't go around. “Let me through! Let me through!” he shouted, trying to push his way into the crowd. “Move! Get out of my way!”
He was promptly shoved back, this time falling on the ground.
“Take your shoving elsewhere! The rest of us want to see Chengzhu and his wife, too!”
“Shixiong! Shixiong! Shixiong!”
As that voice grew nearer, the panicked, frenzied racing of his heart beat out of his chest. Without a choice to get through, he shot to his feet and dashed into the closest establishment he could find. If he'd been thinking clearly, he would've recognized it for what it was, and he never would've entered. If he'd been thinking clearly, he would've smelled the sickly sweet scent and instantly known what kind of establishment he'd stumbled into. If he'd been thinking clearly, he would've noticed the slew of women dressed in silky, revealing gowns and men sloshing drinks, all laughing and lounging around tables and red-cushioned divans. He would've known what it all meant if he'd been thinking clearly, but he wasn't.
With three levels, the establishment was quite sizable and just as busy as the outside. However, the moment Yin Yu stepped inside, he immediately spotted a staircase and dashed for it.
“Shixiong! Shixiong! Shixiong!”
He was up the stairs, on the third level, and racing down the nearest hall in record time, weaving through and dodging around women carrying trays of food and drink.
“Whoa, watch it!”
“Hey! You're gonna run into somebody!”
“Slow down! What kind of establishment do you think this is!”
“H-Huh!? Oof—!!!”
Thump!
Splash!
Yin Yu ducked under the outstretched arm of one woman, and when he looked up again, he saw another hurtling towards him, carrying a large jar and running almost as fast as he was. The two tried to stop, but it was too late for that. They crashed into each other, whatever was in the jar sloshing out and splashing all over Yin Yu, soaking much of his clothing in such a sickly sweet scent it almost made him gag.
“Are you crazy! You nearly made me drop it!”
“I-I'm s-sorry, I didn't mean to—“
“Shixiong! Shixiong! Shixiong!”
His apology died on his tongue and he was off again in a flash. He raced down the hall, passing by sliding door after sliding door, red curtain after red curtain. A window; he needed a window! If he could only find one, he could make an escape. He was just as fast as Yin Yu, but he wasn't half as good at disappearing. He just needed one window!
Which, of course, meant he didn't find a single one. As he came up on the end of the hall and still hadn't found an escape route, he did the only thing left for him to do—he dashed into the nearest room. It was only then that he realized what kind of place this was, for the room certainly wasn't unoccupied.
It was well-decorated, that was for certain. As vividly red and strikingly gold as the outside had been. The furnishings were fine, looking to be of the highest quality. The biggest of which was a large bed in the very center. In various states of undress, two demon-women with the heads of boars crowded around it, one holding a leathery-looking flail and the other with something strapped around her pelvis. On hands and knees between them was an older-looking male ghost, his back arched in a way that didn't look comfortable for someone his age.
Yin Yu froze, his face going white as a sheet. His reaction was mirrored by the male ghost—his face going ashen as he spat out something long and black attached to the thing strapped to the demon's pelvis.
It was a brothel... He'd ran into a brothel...
There was a very brief moment of silence and a long pause in which nobody moved, nobody spoke. If ghosts really could disappear and reappear at will, then the man was certainly trying it. The spell was broken by heavy footsteps and a calling voice.
“Shixiong! Shixiong! Shixiong!”
Yin Yu charged into the room.
“G-Get out! Get out! Get out! This isn't what it looks like! Get out!”
“Was this an open session?”
“Excuse me, dear guest, but you're interrupting. I must ask you to leave.”
On the far wall, behind the bed, Yin Yu finally found a window. Relief rushed through him. He yanked the curtains apart and pushed it open. All he needed to do was hoist himself up and he'd be able to squeeze through. He just needed to—
Just as he shifted his weight off his feet, a sudden wave of dizziness struck him and he wobbled, falling back to his feet and clutching at the sill for balance. That one second pause was his doom. Before he could try again, a hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled him back. “Shixiong! Stop running! It's only me!”
Wide and genuine, innocent and unabashed, Quan Yizhen grinned into Yin Yu's ghostly, terrified face, as if they'd done nothing more than play a game—a game that he just won. “Finally!” he said. “I can never get your attention. Did you really not hear me?”
“L-Let me go.”
“Why? What are you running from? Why are you so red?”
“Let me go!”
“Are you in some kind of trouble? If that's the case, I can beat it for you! You don't need to run.”
“I said let go of me!”
This time, Quan Yizhen obeyed, and Yin Yu wrenched his wrist free. He again tried to shift his weight to hoist himself out of the window, but another wave of head-aching dizziness saw him stumbling back, his legs feeling like jelly and his balance like his dignity. Gone. Before he could hit the floor, however, Quan Yizhen caught him in his arms. “Shixiong! What's wrong! Are you sick!?”
“I-I'm fine! I-I said let me go...”
Quan Yizhen did not obey. He scooped up Yin Yu, who made a very indignant, strangled-sounding noise, and carried him over to the bed, which had since been vacated of ghostly patrons.
“H-Hey! What are you doing!? S-Stop!”
“You need to lay down if you're sick. I don't know why you're running around when you're ill.”
“I'm not—!”
Plopping him down with much care, Quan Yizhen pressed the back of his hand to Yin Yu's forehead. “Shixiong! You're burning up!”
“I-I'm fine,” Yin Yu mumbled, averting his eyes. “I'm not sick...”
If the smell alone hadn't been indication enough, then his reaction was. Liquid fire rushed through Yin Yu's veins and his cheeks were tinted with heat, his breathing heavy, but not from exertion. Establishments varied on location and class, but there was one thing you could be sure to find in any sort of brothel, ghostly or not. Debauchery, revelry, and aphrodisiac. His clothing was drenched in the latter, and it was making it hard for him to breathe.
“Just... leave...” he gasped, shifting his collar uncomfortably. “I don't want you here... Get out.”
Despite his clear concern, he'd been smiling the entire time. Now, however, Quan Yizhen frowned. “Why? If you aren't feeling well, I can help.”
Yin Yu thought the entire heavenly court sitting down for civil conversation and tea with the denizens of ghost city was more likely than him receiving any sort of help from Quan Yizhen. Before he could voice this, however, they were interrupted by a newcomer bursting into the room.
“What's this!? What's this!?” the newcomer squawked. “Is this a pleasure house or a training yard!? What do you think you're doing charging through the entire place and causing such chaos!? Such ridiculous behavior! Get out! Get out!”
The newcomer, an attendant by the look of him, continued to squawk out angry insults at the two. He quite literally squawked, for he was a demon with the head of a rooster. “Ridiculous! Ridiculous! How would you like it if I came tearing through your house!”
“I need medicine and a damp cloth,” Quan Yizhen said, standing and addressing the demon without an ounce of reservation. “My Shixiong isn't feeling well. We'll use this room until he's recovered.”
It wasn't easy for a rooster to look incredulous, but the attendant certainly managed it. “Are you stupid or something! What foolery is this! You come crashing in here and you expect to be treated as a guest!? Do you want to die!?”
He might've continued to yell until they really did die, however, after Quan Yizhen dug around in his sleeve for a moment and offered out an overstuffed bag that clinked and clacked with the sound of coin, his attitude changed immediately.
“What is this—a hotel!? Scram! Get out! I said...! Oh... Honored guest! Young master! Welcome! Welcome! I'm at your service for whatever you require! Medicine, you said? I'll have that sent right up. Is there anything else you might require? Food? Drink, perhaps?”
“That's all. Go.”
The demon hurried out of the room and Quan Yizhen returned his attention back to Yin Yu, who'd since slipped off the bed, but still couldn't manage to stand upright. “Shixiong, you shouldn't move around,” he said, 'helping' Yin Yu back onto the bed. “Just rest. I sent for some medicine.”
“I-I told you! I'm not sick! Just leave me be!”
Shaking like he was freezing but burning up like he was set ablaze, Yin Yu's body was beginning to tremble, his voice so thick in his throat he could barely get it out. Whatever he'd been doused in must've been meant to be used in light amounts. He was quite literally wearing it, breathing in that sickly scent with every breath he took.
He could feel something digging in his gut, scratching and longing to get out, a desire begging to be sated. He squeezed his legs together, attempting to both hide what he didn't want to be seen, and to stave off some of the tension. His head spun and spun, aching and aching more with each passing minute. He may very well end up ill at this rate.
He began tugging at his damp clothing, trying to pull off his scarf and loosen his sash belt. “Are you uncomfortable?” Quan Yizhen asked. “Do you need my help?”
“M-My clothes... I-I need to get them off...”
Quan Yizhen sat down beside Yin Yu and helped to remove his outer layer of clothing. Gasping for breath, Yin Yu's head began to clear, if only by a fraction. Pinching his brow, Quan Yizhen sniffed the outer robe. “...Why do you smell like this?”
“N-Never mind that,” Yin Yu bit out. “You need to leave. You shouldn't be here.”
“But you're—“
“I'm not sick! I told you that. Just get out of here already.”
Quan Yizhen pursed his lips like a petulant child. “If you aren't sick, then what's wrong? Why are you like this?”
Yin Yu could feel another headache coming on, but this one wasn't from stimulant drugs. “My clothes got splashed with some kind of perfume, I think. That's why they smell. It will clear out on its own, you don't need to be here. Go.”
“Perfume...? What kind of perfume could possibly do this? Is it toxic? Is that why you're sick?”
“I told you I'm not sick!”
“Then why are you like—?”
“Because it was an aphrodisiac! It's arousal! I'm not sick, I'm aroused! Do you understand now!? If you do, then Get. Out!”
After such a harsh outburst, Quan Yizhen finally stopped asking questions and went quiet, looking as if he was thinking hard. For a brief moment, Yin Yu thought he'd finally gotten through to him. It was a very brief moment.
“...Roused?” he asked. “Like for a battle?”
“Aroused! A-roused! It isn't for battle, it's for sex! Do you even know what this place is!? Scram! Get out! Go!”
“Sex...? Why are you doing that...?”
“I'm not! I got splashed because of you! You chased me in here!”
“So it's my fault...?”
“Yes!!!”
Quan Yizhen lapsed back into deeply concentrated silence. Yin Yu closed his eyes, feeling himself deflate, the flame of his anger dying out just as quickly as it'd sparked. There was a part of him that felt guilty for being so harsh, for he knew Quan Yizhen was well-intentioned, despite being completely oblivious, but he knew there simply wasn't any way to get through to him without raising his voice.
He breathed in his agitation, then sighed. “Look, I appreciate your concern, even if I didn't ask for it, but you don't need to—“
“I'll fix it.”
“—worry about... What...?”
“I'll fix it!” Quan Yizhen repeated, grinning as if he'd solved all the world's problems. “If it's my fault, then I'll fix it.”
This situation was ridiculous. Yin Yu was already atoning for his sin, he didn't know what he'd ever done to deserve such humiliation. He'd said leave! go! get out! and scram! so many times now that they didn't sound like words anymore but stubborn, mulish noises. Quan Yizhen refused to listen, and now here he was talking about 'fixing it' as if he could put a bandage on an open wound and suddenly everything would be as good as new. He didn't think Quan Yizhen even knew what it was.
If running away was tiring, then actually dealing with Quan Yizhen was thoroughly exhausting. “It isn't something you can just fix...” Yin Yu said with a groan. “I need to wait until—“
Quan Yizhen bent down and kissed him, cutting off his sentence.
?
It was like multiple different explosions happening all at once, one bleeding into the next, then bleeding into another. It didn't create a single big explosion, only disoriented and confused everyone until you no longer knew which one was loudest and most damaging.
?
Shock and confusion, need and want, fear and panic, longing and desire. All of it and more exploded inside Yin Yu, making his blood rush hot and his veins freeze over. It was so sudden that he couldn't process what was even happening. It was so unexpected that he didn't even think to resist.
?
Pinned underneath his body weight, Quan Yizhen kissed Yin Yu so thoroughly that even if he had thought to breathe, he wouldn't have been given the opportunity. His lips were captured, his jaw nudged open, and his mouth invaded. Calling it a kiss was a technical generosity. It felt more like Quan Yizhen was crushing their lips together and licking at the inside of Yin Yu's mouth.
The result, however, was undeniable. The already simmering heat and longing ache inside Yin Yu bubbled up, drowning him in fiery desire. His eyelids drifted closed and he relaxed, thinking about nothing but chasing after the rushing heat that was Quan Yizhen's messy kiss.
The kiss only broke when the two needed oxygen, and even then, it was a reluctant break. Quan Yizhen moved down, licking at Yin Yu's ear and kissing his neck, leaving behind marks as he breathed in the sweet scent on his skin. Yin Yu gasped, breathing heavier than if he'd raced the ghost market's entire length twice over. It didn't feel entirely real. The air around them was thick and his mind felt foggy, his body sluggish and weighed down.
He felt like he existed outside his body, like he was trapped in a dream and he merely spectated the outside world. If he was in a dream, then it was an easy one—pleasant and calming. He felt like he could drift off and float along in the current that was Quan Yizhen.
It wasn't until he felt hands slip underneath his clothing to brush against bare skin did his mind snap back into place.
!!!
If it had been a dream, then being ripped out of it and startled awake was like being doused in an ice-cold bucket of anxiety. “W-W-What are you doing!” he choked, his voice sounding strangled. “S-Stop that!“
Somewhere, somehow, his inner robe had been untied and splayed open, exposing his full upper body. Quan Yizhen had worked his way down Yin Yu's collarbone and found the flushed peaks of his chest, licking and biting like an over eagerpuppy, its tail wagging as it nibbled on its favorite toy. Quan Yizhen caught Yin Yu lightly between his teeth, and despite himself, he let out a cry that was partially startled, but mostly pleasured.
Forgoing any sort of gentleness, Yin Yu grabbed Quan Yizhen by the hair and tugged him away, angry tears streaking his scarlet flushed cheeks. “I-I said stop! Who do you think you're biting!?”
If his tail had been wagging before, then now it seemed to droop. “Do you not like it?” Quan Yizhen asked, a pitifully innocent look in his eye. “Did it not feel good? It seemed like you were...?”
“Did I like—? What do you think you're doing!?”
“...You said you wanted to have sex...?”
“T-That isn't—! H-Huh!? When did I—!? I didn't say that!!!”
“You said we needed to get the rousal out of your system...? That'll make you better, right? I'll help! I can fix it!”
As if the matter had been settled, Quan Yizhen went right back to what he'd been doing, licking Yin Yu in a place that elicited a startled, melted noise that he didn't want to own up to. “N-No!” he choked, again yanking Quan Yizhen away from his now bite-marked chest. “I-I can't do... that! Not with you!”
This time, instead of his tail drooping, Quan Yizhen glowered like a petulant child. “Why not?”
“Wh-Why!? What do you mean why!? Are you crazy! W-We can't—! You're my—! I mean... we don't have that kind of relationship! It's highly inappropriate!”
Quan Yizhen's glower only hardened. It was a slip of the tongue, but they both knew what Yin Yu was about to say. Even after ascending on his own merit, Quan Yizhen never once changed how he addressed Yin Yu. What the intent behind it was known only to him. Though he tried to leave it all in the past, Yin Yu couldn't pretend that they hadn't once been shixiong and shidi, whether he wanted to or not. He couldn't say it out loud, but the panicked look on his face was indicative of the sentiment.
Drawing back, Quan Yizhen sat back on his haunches, and Yin Yu breathed out a sigh of relief. He sucked it back in as Quan Yizhen loosened his sash belt and began to shrug off his outer robe. As he did so, his form began to shimmer. It was slight—almost completely unnoticeable, as if nothing more than a trick of the light—but by the time he'd tossed aside his outer layer of clothing, something about his appearance had changed.
It wasn't a drastic change. He was still the same in many ways—the same mulish stare, the same fluffy, untamable hair, the same observant, unreadable eyes. But he also looked a bit older, a bit more filled out. His shoulders were broader and he looked a little taller, his frame thicker with more muscle. It was like he'd stopped trying to endear himself before Yin Yu by maintaining his appearance from their youth. He wasn't a gangly youth, but a strapping young man—still a stubborn brat, but not the one Yin Yu had always known.
“Shixiong, I'm not a kid...” Quan Yizhen mumbled. “If it's my fault, then let me fix it...”
If he would've continued to protest, Yin Yu didn't quite know. It was moot either way. Quan Yizhen bent down and kissed him again, and as he was plunged back into that muddled, aphrodisiac-induced haze of roaring heat, he knew he wouldn't have the strength to refuse it again. He didn't resist—not when Quan Yizhen kissed him, slower this time, more gentle, and not when he began to strip off the remainder of Yin Yu's clothing, revealing his leaking shame.
Laid out bare, he began to shiver. His head was spinning, his vision was cloudy, his skin was burning, and his body ached to be touched and stimulated. Quan Yizhen pulled him close and took hold of where he teemed for release. It was a gentle touch—more so a brush of his fingers with little real pressure applied. That small touch was enough to make Yin Yu's vision go black and white, pleasure crashing into him with such force he felt like he'd been mowed down by a speeding wagon.
He twitched and squirmed, held still by Quan Yizhen. He gasped and choked for air, roiling tension coiling in his stomach. The touch only tightened, setting a steady, stroking pace. In two seconds flat, Yin Yu could feel the tension inside him burst to the surface, exploding out like a firework's final act. He thought he might be crying out, but he also didn't think he could utter a single sound even if he wanted to.
When he came crashing back down to reality, he was left panting for air, struggling to breathe after such an intense sensation. Rubbing it between his fingers, Quan Yizhen studied the sticky substance now coating his hand. “That was really fast... Did it feel good?”
If he still had any left, Yin Yu's pride might've been wounded by such a thoughtless comment. With trembling hands, he tried to push Quan Yizhen away and sit up. “T-That's enough. You've done it, alright? Y-You can go now.”
“Go? But you're still like this?”
Quan Yizhen touched him again, and any strength Yin Yu had mustered evaporated into thin air. He collapsed back into the sheets. “I don't think once is enough to cure you,” Quan Yizhen said, completely genuine. “We need to get it all out.”
Though his head felt a little bit clearer, Yin Yu still couldn't find the resolve to protest. All it took was a single touch, a single stroke, and he'd melt, come undone and forget about wanting to stop. He couldn't tell Quan Yizhen to stop any more than a starving man could walk by a feast, even if the food wasn't to his taste.
He felt himself being jostled around, Quan Yizhen moving them into a different position. It wasn't until he felt Quan Yizhen transfer his touch to a new place did he find it in himself to protest again. Yin Yu's hips were leveled up and his legs spread apart. With his fingers still slick from release, Quan Yizhen was poking into a place he didn't belong.
“S-Stop that!” Yin Yu choked, his face blanching. Just how many new ways could he be humiliated!? “D-Don't touch there!”
“Why not? Isn't this where it's supposed to feel really good?”
“T-That isn't the point! It's dirty!”
“No, it isn't,” Quan Yizhen said with a laugh. As if to demonstrate, he pulled Yin Yu closer and kissed him again... Just not on the mouth. His tongue was wet on Yin Yu's sensitive skin, licking a rhythmic trail and making noises more vulgar than what was necessary. Held upside down and being licked in such a place, Yin Yu thought he might die. When he was permitted to slump back down, he couldn't do anything but cover his face in shame.
Quan Yizhen removed the remainder of his clothing and freed himself, his own arousal on full display. It wasn't until he lined himself up with the now-slick entrance of his making was Yin Yu struck by a sudden, indignant thought. “W-Wait a minute... Why am I on the receiving end? Aren't I the oldest?”
Quan Yizhen paused, looking taken aback, then he broke out into a toothy grin, his tail beginning to wag again. “Would you prefer to do it that way? Is that how you want to do it?”
Yin Yu actually thought about it for a moment. He erased the thought from his mind. “Forget it,” he mumbled, averting his gaze. “Just do it if you're going to do it...”
“Okay!”
If his never-fading grin was any indication, then Quan Yizhen was clearly under the impression that Yin Yu was finally warming up to him again. He smiled as he readjusted their position, he smiled as he lined himself up with Yin Yu, and he smiled as he slammed his hips, thrusting inside fully in a single go.
If anyone had been passing by outside, they might've thought there was a particularly odd kink happening in one of the rooms. One that involved the strangulation of a cat. It wouldn't have been the strangest thing to happen in Ghost City. It wasn't a cat, however. It was Yin Yu who made that choked back, strangled noise.
He felt like he'd been punched in the gut. No, he'd been punched in the gut before. He felt like he was being split in half, forced open in a way he shouldn't. Quan Yizhen all but collapsed down on top of him, wrapping him in a tight embrace. “Shixiong,” he muttered, his voice hot in Yin Yu's ear. “Relax. You're squeezing really tight.”
He was going to kill him. “I can't!” Yin Yu bit out through gritted teeth, tears streaming down his face. “You aren't supposed to shove it in all at once!”
“I wasn't...?”
“No!!!”
Quan Yizhen made to pull out, and rather than feeling as though he was being split open, Yin Yu felt like he was being ripped open. He let out another highly undignified sound and grabbed a fistful of Quan Yizhen's hair. “Stop moving!” he hissed. “Don't move an inch! Not until I tell you!”
“Okay!”
Yin Yu slammed his eyes shut, concentrating on steadying his breathing and relaxing his twitching muscles. If it weren't for the unabashed staring he could feel even through closed eyes, he might've been able to calm down.
“Shixiong, can I move now?”
“No.”
“Are you relaxed yet?”
“No.”
“Can't I move just a little?”
“No.”
Quan Yizhen's mulish glare returned. Burying his face in the crook of Yin Yu's neck, he began fidgeting impatiently, kissing and biting at his already marked skin. Yin Yu opened his mouth, but his lips were immediately sealed in another kiss, Quan Yizhen's tongue pushing past his teeth and forcing him to swallow his protest.
By the time Quan Yizhen started a steady roll of his hips, Yin Yu was too fuzzy-headed to tell him to stop. The kiss gradually got heavier and Quan Yizhen's movement got steadily quicker. When he broke away to hover over Yin Yu, he wasn't told to stop again.
There was still pain, but pleasure was beginning to pour into the mix, as well. It was like a single ingredient in the mixture, slowly losing prominence and fading out of color. Yin Yu could feel himself relaxing, his breathing coming out in heady puffs and the intensity of being forced open simmering down. His body began to buzz, humming with desired stimulation.
If he could feel himself relax, however, then so could Quan Yizhen. With a far-off look in his eye and a gaze that never wavered, he began to thrust even faster, the repetition of his hips losing their easy flow and becoming quite forceful. Yin Yu could feel himself slipping away, sinking into a hazy cloud of pleasure. Through the cracks in that haze, however, he saw that Quan Yizhen's amber-colored eyes were practically glowing, half-lidded and transfixed.
Only then did he consider that Quan Yizhen too must've breathed in a fair amount of aphrodisiac.
It happened in a flash. He was on his back one moment, the entire world was spinning the next, then he found himself on his stomach, pressed into the sheets with his back arched in a way he didn't think he could've managed on his own. Having pulled out for the briefest of moments, Quan Yizhen was back inside in a heartbeat, moving with renewed vigor, the vulgar sound of skin slapping against skin echoing around the room.
Perhaps it all came down to technique, but sex wasn't the steady flow of pleasure Yin Yu thought it would've been. It wasn't a gentle breeze or a running stream, but a never ending spray directly to the face. He felt like he was being pumped full of it, taking more than he actually needed and far exceeding what he could really manage. Pleasure was a mallet to the head—a pounding ache that he didn't want to stop.
He wasn't entirely sure if he remained conscious or not. The longer it went on, the more detached from his body he felt. It wasn't until the entire world spun for a second time did he snap back to the present.
Grabbing him by the shoulders, Quan Yizhen pulled Yin Yu up and into his arm. “Shixiong... Shixiong, don't fall asleep... I want to keep going...”
“G-Go slow,” Yin Yu choked out, his vision still dizzy and disoriented. “D-Don't be so rough...”
It was becoming clear that Quan Yizhen picked and chose which commands to listen to. This one he obeyed, more or less. He didn't stop, and he certainly wasn't gentler, but he did slow down, rutting rather than thrusting. Feeling as though he could finally breathe and find some modicum of enjoyment in his humiliation, Yin Yu rolled his head back and let it rest on Quan Yizhen's shoulder.
It was only then that he noticed something flashing in the corner of his eye, quickly catching his attention. He was met by a sight as unpleasant as it was unrecognizable—himself.
He stared at himself as if he were another person entirely, reflecting back in a nearby wall mirror. Stripped bare, his ghostly pale skin was flushed red, covered in bite marks and his own leaking fluid. Trapped in an embrace with tears streaking down his cheeks, he looked melted and worn out. It wasn't real; he couldn't believe he'd ended up in such an unsightly state.
“S-Stop...” he croaked out. He wanted to avert his gaze, but it was like he held himself trapped by his own eyes. “Stop it...”
“Don't wanna...”
“Stop!”
“Why?” Quan Yizhen looked up from where he'd been licking Yin Yu's nape, his expression sullen. “Does it not feel good? You seemed like you were?”
“I-I mean... Not like this. I don't like this position.”
“Why? What's wrong with it?”
Having noticed where Yin Yu was looking, Quan Yizhen too glanced in the mirror, their eyes meeting immediately. It was an odd thing— looking in someone's face through a mirror. It was said that the eyes were a window to the soul. Words lied, expressions deceived, but the eyes could only yield the truth. Within a reflection, however, that truth became something different entirely.
A reflection was both a lie and a truth, both undeniably real and entirely intangible at the same time. If the subconscious could be taught to remain on guard in the face of others, then that guard would slip in the face of a reflection, and the truth would be put on display for all to see.
Yin Yu looked away. “B-Because... Because... I-I just don't like my face, okay!”
He hadn't meant to say it like that. He meant to say he didn't want to look on his face during such an act, but with his mind muddled from sex and foggy from aphrodisiac, he supposed his honesty must've slipped out.
Quan Yizhen only stared at him through the mirror harder. “Why? What's wrong with it?”
“It's... It's just not very good-looking. Forget it.”
“It isn't...? But I like your face?”
Despite himself, Yin Yu's already prevalent flush deepened. Empty compliments or things said out of nicety hadn't stirred anything out of him other than a sigh for a very long time. After his ascension but before his banishment, such things became worthless when he found himself surrounded by gods more impressive and dazzling than the last.
Perhaps it was sentiment, or perhaps, for better or worse, everything that came out of Quan Yizhen's mouth was entirely honest, but the earnest nature of the compliment made Yin Yu feel strangely warm inside, the affection noticeably different than the heat spurred on by stimulant.
“I don't care that it isn't good-looking,” Quan Yizhen continued. “I like it, anyway.”
Here one moment, gone the next—the warmth fizzled out and Yin Yu sighed. “Can we just please change position so I don't have to watch myself. This is humiliating enough.”
Looking as though he wanted to argue, but didn't even know what the argument was about, Quan Yizhen allowed Yin Yu to slip out of his arms and slump down, burying his face in a pillow. If he thought that meant he'd be allowed to hide, then he would've been wrong.
Quan Yizhen rolled him around on his back, still hugging his pillow. “H-Hey!” Yin Yu startled. “What are you...?”
“I'll watch!”
“...What?”
Quan Yizhen's tail was wagging again. “If you don't want to watch your face, then I will!”
“T-That...! That isn't what I—!”
Yanking the pillow out of Yin Yu's arms, Quan Yizhen was back on top of him in a flash, licking his ear, biting his neck, and thrusting inside with the eagerness of someone who didn't understand the concept of 'less is more.' It was less so passionate and more so like a rambunctious puppy showering its owner in an unbridled amount of affection.
The longer it went on, however, the heavier their breathing got and Quan Yizhen's smile soon began to fade into a look of deep concentration. Climax was looming on the horizon.
“Shixiong,” Quan Yizhen mumbled, burying his face in the crook of Yin Yu's neck. “I want to finish...”
“Then finish.”
“Can I do it inside?”
“Were you not going to regardless?” When he didn't get an answer, Yin Yu sighed. This brat. “Just do whatever...”
Though he wanted to be indifferent about the whole thing, the truth was that Yin Yu could feel himself nearing a peak, as well. Climax was a tightening in his stomach. It was a rushing wave of heat, building and building higher, waiting to crash down and release.
Quan Yizhen began to spasm and jerk, his once steady movement turning wild and uncontrolled as he buried deep. Yin Yu's vision blurred and his mind went blank, his own orgasm bursting out and making a mess between them.
Like a ripple in the water, everything gradually began to simmer down, their heart rates returning to normal and their breathing steadying. Yin Yu could feel heat seeping into his stomach and spreading throughout his body, trickling out and leaking onto the sheets. Quan Yizhen pulled away and gazed, transfixed at the mess he'd made.
Yin Yu averted his eyes. “If you're done, you can go now. I'm not as dizzy anymore.”
“...I should leave if I'm done?”
“Yeah, you shouldn't stick around here. Gods aren't exactly favored in the Ghost Realm.”
Yin Yu sat up, and despite the dull ache in his lower back, he made to swing his legs over the side of the bed, glancing around for where his clothing had been discarded to. Quan Yizhen grabbed his arm, gazing at him with an earnest, wide-eyed expression. “Then I'm not done!”
?
Quan Yizhen wasn't sure when Yin Yu had gotten so small. Lying beside each other, his breathing was light and easy, a steady breath in and a funny little puff out. He could wrap his arms around Yin Yu's body and still have enough room to look at his face.
When he thought back to their childhood, Yin Yu had always felt so big to him—so dazzling. The brightest star in the night sky and the biggest cut of meat on the dinner table. He was the one who looked after Quan Yizhen when everyone else scorned him. He was the one who lectured the others about bullying and excluding him.
The Heavenly Court was stuffy and boring. Quan Yizhen hadn't really liked it much, and neither had Yin Yu. But unlike Quan Yizhen, he hadn't wanted to leave it, saying, “Ascension isn't so easy. Since we made it here, I want to do my best. You think it's easy? Then why don't you try it?”
Quan Yizhen hadn't thought of ascending as a challenge or a test, but as a way to stand up. They weren't shixiong and shidi under the same master anymore. Yin Yu was the martial god of the west now, and Quan Yizhen was still just his shidi. After he ascended, then he too would be a martial god of the west, standing next to Yin Yu, just as big as him.
Now, he wasn't sure if Yin Yu had gotten smaller, or if he was the one who'd gotten too big.
He thought he'd ascend and that would be that. He didn't realize he'd end up with followers and worshipers; duties, jobs, and an endless stream of people who wanted things from him. He hadn't liked it before and he liked it even less now.
He didn't like it when things got too complicated. He'd been accused of being a moron before—a blockhead, a bone-brain. In response, he'd simply shrug and say that he was a marital god, not a civil god. His statement was usually accompanied by a good punch for emphasis.
He wasn't entirely sure why he chased after Yin Yu. He'd only ever liked two things in his life: fighting and Yin Yu. He didn't like the idea of giving either one up, so he chased after the latter.
He'd always hoped that everything would return to how it once was if he managed to catch up to him—to talk to him and ask him why everything had changed. Now, however, he knew they couldn't go back. They couldn't go back, and he didn't want to anymore.
He now understood why he chased after Yin Yu, and now that he'd caught him, he wasn't going to let him get away again.
Snowy-pale and slightly flushed with a crimson undertone, Yin Yu's wrist was thin and delicate in Quan Yizhen's hand. He pressed it to his mouth, kissing the Cursed Shackle that was meant as a mark of shame, but he couldn't help but find to be pretty on his skin. “Shixiong, don't run away again, alright? I'll keep chasing after you, if you do.”